Circular silvered medal on integral crown suspension; the face with a high-relief head and shoulders portrait of King Hussein in military uniform encircled by the Arabic inscription ‘Zhikra Ma'arak Ramadah al-Mubarak. Al-'Aatasar min Ramadan 1393 H. Al-'Awafaq 6 Tishrin Awal 1973 M.’ (In commemoration of the Great Ramadan Battle. The Sixth Day of Ramadan 1393 Sixth Day of October 1973 AD); the reverse with a map of the Holy Land region showing borders and some place names in Arabic and with black, white, red and green enamel flags of Jordan and Iraq; as is often the case, on incorrect ribbon. The medal was instigated on 1 January 1974 by King Hussein ibn Talal to recognise all members of the Jordanian forces who participated in the 1973 war with Israel. The war is also known as the Yom Kippur War or the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. In 1967 Israel attacked and defeated Egypt, Jordan Iraq and Syria and occupied Gaza, Sinai, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. Smarting from this humiliating defeat, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel on 6 October 1973. After initial successes, the tide turned in Israel’s favour and a cease-fire brokered by the United Nations came into effect on 26 October. It has been argued that, paradoxically, the war laid the foundations for the Camp David Accords and a recognition on both sides that co-existence was the only possible long-term course.
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