Portal:Jordan

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The Jordan Portal

Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank and Israel to the west. The Jordan River, flowing into the Dead Sea, is located along the country's western border. Jordan has a small coastline along the Red Sea in its southwest, separated by the Gulf of Aqaba from Egypt. Amman is Jordan's capital and largest city, as well as the most populous city in the Levant.

Modern-day Jordan has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period. Three kingdoms emerged in Transjordan at the end of the Bronze Age: Ammon, Moab and Edom. In the third century BC, the Arab Nabataeans established their kingdom centered in Petra. Later rulers of the Transjordan region include the Assyrian, Babylonian, Roman, Byzantine, Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, and the Ottoman empires. After the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916 during World War I, the Greater Syria region was partitioned by Britain and France. The Emirate of Transjordan was established in 1921 by the Hashemite, then Emir, Abdullah I, and the emirate became a British protectorate. In 1946, Jordan gained independence and became officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The country captured and annexed the West Bank during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War until it was occupied by Israel in 1967. Jordan renounced its claim to the territory to the Palestinians in 1988, and signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Jordan is a semi-arid country, covering an area of 89,342 km² (34,495 sq mi), with a population of 11.5 million, making it the eleventh-most populous Arab country. The dominant majority, or around 95% of the country's population, is Sunni Muslim, with the rest being mostly Arab Christian. Jordan was mostly unscathed by the violence that swept the region following the Arab Spring in 2010. From as early as 1948, Jordan has accepted refugees from multiple neighbouring countries in conflict. An estimated 2.1 million Palestinian (most of whom hold Jordanian citizenship) and 1.4 million Syrian refugees were present in Jordan in 2015. The kingdom is also a refuge for thousands of Christian Iraqis fleeing persecution. While Jordan continues to accept refugees, the large Syrian influx during the 2010s has placed substantial strain on national resources and infrastructure.

The sovereign state is a constitutional monarchy, but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers. Jordan is a founding member of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. The country has a high Human Development Index, ranking 99th, and is considered a lower middle income economy. The Jordanian economy, one of the smallest economies in the region, is attractive to foreign investors based upon a skilled workforce. The country is a major tourist destination, also attracting medical tourism due to its well developed health sector. Nonetheless, a lack of natural resources, large flow of refugees, and regional turmoil have hampered economic growth. (Full article...)

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Arab Bank is a Jordanian bank that is one of the largest financial institutions in the Middle East. It is headquartered today in Amman, Jordan, and operates as a universal bank that serves clients in more than 600 branches spanning five continents. Arab Bank is a publicly held shareholding company listed on the Amman Stock Exchange.

The bank is a major economic engine in Jordan and throughout the Middle East and North Africa region, providing banking services and capital, and facilitating development and trade throughout the region. According to its website in 2018, the bank was the highest-ranked by market capitalization, and represented approximately 25% of the Amman Stock Exchange. (Full article...)

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al-Bakhit in 2011

Marouf Suleiman al-Bakhit (Arabic: معروف البخيت; 18 March 1947 – 7 October 2023) was a Jordanian politician who was twice Prime Minister. He first served as Prime Minister from 27 November 2005 until 25 November 2007 and then again from 9 February 2011 to 17 October 2011. Bakhit also held the position of Jordanian ambassador to Israel and the national security chief. Appointed Prime Minister by King Abdullah II less than three weeks after the 2005 Amman bombings, Bakhit's main priorities were to maintain security and stability in Jordan. He was reappointed Prime Minister by the King on 1 February 2011, following weeks of protests.

Al-Bakhit resigned from his post on 17 October 2011, and was succeeded by Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh on 24 October. (Full article...)

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Abdullah II of Jordan Abdullah Tal Hussein of Jordan Abdullah I of Jordan Haya bint Hussein Druze in Jordan Hashemites Ali Abu Nuwar Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan

WikiProject

For editor resources and to collaborate with other editors on improving Wikipedia's Jordan-related articles, see WikiProject Jordan.

