Portal:Jordan

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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 Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories 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 the country'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 1916 Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans during World War I, the greater Syria region was partitioned, leading to the establishment of the Emirate of Transjordan in 1921, which became a British protectorate. In 1946, the country 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 refugees, most of whom hold Jordanian citizenship, as well as 1.4 million Syrian refugees, were residing in Jordan as of 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 Cooperation. 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 with 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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Jordan River

The Jordan River or River Jordan (Arabic: نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, Nahr al-ʾUrdunn; Hebrew: נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, Nəhar hayYardēn), also known as Nahr Al-Sharieat (Arabic: نهر الشريعة), is a 251-kilometre-long (156 mi) river in the Levant that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and drains to the Dead Sea. The river passes by or through Jordan, Syria, Israel, and the Palestinian territories.

Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights border the river to the east, while Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank lie to its west. Both Jordan and the West Bank derive their names in relation to the river. The river holds major significance in Judaism and Christianity. According to the Bible, the Israelites crossed it into the Promised Land and Jesus of Nazareth was baptized by John the Baptist in it. (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 1Petra, 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 2Rujm 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 3The Mesha Stele (c. 840 BCE), a royal Moabite inscription commemorating the victory of Moab over the Kingdom of Israel. (from History of Jordan)
Image 4Desert vegetation in Wadi Rum, southern Jordan. (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 5A large plate of Jordanian mezze in Petra (from Culture of Jordan)
Image 6Jerusalem on the Madaba Map (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 7The Dana Biosphere Reserve in south central Jordan. (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 8Mahis in northwestern Jordan (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 9The 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 10Tourist police kiosk at Petra (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 11Tourists photograph Al Khazneh (not visible) upon arriving in Petra. The Siq can be seen on the right.
Image 12First election in Transjordan's history on 2 April 1929. (from History of Jordan)
Image 13Dead Sea (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 14Ibn Hathal, the Paramount Sheikh of the Anazzah (from History of Jordan)
Image 15Egyptian mongoose (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 16Image showing the approximate land exchanged in 1965 between Jordan (gaining green) and Saudi Arabia (gaining red). (from History of Jordan)
Image 17The Kerak Castle, used by the Majalis for centuries (from History of Jordan)
Image 18Thorny burnet (Sarcopoterium spinosum) (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 19Southern Levant during Iron Age II (c. 830 BCE) (from History of Jordan)
Image 20Ajloun Castle (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 21Zahir Al Umar, who during his reign fought both the Bani Sakher and the Adwan (from History of Jordan)
Image 22Al-Karak castle (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 23The south gate in the ancient city of Jerash (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 24King Hussein Mosque in Amman (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 25Al-Khazneh in Petra (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 26Wadi Rum (from Tourism in Jordan)
Image 27Statue 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 28Iron Age ramparts in Tulul adh-Dhahab, sometimes identified with the Israelite city of Mahanaim mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. (from History of Jordan)
Image 29A young Emir Sattam bin Fendi in 1848 (from History of Jordan)
Image 30Petra (from Culture of Jordan)
Image 31Amman Citadel reflects 7,000 years of Jordanian history (from History of Jordan)
Image 32Majid 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 33Jordan 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 34Prince Fendi Al-Fayez in the 1870s (from History of Jordan)
Image 35The Moabite Stone, first revealed to the western world by Sattam bin Fendi (from History of Jordan)
Image 36This 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 37Jerash Festival, 2018 (from Culture of Jordan)
Image 38The critically endangered sociable lapwing (from Wildlife of Jordan)
Image 39Suleiman Mousa (1919–2008), pioneer in the modern history of Jordan and Arab Revolt. (from History of Jordan)
Image 40Qasr Amra a desert castle from the era of the Islamic Empire (from Tourism in Jordan)

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The Greco-Roman city of Gerasa and the modern Jerash in the background.

Jerash (Arabic: جرش Ǧaraš; Greek: Γέρασα, romanized: Gérasa; Attic Greek: [gérasa], Koinē Greek: [ˈgerasa]) is a city in northern Jordan. The city is the administrative center of the Jerash Governorate, and has a population of 50,745 as of 2015. It is located 30.0 miles north of the capital city Amman.

The earliest evidence of settlement in Jerash is in a Neolithic site known as Tal Abu Sowan, where rare human remains dating to around 7500 BC were uncovered. Jerash flourished during the Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods until the mid-eighth century CE, when the 749 Galilee earthquake destroyed large parts of it, while subsequent earthquakes contributed to additional destruction. However, in the year 1120, Zahir ad-Din Toghtekin, atabeg of Damascus ordered a garrison of forty men to build up a fort in an unknown site of the ruins of the ancient city, likely the highest spot of the city walls in the north-eastern hills. It was captured in 1121 by Baldwin II, King of Jerusalem, and utterly destroyed. Then, the Crusaders immediately abandoned Jerash and withdrew to Sakib (Seecip); the eastern border of the settlement. (Full article...)

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Amman Irbid Zarqa Aqaba Russeifa Ajloun Madaba Huwwarah Al-Salt Aydoun Ma'an 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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Politics of Jordan

Jordan is a parliamentary monarchy with executive power resting with the King and the Prime Minister of Jordan is the head of government.
Jordan has three categories of courts in its judicial system: civil, special, and religious.
Twelve governorates of Jordan are the sole regional authorities for government departments and development projects in their local area.

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