Jordan has been touched by many civilizations during the course of the centuries. It served as crossroads for many different peoples, including the Canaanites, Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, and Turks. Each of these people has left their mark on Jordan. They influenced certain aspects of Jordanian life such as religion, language, architecture, and customs, which are still visible to this day.
Between the 7th and 16th centuries, the area known today as Jordan was under Arab rule (except for a little period between 1099 and 1187). Then in the 1500s, all Middle Eastern countries became part of the Turkish Ottoman Empire. In 1916, Jordan’s new history began. The Arab Revolt, led by Sherif Hussein, worked against the Ottoman Empire. Joining the allies, they defeated the Ottoman Empire.
In 1921, the area of Jordan and Palestine was given to the United Kingdom as a mandate. Amir Abdullah was given control of the semi-autonomous Emirate of Transjordan.
Because Transjordan vigorously defended the allies in World War II, Britain granted it FULL autonomy. It became the Kingdom of Jordan in 1946, led by King Abdullah I. The Royal family of Jordan traces its descent all the way to the prophet Muhammad.
In 1948, the United Nations divided up the area of Palestine into two groups, the State of Israel and other territories for Palestinian Arabs. In 1950, Jordan confirmed the occupation of the West Bank and the old sector of Jerusalem and became the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. But as a result of a military blunder by King Hussein I, the West Bank was lost to Israel.
In February 1999, King Hussein ibn Talal died of cancer. In an abrupt move, he shifted power from his brother Crown Prince Hasan to his son Abdullah. He accused Hasan of abusing his power as regent while he was receiving medical attention in the United States.
King Abdullah II vowed to continue his father’s moderate, pro-western policies. He pledged to continue Hussein’s peace plan for the Middle East. Abdullah II proved to his subjects that he inherited his father’s diplomatic skills, and shows ability to communicate with ordinary people.
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