GO Jingoistic for JO! Jordan Independence Day marks 100th anniversary for Arab pride

Published May 25th, 2016 - 11:02 GMT

The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has a birthday today, on May 25 – celebrating 70 years of sovereign independence -– and everyone wants in on the party!

Jordan's 2016 'Spring' date is a double whammy additionally because an anniversary of national pride coincides with another pertinent peg on the calendar (imminently, June 6th): a hundred years since The Great Arab revolt. Another excuse to indulge in a spot of Arab secular spirit!

Google created a commemorative Doodle, Facebook is greeting Jordan users with a toast to the nation's health, happiness, and harmony, and Uber has replaced all the car widgets on its app with tiny Jordanian flags!

So, as the nation marks its own 70th together with a big 100th anniversary of the Arab Revolt, do we need any more excuses to celebrate? Get ready to party like it's 1916 while learning about this peaceful, stable kingdom often called "the Canada of the Middle East".

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Half as big as Florida, and four times as big as Israel, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is home to nearly 10 million people. Compare that to the 0.4 million people who lived here in 1946! The fast-growing nation with the deliciously dry climate is nearly land-locked, framed by Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

In 1921, Britain helped establish the monarchies of Iraq and Jordan, ruled by the sons of Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali. Abdullah I was made Emir of Transjordan, later crowned as first king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan when his territory was granted independence on 25 May 1946. His great-grandson now sits on the throne.

The UN recognized Jordan as an independent sovereign nation in 1946. Two years on, it faced its first international crisis when the State of Israel was formed in British-mandate Palestine, prompting 1000s of Palestinians to flee Arab-Israeli fighting into the West Bank and Jordan. Jordan annexed the West Bank in 1950, doubling its population.

On July 20, 1951, a Palestinian extremist assassinated Jordan's King Abdullah in Jerusalem, a political act born of fear that the old king was conspiring with Israel. Abdullah's grandson (and future King) Hussein was also shot, but the bullet was deflected by a medal pinned earlier to his chest at his grandfather's insistence.

In 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty ending 46 years of war. It aimed to settle land and water disputes, widen trade cooperation, and ensure that neither nation would be used as staging areas for military strikes against the other. Said an optimistic King Hussein,”This is our gift to our peoples and to generations to come."

You can't throw a stone without hitting Jordan's stone-age past. Continually inhabited since Paliolithic times, migrating conquerors left their mark. Jerash arose in 2000 BC, passing from Greek to Roman to Ottoman hands. Four thousand years later, Nabateans carved a city from the rose-rock in Petra. Just two of a million things to explore here.

Jordan is a fave of filmmakers. The 1962 epic 'Lawrence of Arabia' captured Wadi Rum in then-cutting-edge Super Panavision 70. 'Theeb' made it to the Oscars this year, preceded at the box office by Captain 'Abu Raed', 'The Hurt Locker', 'Incendies', 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'Rosewater", and 'The Martian'.

Jordan's bucket list for mind-blowing eco-holidays lets you dive into nature without spending a bundle. Top eco-friendly tourism spots include the Ajloun Forest, Azraq Wetland, Wadi Mujib, and Dana Biosphere. Sustainable tourism gives a shot of much-needed travel dollars to local communities while raising environmental awareness. Explore Jordan!

The kingdom is nearly tapped out of water. Blame aging infrastructure that leaks billions of liters in annual losses that could meet the needs of 2.6 million people, almost a quarter of Jordan's current population. Expensive projects like desalination plants and the 'Red-to-Dead' might dampen the problem, but conservation needs to step up too.

Where's our Statue of Liberty? Only Pakistan beats Jordan in welcoming waves of refugees. More than 2 million Palestinians live here. Iraqi refugees number around 200,000. As of January, registered Syrian refugees in Jordan exceeded 630,000. According to the World Health Organization, 30 per cent of Jordan’s people are refugees, from 41 nations!

Jordan is a melting pot, not everyone is Arab. In the 1860s, Russian armies drove the Circassians - all Sunni Muslims - from Sochi. Many resettled in Jordan, forging strong bonds with the fledgling Hashemite kingdom, resulting in decades of royal favor. They now form the King’s personal palace guard (shown here with Queen Rania).

