Article:
ISSUE No.8 January - February 2007

Country Overview: The Kingdom of Jordan
The Red-Cliffs City of Petra Draws Tourists

The history of Jordan reads like a historical novel. The small country on only 98,000 square kilometers in central Asia belongs to the Mashrek States and borders, as the central state, on Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf of Aqaba, Palestine and Israel. Jordan was well known in pre-biblical times and is still home to important historical cities like the red-cliffs city of Petra in the south of the country.

King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein has been ruling the modern, very impressive Jordan since 1999. The Kingdom has been striving for equality among its neighbors, even the bordering countries, since its independence in 1946. The king is determined to lead his country into modernity and has been pursuing intensive foreign politics with western nations. Nearly forty percent of the 5.3 million residents live in the capital city of Amman. Arabic is spoken widely, but English is the common lingua franca. Jordan is a constitutional monarchy of the Hashemite Dynasty. The king is the head of state as well as the supreme commander of the armed forces; he appoints the prime minister and the council of ministers.

Geography

Jordan is home to some geographical rarities: the graceful mountain chain of the West Bank reaches up to 1,000 meters; the unique Great Rift Valley falls to 385 meters below sea level and forms the lowest elevation on earth in the Dead Sea. In eastern Jordan the steep and craggy Jabal Ram reaches 1,754 meters into the sky and in the north of the kingdom the Gilead Mountains are home to the capital city Amman and neighboring cities of Zaraq and Irbid. The vast deserts in the east cover almost 2/3 of Jordan.
The land is divided into two climate zones:
The Mediterranean area in the northwest has hot and dry summers which give way to cool and humid winters with the average precipitation of up to 800mm annually.
The eastern and southern regions have a continually hot and dry desert climate with very little precipitation and very sparse vegetation. The country was once covered with forests, but only about 5 square kilometers of those are left.
The country is also home to many birds of prey like vultures and golden eagles as well as gazelles and wolves.

Economy

The Jordanian economy has been in a crisis for years. A rising number of unemployed due to continuous bankruptcy waves of local businesses are a reason for the economical problems of the country. The political situations of neighboring countries are another big problem for Jordan. When the US applied sanctions on Iraq, the Kingdom of Jordan was also affected. Before the Gulf war, trade relations with the neighbor made up about 2/5 of the total trade. A newly established free zone should create an economic upswing for the region. Jordan and the EU came to a participation agreement in 1997 which promotes the creation of a free trade zone by 2010.
Jordan’s ambitions do not stop here; King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein wants to join the WTO (World Trade Organization). Chances of being accepted into the WTO are very good since the participation agreement with the EU. Jordan’s agriculture is not well developed because only 5% of the total area is agriculturally exploitable. In contrast, phosphate mining and its subsequent processing into fertilizer creates a whole branch of industry. Besides a cement and chemical industry, Jordan has oil refineries which process crude oil from Saudi Arabia. Jordan’s own oil discoveries are not noteworthy. Germany is the most important European trade partner of the Kingdom. It imports automobiles, food, chemical products and machinery from Germany. Jordan exports clothing mostly made from cotton and table and industrial salts.

Culture

The historic sites of Jordan are a must-see for any archeology enthusiast. Hidden behind a rock fissure, Petra was almost forgotten for several hundreds of years. It was the Swiss orient traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt who re-discovered the monumental structures in 1812. In ancient times, Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans and an important trade metropolis for the Arabian region. Here is where the caravans from Africa and Asia crossed paths. They carried frankincense and myrrh from Arabia and spices and silk from India as well as skins and ivory from Africa across the desert to Europe.
The city is in a valley that snakes through the jagged mountains. The structures, which are carved into the rocks, still surprise visitors today with their breathtaking facades. Since its re-discovery, Petra is considered a precious commodity to archeologists, geologists, historians, anthropologists and natural scientists. The best known monument is the treasury; its façade reaches forty meters high and thirty meters wide. Historians claim the monument was built 100 BC as a tomb and was later used as a temple. The breathtaking beauty of Petra and its historical significance assured the red-cliff city its place among the “Seven Wonders of the World”. So we add Petra to Chichén Itzá in Mexico, the Great Wall of China, Christo Redentor (the Statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro) in Brazil, the Coliseum in Rome, and Machu Picchu in Peru and the Taj Mahal in India to the list of historically significant structures.
Petra is located about four hours from Amman, the Jordanian capital and a visit should be made into a several-day stay. Highlights of the archeological cities are besides the treasury, the obelisk grave and Triclinium in Bab-as-Siq, the high offering altar, the street of facades and theater, diverse burial places which were chiseled into the rock and a street of columns. The Nabataeans combined several art styles with their own cultural building characteristics to create these unforgettable monuments. You can feel the ancient ghosts in Petra; a stay will become an incomparable cultural experience. The several millennia old city of Petra or the antique city of Gerasa as well as the citadel of Amman or the mosaics of Madaba all are part of the touristy and scientific attractions of the country.
Jordan also has natural monuments like the desert landscape of the Wadi Rum or the lowest elevation on earth in the Dead Sea. Visitors to the Dead Sea swear to its healing strengths. Scuba divers can use their hobby to admire the diversity of the under-water-world near Akabe in the Red Sea.
An important date in Jordan’s history is May 25, 1946 when the Kingdom achieved its independence from British mandate and crowned Abdullah I as king. This date is celebrated with great pride as a national holiday. In 2002 the capitol city Amman was elected as cultural capital of the Arabian countries.

Relations with Germany

Political relations to Germany have been friendly for many years and remain close. Regular visits of the Foreign Minister and return visits by King Abdullah II have strengthened the friendship between the two countries. In addition to that, several delegates of the Bundestag travel to Jordan frequently. Special attention is paid to the developmental co-operation between Germany and Jordan. The main goals are: the fight against poverty, support with financial reform, co-operation in the water ector and aid for construction of elementary schools. Germany was among the largest bilateral donors in 2004/2005 next to the USA and Japan.
In the scientific sector, Jordanian universities and research institutes keep in close contact with Germany and cultivate an active exchange program. Numerous scholarships allow Jordanian students to spend time in Germany. In 2005, the German-Jordanian technical college was opened in Amman.
When it comes to the archeological arena, the Federal Republic of Germany works closely with the Kingdom of Jordan. Currently there are several joint digging projects. In 2004, the exhibit “Faces of the Orient, 10,000 years of art and culture in Jordan” was shown in Berlin as well as Bonn. This was the largest exhibit about the Kingdom with over 150,000 visitors.