Circassian Honour Guard

The Circassian Force, led by Mirza Pasha, was responsible for maintaining security and order in Amman when the territory of what is now modern Jordan constituted the southern governorate of the Arab Kingdom of Syria.

The nascent kingdom did not withstand the volatility of post World War I regional geopolitics: the implementation of the 1920 Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Battle of Maysalun concluded in the destruction of the Arab Kingdom and the subsequent French occupation of Syria.

In the absence of a centralised government in the former southern province, local governments cohered in Ajloun, Salt and Kerak, while in Amman, the Circassian Force continued to enforce order until the arrival of Prince Abdullah ibn Al Hussein from Ma’an on 2 March 1921. The Circassian Force organised his orderly arrival in the city and its members were among the first to receive him.

Shortly after, the Force volunteered to render protection and security services to Prince Abdullah, the founder of modern Jordan who was declared king in 1946. The Circassian Force proved to be a loyal and disciplined force, and along with the elite soldiers and officers of the Great Arab Revolt, the Amiri Private Guard backed and maintained security and stability until King Abdullah was able to unite disparate communities under the umbrella of a coherent governing structure and pave the way for a state-building process.

Today, the Circassian Honour Guard continue to serve Jordan’s reigning monarch, His Majesty King Abdullah II, in a largely ceremonial role, attending to state banquets, the exchange of ambassadorial credentials, investiture ceremonies and the swearing-in of officials.