The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Quiz

Answer: an early ancestor of the ruling family

The Hashemite kings of Jordan trace their ancestry in a direct line to Muhammad, the most important prophet of the Islamic religion. The prophet Muhammad's great grandfather was Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf, and it is from him the Hashemite family take their name. Hashem in Arabic means pulveriser.

This referred to the patriarch's habit of serving crumbled or pulverised bread broth to pilgrims, rather than to any violent or warlike tendencies.

Answer: Lebanon

The countries which have a land border with Jordan are Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. A small part of Jordan's border is on the Red Sea Gulf of Aqaba. The Palestinian Authority, set up in 1994 to administer territories on the West Bank and Gaza, also borders Jordan.

Answer: Transjordan

Transjordan was the eastern part of the British Mandate of Palestine, established after World War I. The western section of the Mandate was called Palestine, and comprises the area of modern day Israel and Palestine. The present day independent Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was established in 1946, at first being called The Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan, and shortened to The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1950.

Answer: Great Britain and Pakistan

Most Arab states were opposed to the creation of the state of Israel, and the country was invaded in May 1948. An armistice agreement came into force on 3rd April, 1949, which gave control of the West Bank to Transjordan. Soon after this agreement, Transjordan changed its name to Jordan. Following the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, the West Bank was re-occupied by Israel.

Answer: False

Only two seas border Jordan, the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. The Gulf of Aqaba, which is part of the Red Sea, is on the south coast of Jordan, and the Dead Sea is an inland sea located on the western border with Israel. The Sea of Galilee, also known as Lake Tiberias, is actually a freshwater lake. Jordan does not border the Sea of Galilee, but under a joint treaty with Israel takes freshwater supplies from it.

Answer: Lawrence of Arabia

Colonel Thomas Edward Lawrence was devoted to the cause of Arab independence, and lived and dressed as an Arab during his raids on Turkish forces and installations in the Middle East. In Jordan, he based himself mainly in Wadi Rum, an area of spectacular rock and desert formations, where concealment was relatively easy.

His auto-biography, entitled 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom' was named after one of the large rock formations in Wadi Rum.

Answer: The Rose City

Petra's nickname comes from the deep colours of the rock from which the city's many monuments are carved. The Victorian traveller and poet, Dean Burgon, described the city in his poem 'Petra', with the closing lines 'Match me such a marvel, save in Eastern clime, A rose-red city half as old as time'.

Answer: No major life forms can survive in it.

Only small amounts of specialised bacteria can survive the high salinity levels of the Dead Sea, although at times of heavy rainfall and flooding, red algae has quickly formed for short periods. The Dead Sea is 67 kilometres long, and has a maximum width of about 18 kilometres, and its salinity is about nine times that of the oceans.

Its surface is about 418 metres below sea level, and its shores are the lowest land points on Earth.

Answer: The Dead Sea

The River Jordan is initially formed by three tributary rivers, the Hasbani, the Banias, and the Dan. It flows through the freshwater Sea of Galilee, and forms part of the border between Jordan and Israel, before ending in the Dead Sea. Much of the area through which the Jordan flows is arid desert, and the river is the most important source of fresh water to several countries, including Syria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine.

Answer: True

The incident is recorded in Matthew 3.13, "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him". The River Jordan is mentioned often in the Bible, including when its flow miraculously ceased to allow Joshua and the Israelites to cross over on dry land and besiege Jericho (Joshua 3.17).

Answer: the first seven verses of the Koran

The national flag of Jordan shows equally spaced, horizontal bands of black, white, and green, with a red triangle at the hoist. In the centre of the red triangle, there is a seven point white star, the points representing the seven opening verses of the Koran.

Answer: Amman

Oman is a country situated on the Arabian Sea, to the south east of Saudi Arabia. Beirut is the capital of Lebanon, and Damascus is the capital of Syria. Amman is an ancient city, inhabited by the Ammonites and called Rabbath-Ammon in old Testament times. It was conquered by king David of Israel in the 11th century B.C. and regained independence under his son Solomon.

Answer: The Humane King

Hussein bin Talal acceded to the throne of Jordan on his eighteenth birthday in 1953, having been proclaimed king in August 1952. King Hussein ruled Jordan for almost forty seven years, and introduced many reforms. He was a popular king, and a respected elder statesman throughout the world, who worked tirelessly for Arab reconciliation and Middle East peace.

He died in 1999 aged sixty three, and was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah bin Al-Hussein.

Answer: False

Jordan has insignificant reserves of oil and gas, and is one of the poorest countries in the Middle East. In spite of this, living standards are relatively good, and literacy stands at about 85%. The economy depends on a variety of products, including phosphate production, tourism, agriculture, and expatriate income. Jordan's economy suffered as a result of the war in Iraq, and U.N. sanctions were applied when the country continued to trade with Iraq following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Answer: Philadelphia

The Greek ruler of Egypt, Ptolemy Philadelphus, renamed the city 'Philadelphia' in circa 218 B.C. The city has changed hands many times in its long history, being occupied by the Ammonites, Israelites, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Nabateans, and Romans in ancient times, and by Turks and British more recently.