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

Between 400 BC and 160 AD, 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 324 AD. 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 632 AD saw the inhabitants of Jordan providing crops and livestock from their farmlands to sustain travelers on the caravan routes, which linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria and the Mediterranean. 630 AD 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, when the Crusaders arrived in Jerusalem, they build two castles in Jordan - Shobak and Kerak to protect their conquests. In 1187 Salah al Din (known as Saladin) defeated the Crusaders at Kerak, 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 in 1915.

Jordan's modern history dates from 1921, when Emir Abdullah established the Emirate of Trans-Jordan as a self-governing territory under British mandate. In May 1946, Emir Abdullah was proclaimed King of the independent Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. In 1953 King Hussein ibn Talal, Emir Abdullah's grandson, formally ascended the throne of Jordan. His reign continued until 7^th February 1999, when he finally succumbed to cancer at the age of 63. The late King Hussein will be remembered for many achievements, but he will perhaps be remembered most of all as the "King of Peace" due to his efforts in establishing and maintaining peace in the Middle East. Shortly before his death, King Hussein's appointed his eldest son Prince Abdullah as Crown Prince.