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Hashemite Mecca & Hijaz
The prophet Muhammed was born in Mecca around 570
and went on to found the Islamic
empire in the seventh century. The focus of the empire shifted away from
Mecca towards Baghdad, but it was used as the base for Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr's
opposition to the Umayyads.
In the tenth century, by agreement, Mecca and Medina came
under the control of the sharif of Mecca, while much of the rest of
Arabia reverted to a nomadic
tribal existence until it was largely unified in 1744. The Hashemites gained
the position of sharif in 1201, and retained it thereafter, although they
were subservient to various overlords.
The Hashemites claim descent from Ali ibn Abi Talib
(Rashidun
caliph in 656-661) and his wife, Fatima, daughter of Muhammed. Their base
was in the Hijaz region of Arabia, along the Red Sea coast, which was mostly
seized by the Al-Saud family
in 1932. During the seventh century, the
Hashemites and the Umayyads, separate clans of the same Quraish tribe, vied
for control of the Islamic empire, but it was the latter who won that
struggle. |
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Sharifs of Mecca
AD 967 - 1629
From AD 909, the
Fatamids in today's
Tunisia
began establishing the Shiite (Sevener)
caliphate in North Africa to rival the Orthodox
Abbasid
caliphate. Eventually they secured Mecca itself, during a period in which
the Islamic provinces were experiencing a period of instability. The sharifs were given command shortly after
the city was attacked and sacked by a Muslim sect known as the Qarmatians, led by Abu-Tahir Al-Jannabi in 930.
Power thereafter remained in North Africa until the rise of the
Ottoman empire, and from
1517 Mecca, along with the
entire region, was under their overlordship. |
967 - 980 |
Muhammed Abu-Jafar Al-Thalab (The Fox) |
First sharif under the
Fatamids. |
969 |
Islamic Antioch in
Syria is lost to the
Byzantine
empire, taken by Michael Bourtzes and Peter the Eunuch on behalf of Emperor
Nikephoros II Phokas. In the same year the
Fatamids occupy
Egypt
and gain much of Syria along with it.
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Mecca and the Great Mosque, illustrating the long queues of
pilgrims entering it, a scene that is repeated every year even
in the modern age
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980 - 994 |
Sharif Essa |
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994 - 1039 |
Sharif Abu Al-Futooh |
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1039 - 1061 |
Sharif Shukrul-Din |
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1061 - 1094 |
Abul-Hashim ibn Muhammed |
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1094 - 1101 |
Ibn Abul-Hashim Al-Thalab |
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1201 |
There is a gap in the known list of sharifs of
Mecca which lasts for about a century. The rise of the
Ayyubids
in Egypt from 1174 eventually restores the situation to normal. Al-Malik al-Adil I manages to acquire territory between
his sultanate in
Damascus
and in Mesopotamia, before he also overthrows al-Mansur in 1200 and rules in Egypt
too. The Hashemite dynasty is subsequently introduced as hereditary sharifs
of the city. |
1201 - 1220 |
Qatada ibn Idris al-Alawi al-Hasani |
Killed at the age of 90 by Ibn Qatada Al-Hashimi. |
1220 - 1241 |
Ibn Qatada Al-Hashimi |
Son. |
1241 - 1254 |
Al-Hassan abul-Saad |
|
1250 - 1252 |
In
1250, Shajar ad Durr seizes the
Ayyubid sultanate with the support of her
Mameluke
slave-soldiers, led by Aybak. Eighty days later, she marries Aybak in order
to secure the full support of her subjects, before abdicating in her
husband's favour, passing all control of the sultanate over to him. The
Abbasids
still hold the title of caliph and hold court at Cairo, but they are weak
and are soon to become puppets of the Mamelukes. |
1254 - 1301 |
Muhammed abul-Nubaj |
|
1254 |
Al Ashraf II, the last of the
Ayyubid sultans, is removed from his position as figurehead, and the
Mameluke
leader Aybak takes
full control of Egypt. |
1301 - 1346 |
Rumaitha Abul-Rada |
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1346 - 1375 |
Aljan Abul-Sarjah |
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1394 - 1425 |
Al-Hassan II |
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1425 - 1455 |
Barakat I |
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1455 - 1497 |
Malik ul-Adil Muhammad (III) ibn Barakat |
Son. Served from Aug 1455. |
1497 - 1525 |
Barakat (II) ibn Muhammad |
Son. |
1515 - 1517 |
The
Ottoman
sultan begins a war against
Egypt which ultimately sees the latter
conquered. Sultan Qansawh II al Ghawri is killed on 24 August 1515 at the
Battle of Merj Dabik. Syria is immediately captured. |
1517 |
Cairo, along with the rest of
Egypt and
Libya, is conquered by
Ottoman
empire under Selim I Yavuz.
