In 331B.C., the armies of Alexander the Great conquered the Near East, introducing Hellenic culture to the area. On Alexander's death in 323B.C., the Greek Empire was divided between his two generals. Jordan, Palestine and Egypt were given to General Ptolemy.

Between 400B.C. and 160A.D., the Nabataean civilization flourished in the southern part of the Kingdom. The awe-inspiring Nabataean capital of Petra is now Jordan's most popular tourist attraction.

Jordan was part of the Roman Empire between 63 and 324A.D. A league of ten cities, known as the Decapolis, was established at this time to facilitate the area's trade and commerce. Four cities in Jordan; Jeresh, Philadelphia (now Amman), Umm Qais and Pella formed part of the Decapolis.

The Byzantine period, 324 to 632A.D. saw the inhabitants of Jordan providing crops and livestock from their farmlands to sustain travellers on the caravan routes, which linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria and the Mediterranean.

630A.D. marked the beginning of the Arab-Islamic era. The area was ruled for two centuries by the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties of Baghdad and Damascus.

In 1099, the Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem, establishing themselves by building two castles in Jordan at Shobak and Kerek, to protect their conquests. In 1187, Salah al Din (known as Saladin) defeated the Crusaders at Kerek, thus leading to their complete withdrawal from the Near East.

A 300-year rule by the Mamelukes followed, after which Jordan became part of the Ottoman Empire. This period came to an end with the famous Arab Revolt, between 1915 and 1918.

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