Portal:Jordan

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 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 within the Jordan Rift Valley. 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.

Inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period, three kingdoms developed in Transjordan during the Iron Age: Ammon, Moab and Edom. In the third century BC, the Arab Nabataeans established their kingdom centered in Petra. The Greco-Roman period saw the establishment of several cities in Transjordan that comprised the Decapolis. Later, after the end of Byzantine rule, the region became part of the Islamic caliphates of the Rashidun, Umayyad, Abbasid, and the Ottoman. Following the 1916 Great Arab Revolt during World War I, former Ottoman Syria 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 Palestine 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 100th, 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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A Wadi Rum vista

Wadi Rum (Arabic: وادي رم Wādī Ramm, also Wādī al-Ramm), known also as the Valley of the Moon (Arabic: وادي القمر Wādī al-Qamar), is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan, near the border with Saudi Arabia and about 60 km (37 mi) to the east of the city of Aqaba. With an area of 720 km² (280 sq mi) it is the largest wadi (river valley) in Jordan.

Several prehistoric civilizations left petroglyphs, rock inscriptions and ruins in Wadi Rum. Today it is a tourist attraction, offering guided tours, hiking and rock climbing. The Wadi Rum Protected Area has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011. (Full article...)

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Abdullah I in 1942

Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein (Arabic: عبد الله الأول بن الحسين, romanized: ʿAbd Allāh al-Awwal bin al-Ḥusayn, 2 February 1882 – 20 July 1951) was the ruler of Jordan from 11 April 1921 until his assassination in 1951. He was the Emir of Transjordan, a British protectorate, until 25 May 1946, after which he was king of an independent Jordan. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Abdullah was a 38th-generation direct descendant of Muhammad.

Born in Mecca, Hejaz, Ottoman Empire, Abdullah was the second of four sons of Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca, and his first wife, Abdiyya bint Abdullah. He was educated in Istanbul and Hejaz. From 1909 to 1914, Abdullah sat in the Ottoman legislature, as deputy for Mecca, but allied with Britain during the First World War. During the war, he played a key role in secret negotiations with the United Kingdom that led to the Great Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule that was led by his father Sharif Hussein. Abdullah personally led guerrilla raids on garrisons. (Full article...)

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Abdullah II of Jordan Abdullah Tal Hussein of Jordan Haya bint Hussein Druze in Jordan Hashemites Ali Abu Nuwar Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan Marouf al-Bakhit

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

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The Kerak Castle

Al-Karak (Arabic: الكرك), in English sources often simply Karak, is a city in Jordan known for its medieval castle, the Kerak Castle. The castle is one of the three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria. Al-Karak is the capital city of the Karak Governorate.

Al-Karak lies 140 kilometres (87 mi) to the south of Amman on the ancient King's Highway. It is situated on a hilltop about 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level and is surrounded on three sides by a valley. Al-Karak has a view of the Dead Sea. A city of about 32,216 people (2005) grew up around castle. The town is built on a triangular plateau with the castle at its narrow southern tip. (Full article...)

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

See also: List of cities in Jordan

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Energy in Jordan

Jordan has substantial oil shale reserves underneath approximately 60% of the country.
The Baynouna Solar Power Plant, which will generate an estimated 3% of the country's power, began construction in 2017 near Amman.
In 2015, Jordan launched an initiative to have solar panels on every mosque in the country.
The Arab Gas Pipeline is a natural gas pipeline which runs north-south through Jordan, connecting Egypt with Syria and Lebanon.

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Credit: Mahmood Salam

Amman, the capital of Jordan at nighttime. Amman was named one of the MENA's best cities according to economic, labour, environmental, and socio-cultural factors. It is a major tourist destination in the region and the capital is especially popular among Gulf tourists. Amman is considered one of the richest and most Western-oriented cities in the Middle East.

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