Africa 24 Media Photography

As a modern state, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is little older than three score years and ten. Its inhabitants are the guardians of a heritage which stretches way back into the dawn of history. Located at a strategic position at one of the great crossroads of the world where Asia meets Africa, Jordan has drawn invading peoples before records began.

The Southwest Asian country is covered by desert, particularly the Arabian Desert, and shares borders with Syria to the north, Iraq to the north-east, the West Bank and Israel to the west, and Saudi Arabia to the east and south. Jordan is home to many of the Middle East’s most illustrious archaeological sites, including the ancient Nabatean city of Petra; the Roman provincial city of Jerash, and the great desert castles in the east of the country. It is a legacy that overwhelms not only tourists but also archaeologists and historians. During its history, Jordan has seen numerous civilizations, including such ancient eastern civilizations as the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Mesopotamian, and Persian empires. Jordan was for a time part of Pharaonic Egypt, and spawned the native Nabatean civilization who left rich archaeological remains at Petra. Petra, one of the many archaeological sites in Jordan is situated in the Arabah, Ma'an Governorate, and lies on the slope of Mount Horn in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah, the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture and is also one of the new wonders of the world. The Nabateans constructed it as their capital city around 100 BCE. Since its full independence in 1946, Jordan with her beautiful cities and mankind have been subjected to a series of grueling and daunting problems, but these traumas have united the nation behind strong leadership.

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