The King of Jordan will visit the State House in Annapolis Wednesday to meet with Gov. Wes Moore, a rare visit from a head of state to Maryland’s capital city.

But first, King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein had to address the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York, accompanied by his wife Queen Rania al Abdullah and the couple’s son, Prince Hashem bin Abdullah II, according to the Jordan Times.

The king’s visit comes as the Middle East region is embroiled in conflict as Israel fights Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. During his U.N. address, Abdullah urged world leaders to mobilize humanitarian efforts to supply aid to Gaza.

“Humanitarian aid should never be a tool of war,” he said.

Fresh from the international platform, Abdullah will travel to Maryland.

The king’s visit will likely close some roads in downtown Annapolis Wednesday. Here’s what else we know about the dignitary’s visit.

How often does the governor of Maryland meet with a head of state?

The Naval Academy has been a big draw for foreign leaders over the years, some have even stopped by to visit with the governor at the time. Abdullah’s father, King Hussein bin Talal visited the Naval Academy in 1959, according to research from the Maryland State Archives.

One recent visits by a prominent international figure was Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth II’s mother, who came to Annapolis in 1954. The Queen Consort visited the State House, St. Anne’s Episcopal Church and The Naval Academy, according to news articles.

Moore has ventured into international affairs occasionally as governor, according to his schedules and public announcements.

In July, Moore had a 45-minute meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Washington. Since becoming governor in January 2023, Moore has had meetings, phone calls, video calls or attended receptions involving Ambassadors Yousef Al Otaiba of the United Arab Emirates, Shigeo Yamada of Japan, Audrey Marks of Jamaica, Michael Herzog of Israel, Hasan Murat Mercan of Turkey, Geraldine Byrne Nason of Ireland and Esteban Moctezuma Barragán of Mexico.

Moore renewed an economic memorandum of understanding with the state of South Australia earlier this year, meeting with that state’s Premier Peter Malinauskas at the State House. And he held a meeting at the State House in 2023 with Park Wan-Suh, governor of South Korea’s Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Government.

Why are they meeting?

The governor and Abdullah will meet with executives who represent Maryland’s private sector and research and higher education institutions, according to the administration.

Who is King Abdullah II?

King Abdullah II was born in 1962 to King Hussein and Princess Muna Al-Hussein, his father’s second wife. Abdullah was educated in the West and served in the British and Jordanian armed forces before ascending the throne in 1999 after his father died. His family line has ruled over the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since 1921 and are said to be the direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.

Abdullah married Queen Rania in 1993. The couple have four children.

The king holds broad power over all three branches of his country’s government and serves as supreme commander of the armed forces. He appoints the prime minister, the country’s political leader, and members of the Senate. The people elect members of the country’s equivalent of the House of Representatives.

The king was named in the Pandora Papers, a sweeping international investigation that uncovered the secret financial holdings of some of the world’s most powerful people. Reporters found Abdullah used shell companies to buy properties in the U.S. and the UK worth $100 million. Abdullah’s lawyers said he used his personal finances to buy the properties and said security concerns caused him to hide his name from documents.

Fun facts about Jordan

Jordan is an Arab country geographically nestled between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Syria and Iraq sit to the north and northeast. The country is home to a host of biblical and archeological artifacts and the eastern shoreline of the Dead Sea, drawing international tourism.

Jordan’s is a constitutional monarchy, which gives the king near absolute executive and administrative authority over the government and the military. Jordanians vote for members of their House of Representatives every four years, and the king appoints the prime minister and members of the Senate to four-year terms.

The country’s land mass, a dry, desert climate, covers an area about the size of Maine. Most of Jordan’s more than 11 million people live in urban areas.

The primary religion is Islam and the majority of the country’s residents are Muslim. The official language is Arabic.

Maryland’s annual budget is larger than Jordan’s gross domestic product.

What is the status of U.S.-Jordan relations?

The U.S has fostered diplomatic relations with the moderate, Western-facing Arab country for about 75 years, according to the state department. Abdullah visited the White House with Queen Rania in February to celebrate the alliance.

In his remarks, President Joe Biden called Abdullah II a friend and a “steadfast” partner, and called America’s relationship with Jordan strong and enduring.

The meeting took place months after Jordan’s geographical neighbor, Israel, was savagely attacked by Hamas in October 2023.

The U.S. has pumped billions of dollars into Jordan in recent years, nearly 1.7 billion in humanitarian support after the start of the Syrian refugee crisis when many flocked there for safe haven. Jordan and the U.S. exchanged $6.3 billion in goods and services in 2022, according to the federal government. The financial flow contributes to the country’s stability in an unstable region.

The country faces interior and regional threats of terrorism, however. The state department has warned of elevated travel risks throughout Jordan and advised Americans to avoid certain parts of the country, such as the eastern border shared with Iraq and some neighborhoods with high rates of terrorism and crime.

The Biden administration launched a strike against an Iranian militant group in February days after three U.S. military service members stationed in Jordan near the Syrian border died from a one-way, uncrewed drone strike. More than 40 U.S. military personnel were injured in the early morning attack that targeted container housing units located at a military outpost, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

About 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel were then stationed at the base assisting with the fight against the terrorist organization ISIS. The U.S. blamed an Iran-backed militant group, and Iran denied their support, according to the Associated Press.