Khairiah Hadid’s Parents: Meet Taufik Dafer and Fahima Daher

Khairiah Hadid, born Khairiah Daher on March 15, 1925, in Nazareth, Palestine, is remembered as the matriarch of the Hadid family, mother of real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, and grandmother to models Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, and Anwar Hadid.

She grew up in a Muslim household in a city rich with Arab heritage and biblical history, descending from a distinguished lineage that traced directly to Dahir al-Umar, the 18th-century Prince of Nazareth and Sheikh of Galilee.

This connection to royalty earned her the affectionate title “HRH Princess Khairiah Daher Hadid” within her family, a reflection of the dignity and strength she carried throughout her life.

Her childhood was shaped by the upheavals of British Mandate Palestine, and like many Palestinians, she experienced displacement when her family fled during the 1947–1949 Palestine War.

Forced to leave their homeland, they first sought refuge in Lebanon before eventually settling in Syria. Despite the hardships of exile, Khairiah’s resilience never faltered, and she became the anchor of her family, instilling in her children a deep sense of faith, unity, and perseverance.

She married Anwar Mohamed Hadid, a Palestinian-American real estate developer, and together they raised eight children, including Mohamed Hadid, who would later rise to prominence in America.

Their family endured the trials of refugee life, even as Mohamed was only a month old when they were uprooted from Nazareth. Khairiah’s strength held them together through these years of uncertainty, guiding her children toward lives that would eventually bridge cultures and continents.

Standing tall at 5 feet 8 inches, Khairiah carried herself with quiet elegance, embodying the legacy of her forebears. By the time of her passing on September 30, 2008, in Washington, D.C., she had become the beloved grandmother of fifteen and great-grandmother of thirteen.

Her memory continues to live on through her descendants, especially her grandchildren, who often pay tribute to her. Bella Hadid, whose full name is Isabella Khairiah Hadid, bears her grandmother’s name as a lasting honour.

In 2022, Bella shared a heartfelt post with the words “I miss you, Teta,” capturing the enduring bond between generations.

Taufik Dafer

Taufik Dafer, Khairiah‘s father, remains a figure shrouded in the mists of family lore, with scant public records illuminating his life.

Born into a Muslim family in Palestine – likely in the Nazareth region – Taufik embodied the quiet strength of a man navigating the turbulent socio-political landscape of early 20th-century Ottoman and British Mandate Palestine.

Historical accounts suggest he was part of the Dafer (or Daher) lineage, which traces back to Dahir al-Umar, the semi-autonomous ruler whose exploits included challenging Ottoman authority and fostering trade in the Galilee.

As the head of a household in a time when Palestine was a mosaic of Arab villages and emerging national aspirations, Taufik would have witnessed the stirrings of resistance against colonial rule.

His life, though private, laid the foundation for a daughter who would become the emotional anchor of the Hadid clan. Taufik‘s death date is not widely recorded, but he predeceased Khairiah, leaving behind a daughter whose unshakeable poise mirrored his own presumed fortitude.

In family tributes, Mohamed Hadid has alluded to the Dafer side’s noble bloodline, emphasizing how it fueled the Hadids’ drive to rebuild in America.

Fahima Daher

If Taufik was the steadfast pillar, Fahima Daher – Khairiah‘s mother was the nurturing soul. Like her husband, Fahima‘s details are sparse, but she is remembered as a devoted Palestinian Muslim woman whose faith and family-first ethos shaped her daughter’s worldview.

Born in Palestine, Fahima married Taufik in a union that blended two resilient lineages, producing Khairiah and possibly other children whose stories have faded into oral history.

Fahima‘s life unfolded against the backdrop of pre-1948 Palestine, a period of relative tranquillity punctuated by growing tensions. As a mother in Nazareth, she would have managed a home filled with the scents of za’atar and the sounds of Arabic poetry, instilling in young Khairiah the arts of hospitality, prayer, and quiet defiance.

The family’s displacement during the Nakba – the Arabic term for the 1948 catastrophe – would have tested Fahima‘s resolve, though specific anecdotes about her role in the exodus are not preserved in public archives.

Fahima predeceased both her husband and daughter, her memory preserved in the obituary of Khairiah, which lists her simply yet tenderly as “Fahima Daher.”

Through her granddaughter’s actions – from Bella‘s emotional posts to Gigi‘s (Jelena Noura Hadid) subtle nods to their Palestinian roots – Fahima‘s legacy lives on, a reminder of the women who wove the fabric of survival.