Mecca
is part of the
Ottoman empire from August of this year
and the sharif is
nominally subservient to the sultan, although in reality he is largely autonomous. |
1525 - 1583 |
Muhammad Abu Numay (II) Nazim ud-din |
Son. |
1543 - 1545 |
The
elder brother of Kamran Mirza of
Kabul is Humayun, the exiled
Moghul
emperor. In 1543 he arrives in Kabul following failed attempts from Amrakot
to regain his territory. The two are now implacable enemies, and Humayun is
forced to flee to the court of the
Safavid
shah of Persia. Here he receives enough support to strike out and defeat his
brother Askari, governor of Kandahar, and then Kamran in Kabul just two years
later, also adding Lahore to his domains. Humayun exiles his surviving brothers
to Mecca, while Hindal has already died fighting on his behalf. |
1583 - 1601 |
Al-Hasan (III) ibn Muhammad Abu Numay |
Son. |
1601 - 1610 |
Idris (II) Abu 'Aun ibn Hasan |
Son. |
1610 - 1628 |
Muhsin (I) ibn Hussein |
Son of Hussein. |
1628 - 1629 |
Ahmad ibn Abu Talib al-Hasan |
Son of Hasan. |
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Grand Sharifs of Mecca
AD 1629 - 1803
The first grand sharif was Masud I. This was
a period of
Ottoman
domination from Turkey, but the eighteenth century saw that domination begin
to weaken as the empire stagnated. As long as taxes were collected and paid
on time, and the peace was maintained, the sultans in Constantinople were
happy not to interfere. Regional leaders and governors began to assert themselves, most
notably the Al-Saudi in eastern
Arabia. |
1629 - 1630 |
Masud (I) ibn Idris |
Son of Idris (1601-1610). |
1630 - 1631 |
Abdullah (I) ibn Hasan |
Son of Hasan (1583-1601). |
1631 |
The
Ottoman
empire is still the most powerful state in the region both in wealth and
military capability. The personal style of government, however, cultivated
among the earlier sultans has vanished. In place of sultanic government, the
bureaucracy pretty much runs the show, and cracks begin to appear in the
empire's unity during this century.
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The Ka'ba inside the Great Mosque at Mecca
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1631 - 1666 |
Zeid ibn Muhsin |
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1632 |
The
Ottoman governor of
Egypt,
Khalil Pasha, sends out an expeditionary force to the Hejaz to retake Mecca
from Yemani tribesmen. Under Al-Mu'ayyad Muhammad, the Yemenis are fighting
the Ottomans to create an independent Zaidi state in Yemen. |
1666 - 1672 |
Saad ibn Zeid |
Son. |
1669 - 1671 |
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Ahmad ibn Zeid |
Brother. Governed jointly. |
1667 - 1668 |
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Muhsin ibn Ahmad |
Son. Governed jointly. |
1670 |
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Hamud ibn Abdullah ibn Hasan |
Son of Abdullah I. Governed jointly. |
1672 - 1682 |
Barakat (III) ibn Muhammad |
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1682 |
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad |
Brother. |
1682 - 1683 |
Said (I) ibn Barakat |
Son of Barakat III. |
1684 - 1688 |
Ahmad ibn Zeid |
Son of Zeid (1666-1672). Second term of office. |
1688 - 1690 |
Ahmad ibn Ghalib |
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1689 - 1690 |
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Muhsin ibn Ahmad |
Son. Second term of office. |
1690 - 1691 |
Muhsin (II) ibn Hussein |
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1691 - 1694 |
Said (II) ibn Saad |
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1693 - 1694 |
Saad ibn Zeid |
Second term of office. |
1694 |
Abdullah (II) ibn Hashim |
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1694 - 1702 |
Saad ibn Zeid |
Third term of office. |
1702 - 1704 |
Said (II) ibn Saad |
Second term of office. |
1704 |
Abdul Muhsin ibn Ahmad |
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1704 - 1705 |
Abdul Karim ibn Muhammad |
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1705 |
Said (II) ibn Saad |
Third term of office. |
1705 - 1711 |
Abdul Karim ibn Muhammad |
Second term of office. |
