History of Jordan

Nabataean kingdom, 250 BCE–106 CE Draft, not yet reviewed

The Nabataean Kingdom was a political state of the Nabataean Arabs during classical antiquity. Nabatea controlled many of the trade routes in the region and remained an independent political entity from the mid-3rd century BC until it was annexed in AD 106 by the Roman Empire, which renamed it to Arabia Petraea. The Arab Nabataean kingdom centered around the three cities of Hijr (Mada'in Salih), Petra, and Bosra (Bostra). The Nabataean Kingdom stretched south along the Tihamah into the Hejaz, up as far north as Damascus, which it controlled for a short period (85-71 BC).

Seat of power: Petra

Emirate of Transjordan, 1921–1946 Draft, not yet reviewed

The Emirate of Transjordan, officially the Emirate of Trans-Jordan, was an autonomous administrative division (under a League of Nations mandate) established on 11 April 1921, which remained as such until achieving formal independence as the Kingdom of Transjordan in 1946. Abdullah entered the region in November 1920, moving to Amman on 2 March 1921. At a conference with the British, it was agreed that Abdullah bin Hussein would administer the territory under the auspices of the British Mandate for Palestine with a fully autonomous governing system. On 25 May 1946, the emirate became the "Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan", achieving full independence on 17 June 1946 when in accordance with the Treaty of London ratifications were exchanged in Amman.

Seat of power: Amman

Jordan, 1946 to today Draft, not yet reviewed

In 1946, Jordan gained independence and became officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Jordan captured and annexed the West Bank during the 1948 Palestine war until it was occupied by Israel in 1967. Jordan renounced its claim to the territory to the Palestinians in 1988 and signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. The sovereign state is a semi-constitutional monarchy, but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers.

Seat of power: Amman

Rulers

• Abdullah I of Jordan, King of Jordan, 1946–1951
• Talal I of Jordan, King of Jordan, 1951–1952
• Hussein I of Jordan, King of Jordan, 1952–1999
• Abdullah II of Jordan, King of Jordan, 1999 to today