J is for... Jawad...and...Jordan.

is for

Eslam Jawad, a Syrian-Lebanese musician with this melodious number:

Jordan

Jordan takes its name from the River Jordan, and has stood at the crossroads of ancient civilisations and three continents for millennia.  The earliest archaeological evidence of human settlement goes as far back as 250,000 years, since Palaeolithic times.

Al Husseini Mosque, Amman. Built over a very old site where 

the first Caliph built a mosque in 640. 

The ruins of Jerash. First established in the 4th century BCE, either
by Alex G or his general Perdiccas. 

By 2000 BCE, nomadic Amonite tribes had established the kingdoms of Moab, Edom and Amon - all three find mention in the Bible and Ancient Egyptian papyri. Control over these territories passed back and forth from ancient Akkadians, Assyria, Egypt to Greece to Persia and Rome.  

The Treasury Building.  Petra. The Nabataeans 

created this rock-cut city around 300 BCE and

originally called it Raqmu.

The entrance to Petra is through this gorge known 
as the Siq.  The Nabataeans were expert engineers 
and great masters of water harvesting.  

Later, Arab tribes from southern Arabia, the Nabataeans, came to settle in Jordan and created one of the most astounding cities – Petra; and an enduring empire which became the centrepoint of trade.  This coexisted with Hellenistic kingdoms founded in the wake of Alexander the Great, the Greeks built cities like Philadelphia (Amman) and Geresa (Jerash) Gedara (Umm Qais) etc, before they were overthrown by the Romans in 63 CE. 

View from Mount Nebo.  Moses is said to have been shown the
Promised Land from this spot. The site is sacred to all three 
Abrahamic faiths.

Byzantine Basilica, Amman. 5-6th century.  Jordan is the site of
some of the earliest churches in the world.

In the 7^th century, the Islamic Empire annexed Jordan in the Battle of Yarmouk. This was crucial territory for the winning of Damascus for the early Muslims. During Umayyad rule, several desert castles were built in Jordan and a large administrative palace in Amman. After the fall of the Umayyads, control passed onto the Abbasids, Fatimids and finally to the Ayyubids under Salahuddin ibn Ayyub who defeated the Crusaders in the 12^th century. Subsequently, the Mamluks and then the Ottomans claimed the territory. 

Madaba Archaeological Park. Madaba is the site of the
Church of Virgin Mary, dated to the 6th century.

Mosaics from Madaba. Many of these mosaics were found under
the floors of local houses, and restored.  

It became a British Protectorate after the Arab Revolt and the fall of the Ottoman Empire at the close the WWI. The modern day Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan, later renamed Jordan was recognised as an independent nation in 1946.

Aijloun.  The site of another of Salahuddin's castles. 

Wadi Rum.  The locales for some major Hollywood magic 
including Lawrence of Arabia and Rogue One. Also a major 
desert adventure tourist destination.

The Dead Sea. Earth's lowest elevation on land. More than
1400 ft below sea level. 

Jordan is considered among the freest, safest and most progressive of Arab nations, though it is a constitutional monarchy.  It is one of the two Arab states which has signed a peace treaty with Israel, and has successfully avoided long term instability and problems of extremism relatively better than the others.  It has been an asylum for refugees in the region from 1948 onwards – initially Palestinian and currently Syrian and Iraqi.

Ruins of Gedara, at Umm Qais.  Also the site of the 'Gadarene 
swine' story of Jesus Christ's ministry in the Gospels.  

Tourism is a cornerstone of its modern economy. Because of its importance to all three Abrahamic faiths, it is a significant pilgrimage destination. It is also a major medical tourism destination in the ME due to its well-developed health sector. 

Did you know Jordan is among the top ten countries hosting refugees according to an Amnesty International report? As per AI, 10 nations host more than 56% of the refugees across the world, and they account for less than 2.5% of the global economy. Isn't that surprising? I certainly got a Jolt.

Posted for the A-Z Challenge 2017