1711 - 1717 |
Said (II) ibn Saad |
Fourth term of office. |
1717 - 1718 |
Abdullah (III) ibn Said |
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1718 |
Ali ibn Said |
Son of Said III. |
1718 - 1719 |
Yahya (I) ibn Barakat |
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1720 - 1722 |
Mubarak ibn Ahmad |
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1722 - 1723 |
Barakat ibn Yahya |
Son of Yahya. |
1723 - 1724 |
Mubarak ibn Ahmad |
Second term of office. |
1724 - 1731 |
Abdullah (III) ibn Said |
Second term of office. |
1731 - 1732 |
Muhammad ibn Abdullah |
Son. |
1732 - 1733 |
Masud ibn Said |
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1733 - 1734 |
Muhammad ibn Abdullah |
Second term of office. |
1734 - 1752 |
Masud ibn Said |
Second term of office. |
1752 - 1759 |
Masaad ibn Said (II) |
Brother. |
1759 - 1760 |
Jaafar ibn Said |
Son. |
1760 - 1770 |
Masaad ibn Said (II) |
Second term of office. |
1770 |
Ahmad ibn Said |
Brother. |
1770 - 1773 |
Abdullah (IV) ibn Hussein |
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1773 - 1788 |
Surur ibn Masaad |
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1788 |
Abdul Muin ibn Masaad |
Brother. |
1788 - 1803 |
Ghalib ibn Masaad |
Brother. |
1803 |
Mecca and its surrounding region is captured by the First
Saudi State which swiftly expands
to take in most of the territory that today forms
Saudi Arabia. |
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Emirs & Grand Sharifs of Mecca
AD 1803 - 1917
Mecca was under
Ottoman governors from
Egypt
from 1819 until 1840 while the city was under occupation. As pashas
of Mecca, the representatives of Ottoman control, the grand sharifs
were also able to claim the title of emir of Mecca, increasing in power
until 1916, when Sharif Husayn rebelled. |
1803 - 1827 |
Yahya (II) ibn Surur |
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1818 - 1822 |
Unable
to spare forces to retake Makkah and Madinah in the Hijaz themselves,
the Ottomans send Muhammed Ali
Pasha, viceroy of
Egypt
to destroy the Saudi state. He does
so in a merciless campaign which ends with the siege of Diriyya. Arabia is
temporarily occupied by the pasha's forces. However, the garrisons in
Arabia are unable to prevent the rise of a new Saudi state. |
1827 |
Abdul Mutalib ibn Ghalib |
Aug to Sep only. |
1827 - 1836 |
Muhammad ibn Abdul Muin |
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1836 - 1843 |
The position is vacant during the rise of the Second
Saudi Sate. In 1838,
Muhammed Ali of
Egypt
re-occupies Arabia to destroy the Saudis and restore order, but it takes
until 1843 before that mission is fully achieved. |
1840 - 1851 |
Muhammad ibn Abdul Muin |
Second term of office. |
1851 - 1856 |
Abdul
Mutalib ibn Ghalib |
Second term of
office. Died 1886. |
1856 - 1858 |
Muhammad ibn Abdul Muin |
Third term of
office. |
1858 - 1877 |
Abdullah Kamil Pasha ibn Muhammad |
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1877 - 1880 |
Hussein ibn Muhammad |
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1880 - 1882 |
Abdul
Mutalib ibn Ghalib |
Third term of
office. |
1882 - 1905 |
Aun
ar-Rafiq Pasha ibn Muhammad |
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1905 - 1908 |
Ali
Pasha ibn Abdullah |
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1908 - 1916 |
Husayn / Hussein
Pasha ibn Ali |
Son. Commanded the Arab Revolt.
King of Hijaz in 1916. |
1916 |
Ali Haidar
Pasha |
Ottoman sharif appointed to
replace Husayn, unsuccessfully. |
1916 |
Husayn is opposed in Medina by Ali Haidar Pasha, the
Ottoman-designated sharif to
replace Husayn, ultimately unsuccessfully. |
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Kings of the Hijaz & Grand Sharifs of Mecca
AD 1916 - 1925
The Arab Revolt between 1916-1918 against the
Ottoman empire was led by
Husayn's eldest son, Faysal. Operations on the ground were commanded jointly
by Sharif Ali, and
British
Army officer T E Lawrence. Lawrence managed to combine the power of several
Arabic tribes to drive the
Turks north in
a series of campaigns in coordination with the British forces in the
Middle East.
