Tengku Ampuan Afzan

Raja Permaisuri Agong from 1979 to 1984

Tengku Ampuan Hajah Afzan Rahimahallah binti Almarhum Tengku Panglima Perang Tengku Muhammad (Jawi: تڠكو امڤوان حاجه افزان رحمة ﷲ بنت المرحوم تڠكو ڤڠليما ڤراڠ تڠکو محمد; born Tengku Afzan binti Tengku Muhammad; 4 December 1932 – 29 June 1988) was the Tengku Ampuan (Queen consort) of Pahang. She served as Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia between 26 April 1979 and 25 April 1984.

Early life

Born on 4 December 1932 in Kuala Terengganu, she was the fourth child of Tengku Panglima Perang Tengku Muhammad Mu’azzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Sir Ahmad al-Mu’azzam Shah and Tengku Hajah Mandak binti Tengku Haji Mustaffar, and the granddaughter of Almarhum Sultan Ahmad Shah, the first Sultan of Pahang.

Her father, the son of Sultan Ahmad of Pahang, served as Chief Minister of Terengganu and Pahang before returning to Pahang to hold the same post.

Tengku Hajah Afzan received her early education at the Malay Girls’ School in Pekan. She also received private tuition in English.

Marriage and becoming queen

On 22 April 1954, at the age of 22, she married Ahmad Shah,^[1] Crown Prince of Pahang, at Kuala Lipis and became the Tengku Puan (Crown Princess) of Pahang. She gave birth to seven children, two boys and five girls,^[2] including the sixth and current Sultan of Pahang and the sixteenth Yang Di Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, Tengku Tan Sri Meriam, Tengku Datuk Seri Muhaini, Tengku Datuk Seri Aishah Marcella, Tengku Abdul Rahman, Tengku Datuk Nong Fatimah and Tengku Datuk Shahariah.^[3]

In 1974 when Ahmad Shah ascended to the throne of Pahang, she became his queen consort styled as Tengku Ampuan of Pahang. She was Raja Permaisuri Agong (Queen of Malaysia) between 1979 and 1984.

Death

Tengku Afzan died on 29 June 1988 at 8:42 am at Istana Pahang, Kuala Lumpur at the age of 55 due to cancer. She was laid to rest at the Pahang Royal Mausoleum near Abu Bakar Royal Mosque in Pekan, Pahang.

Awards and recognitions

Honours of Pahang

• Member 1st class of the Family Order of the Crown of Indra of Pahang (DK I) (6 May 1975)
• Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri
• Grand Knight of the Order of the Crown of Pahang (SIMP) – formerly Dato', now Dato' Indera (29 May 1972)

National and Sultanal honour

•  Malaysia (as wife of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, 29 March 1979 – 25 April 1984):
  • Recipient of the Order of the Crown of the Realm (DMN) (29 May 1979)

Foreign honour

•  Romania:
  • First Class of the Order of Tudor Vladimirescu (25 November 1982)

Places named after her

Several places named after her, including:

• Tengku Ampuan Afzan Mosque in Kuantan, Pahang
• Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan, Pahang
• Institut Tengku Ampuan Afzan, a child development centre in Kuala Lumpur
• Institut Pendidikan Guru Kampus Tengku Ampuan Afzan in Kuala Lipis, Pahang
• SM Tengku Ampuan Afzan, a secondary school in Chenor, Pahang
• SMK Tengku Afzan, a secondary school in Kuantan, Pahang
• SMKA Tengku Ampuan Hajjah Afzan, a secondary school in Jerantut, Pahang
• Maahad Tahfiz Al Quran Wal Qiraat Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Pekan, Pahang
• Taman Tengku Ampuan Afzan, a residential area in Lanchang, Pahang

See also

• Yang di-Pertuan Agong
• Raja Permaisuri Agong

References

1. "Sultan Ahmad Shah reigned for almost 45 years". Malay Mail. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
2. "Former ruler of Pahang, Sultan Ahmad Shah, dies". The Straits Times. 22 May 2019. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
3. "Agong's father Sultan Ahmad Shah dies". Yahoo Finance. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2024.