In 2012, the World Bank ranked Jordan healthcare 1st in the MidEast and 5th in the world. Medical tourism here is soaring due to advanced facilities, high expertise of UK- and US-certified staff, and attractive costs - often just 10-30% of US costs. Jordan 'firsts' include: 1970 open heart surgery; 1985 heart transplant; and 1987 in-vitro baby.

Half as big as Florida, and four times as big as Israel, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is home to nearly 10 million people. Compare that to the 0.4 million people who lived here in 1946! The fast-growing nation with the deliciously dry climate is nearly land-locked, framed by Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

In 1921, Britain helped establish the monarchies of Iraq and Jordan, ruled by the sons of Sharif of Mecca, Hussein bin Ali. Abdullah I was made Emir of Transjordan, later crowned as first king of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan when his territory was granted independence on 25 May 1946. His great-grandson now sits on the throne.

The UN recognized Jordan as an independent sovereign nation in 1946. Two years on, it faced its first international crisis when the State of Israel was formed in British-mandate Palestine, prompting 1000s of Palestinians to flee Arab-Israeli fighting into the West Bank and Jordan. Jordan annexed the West Bank in 1950, doubling its population.

On July 20, 1951, a Palestinian extremist assassinated Jordan's King Abdullah in Jerusalem, a political act born of fear that the old king was conspiring with Israel. Abdullah's grandson (and future King) Hussein was also shot, but the bullet was deflected by a medal pinned earlier to his chest at his grandfather's insistence.

In 1994, Jordan and Israel signed a peace treaty ending 46 years of war. It aimed to settle land and water disputes, widen trade cooperation, and ensure that neither nation would be used as staging areas for military strikes against the other. Said an optimistic King Hussein,”This is our gift to our peoples and to generations to come."

You can't throw a stone without hitting Jordan's stone-age past. Continually inhabited since Paliolithic times, migrating conquerors left their mark. Jerash arose in 2000 BC, passing from Greek to Roman to Ottoman hands. Four thousand years later, Nabateans carved a city from the rose-rock in Petra. Just two of a million things to explore here.

Jordan is a fave of filmmakers. The 1962 epic 'Lawrence of Arabia' captured Wadi Rum in then-cutting-edge Super Panavision 70. 'Theeb' made it to the Oscars this year, preceded at the box office by Captain 'Abu Raed', 'The Hurt Locker', 'Incendies', 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'Rosewater", and 'The Martian'.

Jordan's bucket list for mind-blowing eco-holidays lets you dive into nature without spending a bundle. Top eco-friendly tourism spots include the Ajloun Forest, Azraq Wetland, Wadi Mujib, and Dana Biosphere. Sustainable tourism gives a shot of much-needed travel dollars to local communities while raising environmental awareness. Explore Jordan!

The kingdom is nearly tapped out of water. Blame aging infrastructure that leaks billions of liters in annual losses that could meet the needs of 2.6 million people, almost a quarter of Jordan's current population. Expensive projects like desalination plants and the 'Red-to-Dead' might dampen the problem, but conservation needs to step up too.

Where's our Statue of Liberty? Only Pakistan beats Jordan in welcoming waves of refugees. More than 2 million Palestinians live here. Iraqi refugees number around 200,000. As of January, registered Syrian refugees in Jordan exceeded 630,000. According to the World Health Organization, 30 per cent of Jordan’s people are refugees, from 41 nations!

Jordan is a melting pot, not everyone is Arab. In the 1860s, Russian armies drove the Circassians - all Sunni Muslims - from Sochi. Many resettled in Jordan, forging strong bonds with the fledgling Hashemite kingdom, resulting in decades of royal favor. They now form the King’s personal palace guard (shown here with Queen Rania).

In 2012, the World Bank ranked Jordan healthcare 1st in the MidEast and 5th in the world. Medical tourism here is soaring due to advanced facilities, high expertise of UK- and US-certified staff, and attractive costs - often just 10-30% of US costs. Jordan 'firsts' include: 1970 open heart surgery; 1985 heart transplant; and 1987 in-vitro baby.

GO Jingoistic for JO! Jordan Independence Day marks 100th anniversary for Arab pride

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