Jordan


Figure 1.--This Jordanian boy is helping in his fater;s open air butcher shop. He is holding a sheep head. They are worket in the market at Mardaba, a town in central Jordan most notable for Bzantine and Umayyad Cakiphate mosacics. Scenes like this can be seen throughout the Arab world. Although we now see modern dress and some of 21st century accoutrements, this same scene could have been found at the time that the town's beautiful mosacics were created. So far no Arab coutry has created a modern society. And the only Arab countries with high living standards unless they sit on a pool of oil. Despite this we find many Arabs do not asky why, but rather dwell on who should have succeed Muhammad as Caliph (632 AD) and how to destroy Israel.

Climate has had a major impact on Jordan. In the modern era the climate has been very arid, although not as arid as it is now. The northern highlands and the Jordan Valley receive sufficent enough rainfall to support agricuklture. Much of the rest of the country is extrenely arid, including desert area. The urban population of Jordan is located in the fertile areas. In the south and east birdering on Saudi Arabia, there is little rainfall and few peole. We have a page on Jordanian history. Jordan was conquered by the Ottmans (16th century) and remained a part of the Ottoman Empire until the end of World War I when it was occupied by the British and Arab Army organized by Colonel T.E. Lawrence. Jordan was briefly part of a unified Arab Kingdom centered at Damascus, but became part of the British League of Nation Mandate of Palestine. Then Abdullah established a partially indepdendent emirate in the eastern section of Palestine (1923). This was the fist parttion of Palestine. Jordanian officials after the partition banned Jews from their couuntry. A treaty was signed with the British which gave the British the right to garison troops(1928). After World War II, the British mandate ended and Abdullah declared an independent kingdom (1946). Th country today is a constitutional monarchy, but the the king has substantial executive and legislative powers. Like othger Arab countries, Jordan has made limited progress in building a amodern economy. Tge country is highly dependent on worker remiences from beigbiring oil-rich states.








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Created: 1:14 PM 6/22/2015
Last updated: 1:14 PM 6/22/2015