Jordan is a Middle Eastern country bordering Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and the West Bank. It is ruled by King Abdullah II and has a rich history dating back to primitive man. Jordan gained independence in 1946 and has experienced border shifts and conflicts. Despite being a hidden gem for tourists, it is often avoided due to its association with violence in the region. However, it is relatively safe and easily accessible by air.
Jordan is a fairly large country in the Middle East. It covers 45,500 square miles (about 118,000 square km), making it just a little smaller than the state of Indiana. It borders Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the West Bank. It is part of what is often referred to as the Fertile Crescent, where a number of early civilizations arose.
The country is a monarchy, ruled by King Abdullah II, who has many of the same powers and roles as the president in the United States. The king appoints judges, signs laws, has veto power, declares war and is the commander of the armed forces. He also approves constitutional amendments and appoints the governors of the various provinces of Jordan.
The region was first settled tens of thousands of years ago by primitive man. During the Neolithic period, the area was home to some of the first permanent human settlements, as well as some early examples of crop domestication. Human development continued to progress in the area that is now Jordan, with the introduction of pottery, bronze technologies, and eventually writing.
Modern Jordan can trace its origins to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I. Much of the area given to the British as British Palestine lay east of the Jordan River and was known as Transjordan. In the early 1920s the British ceded great autonomy to this region, giving power to King Abdullah I, a Hashemite. Independence was achieved in 1946, at the request of the British. King Abdullah I continued to rule the independent state until he was assassinated in 1951.
The country’s borders continued to shift over the next two decades, both through voluntary land swaps with Saudi Arabia and through land annexations and losses to Israel following an armed conflict. Small pockets of militant Palestinian refugees from the West Bank began operating inside Jordan, eventually posing what was perceived as a credible threat to the government, which struck back militarily, eventually driving these fedayeen out of the country.
Jordan is one of those hidden gems for tourists willing to go the extra mile. The country is home to some absolutely incredible scenery, with epic deserts that look like they have come straight from the pages of the Arabian Nights. There are lost cities in those deserts and many of the Bible’s most famous stories took place in the area. It is not visited by many tourists because it is aggregated with the many Middle Eastern countries constantly plagued by violence. Overall, however, the country is quite peaceful and, in fact, safer in many respects than most European nations. While the possibility of random terrorist acts exists – and travel along the borders of Iraq and Israel is always dangerous – for the smart traveler, Jordan offers little risk.
Flying into the area isn’t too difficult. Flights arrive into Amman fairly regularly from most major hubs, and daily flights depart and arrive from other major Middle Eastern cities, such as Cairo, Beirut and Damascus.
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