Once the Arabs captured Damascus they secured a semblance of power (very well
depicted in the feature film Lawrence of Arabia). In subsequent
bargaining with the British who now controlled the region, Husayn claimed
Arabia and Faysal became king of
Greater Syria. |
1916 - 1925 |
Husayn |
King. Final claimant
of Islamic caliphate (1924-1925).
Died 1931. |
1922 |
Britain
assumes official governance of Palestine under the terms of its League of
Nations mandate. At this time, Palestine encompasses not only modern
Israel and the West
Bank, but all of the Transjordan
territory to the east of the river of the same name. |
1923 - 1924 |
The
Ottoman empire collapses and
on 29 October 1923 a republic of Turkey is declared. On 1 November the newly
founded parliament formally dissolves the sultanate, and in the same year
British-administered
Transjordan is separated from
Palestine. On 1 March 1924, the
caliphate is formally abolished, and two days later the title is claimed by Husayn.
The claim is not met with universal support from fellow Arabs, especially
the Al-Saud, who care nothing of
it.
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The Arab Revolt of 1916-1918 helped to destroy Ottoman hegemony
over Arabia
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1925 |
Ali |
Son of Husayn.
King. Last grand sharif. Died 1934. |
1925 |
The
Hashemites are overthrown in Arabia by Abdul Aziz, also known as Ibn
Saud. Abdul Aziz declares
himself king of the Hijaz in 1926. Hashemite rule to the north
of Arabia continues with Husayn's sons, with Abdullah in
Transjordan, and Faysal in
Iraq. Husayn and
Ali both find a new home in Transjordan, where Husayn continues to use the
title of caliph without universal acceptance. The title is restored by the
Islamic State in 2014. |
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Hashemite Transjordan
AD 1918 - 1946
The area of
modern Jordan which lies on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea was, in the
second and first millennia BC, part of the kingdoms of
Edom and
Moab. Successive empires then
controlled the region, including those of
Babylon,
the Persians, and
the Seleucid Greeks,
before a period of fragmentation in which the
Nabataeans and
Kedarites
flourished. Then Rome
became the main authority, although inroads were made by the
Parthians and
Sassanids. The
Byzantines
lost the region to the
Islamic empire in
the seventh century and this, in turn, was taken over by the
Ottoman empire. The Arab
Revolt (led by the Hashemites) and the
British
campaign of 1916-1918 pushed them out, eventually paving the way for Arab
independence following the conclusion of the Second World War. |
1918 - 1922 |
Transjordan
is controlled by the
British
military forces that had been instrumental in freeing all of
Palestine of
Ottoman control (the initial
steps towards this control are shown in the feature film
Lawrence of Arabia). |
1921 - 1949 |
Abdullah I |
Son of Husayn.
Emir (1921-1946), and then first king of Jordan. |
1922 |
Britain
assumes official governance of
Palestine under the
terms of its League of Nations mandate. At this time, Palestine
encompasses not only modern
Israel and the West
Bank, but all of the Transjordan territory to the east of the river of the
same name. |
1923 |
The Jordan state is created as a
British
protectorate to be governed by Abdullah, partly in reward for his agreement
not to attack
French-held
Syria following their
expulsion of his brother, Faysal in 1920. |
1937 |
On 7 July the
British
'Peel Commission' recommends partitioning
Palestine into
separate Jewish and Arab states. Abdullah supports this as it means the Arab
section will be incorporated into Transjordan. While the Jews accept the
commission's findings reluctantly, the other Arabs states do not, and it is eventually
dropped. |
1946 |
Following the conclusion of the Second World War, in which Jordan had
remained a staunch ally of
Britain,
the British mandate for Transjordan comes to an end. The emirate's independence
is announced on 25 May, as the 'Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan'. |
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Hashemite Kingdom of (the) Jordan
AD 1946 - Present Day
Modern Jordan is an important player in the region's politics, and is
respected for its relative stability. With a capital at Amman in the
north-west, the country is bordered to the east and south by
Saudi Arabia, to the
west by Israel
and the Palestinian West Bank, to the north by
Syria, and to the
north-east by Iraq.
The region has a long history of human habitation, lying as it does on the
eastern edge of the Mediterranean section of the Fertile Crescent. In the
second and first millennia BC, it formed part of the kingdoms of
Edom and
Moab. Successive empires then
controlled the region before a period of fragmentation in which the
Nabataeans and
Kedarites flourished. Then
Rome
and their successors, the
Byzantines,
held it before losing control to the
Islamic empire in
the seventh century. This, in turn, was succeeded by the
Ottoman empire. The Great Arab
Revolt and the
British
campaign of 1916-1918 pushed them out, eventually paving the way for Arab
independence.
