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Located right in the middle of the Holy Lands, an area of numerous civilisations dating back thousands of years, Jordan is a country with a long past but a short history as the maker of its own destiny.
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By 4500 BC, people living in the area began smelting copper and later bronze from 3200 BC. By 2000 BC, the Middle East and particularly neighbouring Egypt was the centre of the civilized world and trade flourished among the countries in the area, including Jordan. Cities like Amman and Irbid built huge fortifications during this period as they began to develop and look to defend themselves.
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By the 16th century, most of what is now Jordan was occupied by the ever-expanding Ottoman Empire as they tromped through the easternmost shores of the Mediterranean Sea under the rule of Sultan Selim I.
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In 1948 Jordan followed the other Arab states into war with Israel, which resulted in a peace deal a year later that saw the West Bank remain under the jurisdiction of Jordan. In 1967, war again ensued with Israel, resulting in the capture of the West Bank.
