Jordan Travel Guide - History

Archaeologists have found evidence of human habitation in the area east of the Jordan river dating back to the Palaeolithic era which began half a million years ago.

During the later Neolithic period from 8500 BC, populations in the area now known as Jordan grew dramatically, and there is still evidence of settlements from this period such as that at Ein Ghazal in Amman.

Jordan features heavily in the Bible, particularly the area near the Jordan river and Mount Nebo, which was climbed by Moses who was said to have looked out over all of the Holy Lands from this sacred spot.

A century later Jerash was in decline, a trend mirrored in the rest of the Jordan area. This was followed by a Muslim invasion in the 7th century and then the country was overrun by Christians fighting in the Crusades during the 12th century. The most famous Crusades era relic in Jordan is the fort in Kerak, which was left to crumble for 500 years after being looted by Saladin.

As the Ottoman Empire began to disintegrate at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Jordan began to move towards creating its own country, although it was forced to contend with two eager colonial powers – Britain and France. The British eventually convinced the newly crowned King Abdullah I not to attack French forces in 1918 as the world was exiting WWI.

In return, Britain helped create Transjordan, guaranteeing the new country’s protection and later independence in 1922. It was not until 1946 that Jordan became fully independent of London, however, and now there was a new problem for the Arab world to face: Israel.

This period was one of great turmoil for Jordan as Palestinian refugees swarmed over the border from East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and the state went into anarchy as the government lost control and battles broke out with Palestinian militants, the Fedayeen.

After further turmoil, Jordan eventually took part in the first peace talks with Israel in 1991 resulting in an historic agreement in 1994, since which time Jordan has largely managed to escape the violence and build bridges with the Arab and Western worlds.