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The following are images from various Jordan-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Jordan 1948–1967. The East Bank is the portion east of the Jordan river, the West Bank is the part west of the river (from History of Jordan)
Image 2Al-Karak castle (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 3Statue of an Ammonite deified king on display at the Jordan Museum. The statue was found near the Amman Citadel and is thought to date to 8th century BC. (from History of Jordan)
Image 4First election in Transjordan's history on 2 April 1929. (from History of Jordan)
Image 5Thorny burnet (Sarcopoterium spinosum) (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 6This basalt stone is incised with a scene showing two animals, probably gazelles. From Dhuweila, eastern Jordan, c. 6200 BCE. British Museum (from History of Jordan)
Image 7Jerash Festival, 2018 (from Culture of Jordan)
Image 8The Moabite Stone, first revealed to the western world by Sattam bin Fendi (from History of Jordan)
Image 9Amman Citadel reflects 7,000 years of Jordanian history (from History of Jordan)
Image 10Petra, the capital of the Nabatean kingdom, is where the Nabatean alphabet was developed, from which the current Arabic alphabet further evolved. (from History of Jordan)
Image 11Desert vegetation in Wadi Rum, southern Jordan. (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 12Tourist police kiosk at Petra (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 13Qasr Amra a desert castle from the era of the Islamic Empire (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 14The Dana Biosphere Reserve in south central Jordan. (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 15A young Emir Sattam bin Fendi in 1848 (from History of Jordan)
Image 16Southern Levant during Iron Age II (c. 830 BCE) (from History of Jordan)
Image 17The south gate in the ancient city of Jerash (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 18Petra (from Culture of Jordan)
Image 19Egyptian mongoose (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 20King Hussein Mosque in Amman (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 21Rujm Al-Malfouf, a watchtower dating to 1000 BCE found in Amman. The city was known then as Rabbah of the Ammonites, and served as the capital city of the Ammonites. (from History of Jordan)
Image 22A large plate of Jordanian mezze in Petra (from Culture of Jordan)
Image 23Prince Fendi Al-Fayez in the 1870s (from History of Jordan)
Image 24Wadi Rum (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 25Image showing the approximate land exchanged in 1965 between Jordan (gaining green) and Saudi Arabia (gaining red). (from History of Jordan)
Image 26The Mesha Stele (c. 840 BCE), a royal Moabite inscription commemorating the victory of Moab over the Kingdom of Israel. (from History of Jordan)
Image 27Ajloun Castle (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 28Tourists photograph Al Khazneh (not visible) upon arriving in Petra. The Siq can be seen on the right.
Image 29The Al-Jizah reservoir, dating back to the Pax Romana, and the Mamluk building which was refitted by the Ottoman for Sattam to govern from. (from History of Jordan)
Image 30The critically endangered sociable lapwing (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 31Ibn Hathal, the Paramount Sheikh of the Anazzah (from History of Jordan)
Image 32Jerusalem on the Madaba Map (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 33Al-Khazneh in Petra (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 34Zahir Al Umar, who during his reign fought both the Bani Sakher and the Adwan (from History of Jordan)
Image 35Majid Sultan Al Adwan at Shunet Nimrin, Paramount Sheikh of the Adwan in the early 20th century, and the great great great great grandson of Salih ibn Adwan. (from History of Jordan)
Image 36Suleiman Mousa (1919–2008), pioneer in the modern history of Jordan and Arab Revolt. (from History of Jordan)
Image 37The Kerak Castle, used by the Majalis for centuries (from History of Jordan)
Image 38Iron Age ramparts in Tulul adh-Dhahab, sometimes identified with the Israelite city of Mahanaim mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. (from History of Jordan)
Image 39Dead Sea (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 40Mahis in northwestern Jordan (from Wildlife of Jordan)

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A pre-1920 photograph of the train station in Ma'an. The Hejaz Railway is still operational today.

Ma'an (Arabic: مَعان, romanized: Maʿān) is a city in southern Jordan, 218 kilometres (135 mi) southwest of the capital Amman. It serves as the capital of the Ma'an Governorate. Its population was approximately 41,055 in 2015. Civilizations with the name of Ma'an have existed at least since the Nabatean period—the modern city is just northwest of the ancient town. The city is an important transport hub situated on the ancient King's Highway and also on the modern Desert Highway. (Full article...)

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Amman Irbid Zarqa Aqaba Russeifa Ajloun Madaba Huwwarah Al-Salt Aydoun Jerash Al Husn Azraq refugee camp Azraq, Jordan Al-Karak Der Abi Saeed Tafilah Anjara

See also: List of cities in Jordan

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Culture of Jordan

Dabke is a traditional native Levantine folk dance often performed at weddings.
Jordan is one of the larger producers of olives in the country and as such Jordanian cuisine relies heavily on the use olive oil.
Many Western films requiring desert scenes, such as Lawrence of Arabia and The Hurt Locker have been shot in Jordan, especially in the Wadi Rum.
Jordanians primarily speak a dialect of Arabic called Jordanian Arabic, with the occasional usage of English, especially amongst the upper classes.