DEATH of a former Malaysia's Queen - TUNKU PUAN ZANARIAH, Dowager SULTANAH of Johor (1940 - 2019)

Tengku Puan Zanariah binti Almarhum Tengku Ahmad, the former Sultanah-consort of Malaysian state of Johor has died at the age of 78. She passed away on Sunday, 17 March 2019, at 11:47pm. Her demise was announced at 8:15am Monday (March 18), via the official facebook page of her son-in-law, Sultan Ibrahim of Johor.

The post of announcement via Sultan Ibrahim's official fb-page

The publication included a picture during her time as 'Queen' in black & white, with her name & title (with the additional first-word: Almarhumah, which means the late, acquired for females), and the (customary for such ocassions) muslim prayer Al-Fatiha(h) headline in bold scription.

She was born on 5 July 1940 in Pasir Mas, Kelantan Sultanate(, Malaysia), the seventh of nine children of Tengku Panglima Raja Ahmad bin Tengku Abdul Jaafar (state's royal) and Che Puan Hajjah Fatimah binti Dato Abdul Hamid. Paternally she was a great granddaughter of Sultan Muhammad II of Kelantan (r. 1836-1886).

Tengku Zanariah studied at elementary & secondary schools in Kelantan (1946-49 & 1952-54) and in capital Kuala Lumpur (between 1950 & 1952). In 1954 she went to England to pursue further her studies at the Upper Crime School, Isle of Wight.

Official portrait as Malaysia's Queen-consort

In 1960 she was the winner of the first edition of Miss-Malaysia and could participate in the first Miss International Pageant the same year, but (then) she wasn't placed in the pageant.

While studying in the UK, Zanariah met her future husband, Tunku Mahmood Iskandar. By then the Heir to the throne of popular Malaysian state of Johor, he was already married & had 4 children.

Mahmood Iskandar (second row, far left)
with his second wife & all children

However Iskandar quickly divorsed his commoner (English) wife, having already married Zanariah in 1961. Together they had six children (including a son, though her stepson was his father's heir).

Her husband was eight years senior her, while her elder sister, former Sultanah Nora (Ismail), born in 1937, had been married to Zanariah's father-in-law, Sultan Ismail (1895-1981) from 1977!

Iskandar succeeded his father as Sultan of Johor in 1981, and Tengku Zanariah became Sultanah (replacing her sister). Although they were never crowned (as is customary in Johor), her Royal Consort's titles were in full-use as long as she was married.

After Sultan Iskandar was elected the 8th King of Malaysia (according to the country's unique rotation system), Sultanah Zanariah served as Raja Permaisuri Agong (or ~'Queen' consort to the Head of state) from 1984 to 1989.

She founded (in 1982) & supported the Women's Council of Johor (MAWAR). The institution distributes donations to the less fortunate or victims of natural disasters, & organises religious activities.

Tunku Zanariah also was passionate in the arts, cooking, reading, history & sports. She undertook various exercises in her free time, like equestrianism, golf, tennis & water skiing, having moreover been the only royal consort to climb the entire Gunung Ledang (the highest mountain in Johor) while in her younger days.

The Sultanah was additionally the Chancellor of Malaysia's University of Technology (while a royal consort) & a patron of the Iskandar Puteri foundation.

Sultan Iskandar (centre) & Sultanah Zanariah
(right), attending Kedah's (late) Sultan Abdul
Halim's (left) Golden Jubilee of reign (2008)

 Following the death of her husband in 2010, Zanariah become the Dowager Sultanah of Johor. However in 2011, the titles of Sultanah were removed from both her & her elder sister (along with their royal priviledges) and replaced by the honorary namings Tunku Puan, or Tunku (shortened).

Enche Besar Hajjah Khalsom binti
Abdullah, Sultan Ibrahim's mother
(on the wheelchair, pulled by her grandson),
died on June 1, last year, aged 82.

In 2013 Tunku Zanariah received a divorse letter from her late husband, dated back in 2009, and reportedly in act since 2010 (despite Sultan Iskandar died that January). She appealed to the high court, however it ruled out that the (posthumous) divorse was valid.

Tunku Puan Zanariah led a private life in her later years. She died less than a year following the Sultan's mother (& first wife of her late husband) passed away (on June 1, last year). It was the first death of a Raja Permaisuri Agong since January (24,) 2015.
She is survived by her children, grandchildren, stepchildren (& step-grandchildren), at least a living sibling & her extended family.

Her mortal remains were placed in a cascet (drapped by Johor's flag) on Monday morning, March 18 (2019), and taken to an audience room (the Balai Mengadap) of the Sultan's royal palace (Istana Bukit Serene) at 10am, for funeral prayers.

Malaysia's current King (Yang di-Pertuan Agong) Sultan Abdullah (Pahang) & Queen (Raja Permaisuri Agong) Tunku Azizah (also her stepdaughter), along the former Head of state (Agong)'s couple Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin & Tuanku Tengku Fauziah (Raja & Raja Perampuan of Malaysian state of Perlis) were here to pay their last respects. Talkin and tahlil prayers were performed by Johor's Mufti.

Then the deceased was brought by a private ambulance of Sultan Ibrahim to the Mahmoodiah Royal Mausoleum (the Johor royal family's necropolis) for burial. She was laid to rest at about 2pm (Monday) with Sultan Ibrahim, Permaisuri Raja Zarith Sofiah (her successor as Johor's royal consort) & their living children present.

Her grave is located in the same row with that of her mother (Che Puan Fatimah). The funeral was not a state affair, neither a public one (like the Sultan's mother, whose coffin was carried in a wheeled royal pedestal, pulled by soldiers) - flags were not flown at half-mast. However, two of the state celebrations, marking the Sultan's official birthday (March 23) were cancelled soon after Zanariah's death (though officially this wasn't the cause of their cancellation).

Almarhumah (/the late) Tunku Puan Hajah ZANARIAH binti Almarhum Tengku Panglima Ahmad (5/07/1940 - 17/03/2019), Sultanah of Johor (11/05/1981-22/01/2010), Tunku Puan (2010-2019), 8th Raja Permaisuri Agong (~Queen-consort) of Malaysia (26/04/1984-25/04/1989). Al-Fatihah!

UPDATED ON THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019.

A recently-made previous publication, somehow related to this topic (about her stepson):
https://royaleventsintheword.blogspot.com/2019/02/a-beloved-father-ruler-of-irreversible.html?spref=fb&fbclid=IwAR3ZHRsRAw9x6XQKF5NaL1F2NteCPYZxxKX6cN5K6UKmVhj_3eu2PrZMEQ0

Video, including pictures of the deceased:

& additional, further links of information:

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/470296/tengku-puan-zanariah-johor-passes-away

http://mole.my/johor-sultans-step-mother-dies-at-78/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunku_Puan_Zanariah

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iskandar_of_Johor#Personal_life

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ismail_of_Johor#Personal_life

https://web.archive.org/web/20110219155227/http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/2rou/Article/
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/265129

http://theindependent.sg/johor-sultans-stepmother-passes-away-at-age-78/

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2019/03/18/former-raja-permaisuri-dies/

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/03/470556/tengku-zanariah-laid-rest-mahmoodiah-royal-mausoleum
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/johor-sultan-iskandar-cancels-birthday-pasir-gudang-pollution-11357830