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Jordan / History / Earlier Times
The Kingdom of Jordan is steeped in history and had been a major site for civilization since the Palaeolithic Age. Archaeological evidence is constantly bringing to light signs of habitation from the dawn of history to the present day. In 331B.C.,
the armies of Alexander the Great conquered the Near East, introducing
Hellenic culture to the area. On Alexander's death in 323B.C.,
the Greek Empire was divided between his two generals. Jordan,
Palestine and Egypt were given to General Ptolemy.
Between 400B.C.
and 160A.D., the Nabataean civilization flourished in the southern
part of the Kingdom. The awe-inspiring Nabataean capital of Petra
is now Jordan's most popular tourist attraction.
Jordan was
part of the Roman Empire between 63 and 324A.D. A league of ten
cities, known as the Decapolis, was established at this time to
facilitate the area's trade and commerce. Four cities in Jordan;
Jeresh, Philadelphia (now Amman), Umm Qais and Pella formed part
of the Decapolis.
The Byzantine
period, 324 to 632A.D. saw the inhabitants of Jordan providing
crops and livestock from their farmlands to sustain travellers
on the caravan routes, which linked China, India and southern
Arabia with Egypt, Syria and the Mediterranean.
630A.D. marked
the beginning of the Arab-Islamic era. The area was ruled for
two centuries by the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties of Baghdad
and Damascus.
In 1099,
the Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem, establishing themselves by
building two castles in Jordan at Shobak and Kerek, to protect
their conquests. In 1187, Salah al Din (known as Saladin) defeated
the Crusaders at Kerek, thus leading to their complete withdrawal
from the Near East.
A 300-year
rule by the Mamelukes followed, after which Jordan became part
of the Ottoman Empire. This period came to an end with the famous
Arab Revolt, between 1915 and 1918.
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