One of the world's longest-reigning monarchs, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, will mark 40 years on the throne Friday with low-key celebrations, an official said. There will be a ceremony at Hassanal's 1,700-room palace and a special sermon at a grand mosque in the city, said the official.
Religious celebrations began earlier with a recital of the Muslim holy book, the Koran, from cover to cover, he added. The sultan, 61, is prime minister, defence minister, finance minister and head of Islam in the Malay Muslim absolute monarchy, which dates back to the 14th century.
He ascended the throne on October 5, 1967, and was formally crowned on August 1, 1968. Events surrounding Hassanal's 40th anniversary may be relatively low-key, but diamonds sparkled and cannons boomed in June when the sultan's daughter wed a civil servant in a lavish traditional ceremony. The youthful-looking, goateed sultan rules over an oil-rich sliver of Borneo island which gained full independence from Britain in 1984.