Jordan Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Jordan appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 18 different states, among them Ottoman Empire, Jordan, Mamluk Sultanate, Nabatean Kingdom, Fatimid Caliphate.
JordanExplore the history of Jordan in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Jordan as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Jordan, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Landmarks
PetraRuins · AD 50
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Jordan?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Jordan belonged to Ottoman Empire, Jordan, Mamluk Sultanate, Nabatean Kingdom, Fatimid Caliphate, Mesopotamia (GB), along with 12 other states.
What was Jordan part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Jordan lay within Fatimid Caliphate.
What was Jordan part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Jordan lay within Mamluk Sultanate.
What was Jordan part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Jordan lay within Ottoman Empire.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.