Who was Adāl Najīb Qiyāmah?

Adāl Najīb Qiyāmah, also known as Adele Najib Kiamie, was a 15 (fifteen) year-old Syrian-Lebanese Titanic survivor who embarked on a journey that would forever change her life. Born on November 14, 1896, in Lebanon, she was one of the youngest passengers to survive the tragic sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.

Early Life and Family

Adāl was born into a merchant family, the daughter of Najīb Manṣūr Qiyāmah (1874-1933) and Marion Nassaf (1876-1956). She was one of eight children, growing up in a large family that included:

• Twins George Najīb and Jamīl Najīb (born 1898)
• Fouad Manṣūr (1901-1944)
• Fareed Najīb (born 1904)
• Rose (born 1906)
• Gilbert Najīb (1909-1992)
• Samie (1915-1997)

The Journey to America

Why was Adāl traveling on the Titanic?

Adāl’s father had emigrated to the United States around 1910, alongside a neighbor from their village, Sulaymān Dāwūd al-Ba’qlīnī. By 1912, he had established the foundation for a silk and textile production plant in New York and had saved enough money to bring his family to America.

What was Adāl’s mission?

Adāl was tasked with an important mission by her father:

1. To accompany the Ba’qlīnī family (Sulaymān’s wife and three daughters) on their journey to America
2. To bring various items that were difficult to obtain in New York, including:
   • Turkish tobacco and cigars
   • Rugs
   • Arab foodstuffs (olives, mint, sardines, lentils, chickpeas, figs, bulgur wheat, and other delicacies)

The Journey Begins

Adāl’s journey to the Titanic was an adventure in itself:

1. She left her home village by horse-drawn carriage
2. Traveled to Beirut
3. From Beirut, she went to Marseille
4. Finally, she arrived in Cherbourg, where she would board the Titanic

Aboard the Titanic

Ticket and Accommodation

• Class: 3rd Class
• Ticket Number: 2667
• Cost: £7, 4s, 6d
• Cabin: Shared with Laṭīfah al-Ba’qlīnī and her three young daughters: Mārīyā (Maria), Ūwjīnīyā (Eugenie), and Hilānah (Helene)

The Fateful Night

On the night of April 14, 1912, when the Titanic struck the iceberg, Adāl’s actions were as follows:

1. She and Mrs. Ba’qlīnī gathered the children
2. They dressed and put on their lifebelts
3. The group headed out on deck

Survival Stories

There are conflicting accounts of how Adāl survived the sinking:

1. Version 1: Mrs. B’aqlīnī asked Adāl to return to their cabin for jewelry and extra clothing. When Adāl returned, she couldn’t find the B’aqlīnīs.

2. Version 2: Adāl made her way to a lifeboat with the B’aqlīnīs, but a crewman tried to prevent her from boarding as she wasn’t a blood relative. Mrs. B’aqlīnī had to plead for Adāl’s inclusion.

3. Version 3: Similar to other survivor tales, this version claims that Mr. Astor helped save Adāl by carrying her to a lifeboat in his arms.

Note: The details of all versions of her survival are to be treated as suspect. It’s possible that she was rescued in Collapsible C along with Mrs. Ba’qlīnī and her daughters.

Life After the Titanic

Arrival in New York

Upon arriving in New York aboard the Carpathia, Adāl:

1. Was treated at St. Vincent’s Hospital for shock and exposure
2. Reunited with her father, who took her and the Ba’qlīnīs to his home

Family Reunion and Settlement

• Adāl’s mother and siblings later joined her in the USA
• The family settled in the Bronx, New York
• Her father continued his work in silk manufacture

Marriage and Family Life

In 1912, Adāl married Nayif Qiyāmah (aka Naif Kiamie), a fellow Lebanese immigrant who had also come to America that year. The couple:

• Anglicized their family name to Kiamie
• Adāl became known as Adele
• Had two children:
  1. Leila (born 1919)
  2. Mitchell (born 1921)
• Lived in an apartment on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan (as per the 1920 census)

Tragic Early Death

Sadly, Adele Kiamie’s life was cut short:

• She developed skin cancer
• Passed away on February 8, 1924, in Bronx, New York
• She was only 27 (twenty-seven) years old at the time of her death
• Buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery two days later

Legacy

Although Adele’s life was brief, her story lives on:

• Her widower, Naif, later ran his own egg business and relocated to Brooklyn
• Naif remarried to a woman named Nellie but had no more children
• He passed away in April 1982 at the age of 93
• Adele’s son Mitchell was still living in Florida as of early 2017

Adāl Najīb Qiyāmah’s journey from Lebanon to America, her survival of the Titanic disaster, and her short but impactful life serve as a poignant reminder of the