The kingdom of Jordan was founded on 25 May 1946, initially as the 'Hashemite
Kingdom of Transjordan', although the regional name was soon shortened, in 1949,
to Jordan. The king rules as the head of a constitutional monarchy, albeit
one with significant power in the hands of the king himself, something which
led to limited protests during 2011. Modern Jordan is home to the
descendants of so many Palestinian refugees that they actually outnumber the
original population of East Bank Jordanians and, partially as a result of
this, the country struggles to be economically and financially successful.
It does, however, have the famed ruins of Petra within its borders as one of
the world's biggest tourist-pullers.
(Additional information by Allan Rousso.) |
1946 - 1951 |
Abdullah I |
Founder, and
former emir of Transjordan. Assassinated. |
1948 - 1949 |
On the day following the proclamation of the creation of the state of
Israel, the
neighbouring Arab states of
Egypt,
Iraq, Jordan,
Lebanon, and
Syria attack, prompting
the start of the Arab-Israeli War.
Saudi Arabia sends its
own military contingent to support the Egyptians. The war lasts for a year
before a ceasefire is agreed. The Green Line is established - temporary
borders which can generally be agreed by all sides. Egypt gains the Gaza
Strip while Jordan controls East Jerusalem and the West Bank region, but an
estimated 700,000 Palestinians have been expelled or have fled their
homeland, mostly to enter southern Lebanon or Jordan. |
1948 - 1949 |
The
British
mandate for Palestine ends and the state of
Israel is proclaimed
by Jewish groups on 15 May 1948. The Arab Legion, the reserve force founded
in 1923 which forms Jordan's army, enters Palestine and secures the annexation
of the West Bank for Transjordan. |
1951 |
Abdullah is assassinated by a Palestinian who is fearful that the king will
reach a separate peace agreement with Israel regarding the Arab-Israeli
War of 1948-1949. The king's grandson, Hussein, is also shot at, but
survives.
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Hussein became king in 1952, steering the kingdom through
difficult times in relations with Israel and during the
extended the Palestinian troubles
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1951 - 1952 |
Talal |
Son. Abdicated
due to health reasons. Died 1972. |
1952 - 1999 |
Hussein |
Son. Born 1935.
Pronounced clinically dead 05/02. d.07/02- cancer. |
1967 |
Amid
ever-increasing tensions and acrimonious relations with
Israel,
Egypt
expels the UN peacekeepers from the Sinai and announces a partial blockade
of Israel's access to the Red Sea. Expecting further military action,
several Arab states begin to mobilise their troops. Israel sees this as
reason enough to launch a pre-emptive attack against Egypt,
Iraq,
Jordan,
and Syria,
triggering the Six Day War.
Jordan loses the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a third of the kingdom,
while Israel also gains the Golan Heights and the ancient region of
Bashan
from Syria, and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, and also temporarily occupies
the Sinai peninsula for a second time. Jordan is also overwhelmed by the
numbers of Palestinian refugees which enter the country, significantly
changing the balance of the population, which is now biased away from
the outnumbered native Jordanians. |
1973 |
The
Yom Kippur War (alternatively known as the Arab-Israeli War of
1973) sees the combined forces of
Egypt
and Syria simultaneously
attack
Israel during
its highest holiday. Jordan does not actively participate in the conflict
as it is still licking the wounds suffered in 1967. The Syrian army is
held and repulsed by the Israelis while the Egyptian armies take longer
to pin back. The war ends in an imposed ceasefire, supported by the
USA
(backers of the Israelis) and Soviet
Russia
(supporting the Arab forces) as tension rises between the two superpowers. |
1999 - Present |
Abdullah II |
Son. Born 1962. Named
crown prince on 25 January 1999. |
1999 - 2004 |
Crown Prince Hamzah |
Half-brother. Removed from the position by Abdullah. |
2011 |
A wave of popular protests against a deeply unpopular and dictatorial
government forces the president of
Tunisia
to flee to Saudi Arabia,
paving the way for fresh elections and a new start. The protests strike a
chord in Arabs across North Africa and the Middle East, and similar protests
are triggered in Bahrain,
Egypt,
Libya,
Morocco,
Syria and Yemen. In Jordan,
where freedom is much less restricted, protests are limited and poorly supported.
However, when civil war is sparked in Syria, Jordan is forced to accept some
600,000 refugees. |
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Crown
Prince Hussein |
Son of Abdullah.
Named crown prince on 2 July 2009. |
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