Jordan

Where the name comes from

Jordan is named after the Jordan River, usually linked to the Semitic root y-r-d, “descend”, for its course down to the Dead Sea.

First people

Nabataean and other ancient societies linked Arabia with the Mediterranean.¹

Known for

Jordan is known for Petra, the Nabataean city carved into rose-red cliffs, and for the Dead Sea, the lowest point on land.²

Outside contact

The Ottomans ruled from 1516, and Britain backed the creation of Transjordan in 1921.¹

The modern country

Jordan became independent in 1946 and has taken in people displaced by nearby conflicts, including Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war.^3,4