His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, attended a ceremony held at Raghadan Palace on Thursday to mark Jordan’s 71st Independence Day.

The ceremony featured several sketches and performances that outlined Jordan’s achievements throughout its history, and the promise that the future holds, led by its youth.

The celebration also included a performance by Lebanese singer Samira Tewfik and Jordanian singer Zain Awad. The two artists sang Jordanian patriotic songs from Jordan’s folk tradition.

King Abdullah then bestowed medals on distinguished Jordanian achievers and institutions.

His Majesty bestowed the Order of Al Istiqlal (Independence) of the First Degree on the King Abdullah II School for Excellence-Irbid for nurturing creativity among its students, who have gone on to win numerous local, Arab, and international awards, including the first place Champions Award at the international 2017 First Lego League.

The King also bestowed the Order of Al Istiqlal (Independence) of the First Degree to Edraak, an initiative of the Queen Rania Foundation, the first non-profit Arabic massive open online courses platform developed using technology by the Harvard-MIT consortium, edX. It offers free original Arabic courses and modules taught and developed at top tier institutions.

Dozan wa Awtar choir, which also performed at the ceremony, received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the First Degree, in appreciation for representing Jordan internationally and winning several awards, in addition to its volunteerism and charity work.

His Majesty also bestowed the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Second Degree on Ahmad Alhendawi, for his work as the UN secretary general’s envoy for youth in promoting youth issues, and being the first-ever envoy on youth and the youngest senior official in the history of the UN.

Footballer Khaled Awad Shueibat was given the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree posthumously in recognition of his multiple accomplishments while leading the national team to numerous victories and for his good sportsmanship. His son Abdullah received the medal.

The King bestowed the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree on Nasser Saleh, the founder and CEO of Madfoo3atCom, a real-time bill presentment and payment system that enables the billers’ clients to inquire about and pay their bills via convenient and secure electronic channels, offering over 100 job opportunities for young Jordanians.

Al Qantara Centre for Human Resources Development in Maan received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree for supporting youth initiatives and empowering young people socially, politically, and economically, benefitting 5,000 youths so far.

His Majesty also bestowed the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree on Sadeem Qdeisat, a medical researcher who is active in combating cancer and invented the “Automated slide dropping in genetic testing”, which automates the process of genetic testing, aiming to eliminate human error and cross contamination, and increases time efficiency.

The King bestowed the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree to Suhail Baqaeen, an artist who initiated the “Colour Reader” programme at the Royal Academy for the Blind, and teaches students to use various media to create pieces of art based on their imaginations.

Sanaa Qadahat, president of Sayidat Al Yanabi Al Khairiyah society in Ajloun, received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree. The society builds houses and offers maintenance services to the local community and has benefited over 500 families in need.

Nour Khrais, founder and CEO of Maysalward gaming studio and chairman of the Jordan Gaming Task Force, received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree for his role in launching the first mobile game development operation in the Middle East and developing the first Arabic mobile game.

Abdelrahman Zghoul, founder of the “Bread 4 Education” initiative, received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree for securing an education for over 500 underprivileged children through selling bread leftovers to fodder traders.

Filmmaker Sandra Kawar received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree for her achievements in filmmaking, having won numerous international awards, including twice for best director at the Delhi International Film Festival.

Engineer Moayad Awad received the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction of the Third Degree for his role in alerting the authorities over the impending collapse of buildings in Jabal Al Jofeh neighbourhood and helping in the evacuation of residents.

His Majesty also bestowed the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Medal of Merit (Gold) on student Jude Mbaideen, who performed in a sketch at the ceremony, in appreciation of her innovation and creativity, becoming the youngest Arab novelist in 2017 with her book “Jorh Al Yasmine”. A winner of numerous Arab awards, she has also spearheaded an initiative to encourage people to read.

The King bestowed the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Medal of Merit (Gold) on Emanne Beasha, the child who won the fifth season of “Arabs Got Talent”, in appreciation of her talent in opera singing. Beasha also performed at Thursday’s ceremony.

Royal family members, senior officials and officers, diplomats, and representatives of political parties and civil society also attended the ceremony.