14 ATLASES
History of Jordan in maps
Jordan as it appears in 14 interactive history atlases, from 264 BC to 2015: Nabataea, Oultrejordain, Ayyubid Transjordan, Jordan, Transjordan. Each era below lists who ruled the land and when control changed, linked to the dated map that shows it.
WW2 is free in full, and chapter 1 of every atlas is free. A free account opens 3 more chapters a day. Starter, at $9 a month, opens all 21 with no daily limit — see the plans.
What was Jordan before it was Jordan? The sections below follow this land through every era covered by the Maps of History atlases: who ruled it, what it was called, and when control changed. Each line links to the dated map. Modern borders serve as an approximation, as each atlas says on the map itself.
Nabataea (mod. Jordan) · Ancient Rome
Nabataea’s caravan kingdom drew wealth from the incense trade, with Petra carved into rose-red sandstone as its center. A Roman client for roughly 170 years, Nabataea supplied cavalry that assisted Titus at Jerusalem. Trajan annexed it as “Arabia” in AD 106, and the Via Nova Traiana linked Bostra to the Red Sea. One papyrus records a customs charge of a quarter of the value of eastern luxury goods, suggesting how much revenue the trade could yield.
| 264 BC | Hellenistic kingdoms — the opening position |
| 62 BC | Roman clients & allies |
| Roman territory | |
| Breakaway Roman empires (260–274) | |
| Roman territory |
ANCIENT ROME: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Oultrejordain (mod. Jordan) · Crusades
Oultrejordain, “beyond the Jordan,” guarded the caravan and army roads between Egypt and Syria. From the desert lordship’s castles at Kerak and Montreal, Reynald of Châtillon raided toward Mecca and Medina. These provocations helped harden Saladin’s resolve to destroy the kingdom that tolerated him.
| The Islamic powers — Seljuk, Zengid, Ayyubid, Mamluk — the opening position |
CRUSADES: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Ayyubid Transjordan (mod. Jordan) · Mongol Empire
| The Islamic powers — the opening position |
MONGOL EMPIRE: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Jordan · Industrial Revolution
| Opened by force or treaty — the opening position | |
| Opened by force or treaty |
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Jordan · Age of Revolutions
| Neutral / uncommitted — the opening position |
AGE OF REVOLUTIONS: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Jordan · Meiji Japan and post-Soviet Russia
| Non-aligned or stateless — the opening position |
MEIJI JAPAN AND POST-SOVIET RUSSIA: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Transjordan (Ottoman Empire) · WWI
Jordan · Stalin’s Soviet Union
STALIN’S SOVIET UNION: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Jordan · Road to WW2
| Colonial empires & possessions — the opening position |
ROAD TO WW2: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Jordan · WW2
| Western Allies — the opening position |
Jordan · Cold War
| NATO & core Western allies — the opening position | |
| US-aligned states | |
| US-aligned states |
COLD WAR: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Jordan · Decolonization of Africa
| Independent before 1945 — the opening position |
DECOLONIZATION OF AFRICA: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Jordan · Feminism and the Tunisian Revolution
FEMINISM AND THE TUNISIAN REVOLUTION: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
Jordan · Refugee crises
REFUGEE CRISES: EVERY CHAPTER AND MAP →
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