Transjordan (region)

"East Bank" redirects here. For other uses, see East Bank (disambiguation).

This article is about geographic region. For British protectorate under Hashemite rule in the 20th century, see Emirate of Transjordan.

Transjordan, the East Bank, or the Transjordanian Highlands (Arabic: شرق الأردن‎‎), is the part of the Southern Levant east of the Jordan River, mostly contained in present-day Jordan.

The region, known as Transjordan, was controlled by numerous powers throughout history. During the early modern era, the region of Transjordan was included under jurisdiction of Ottoman Syrian provinces. During World War I, Transjordan region was taken by the British, who had temporarily included it in OETA. Initially, the area was directly governed by the British, who decided to divide Transjordan region into 3 administrative districts - Ajloun, Balqa and Karak, with only Ma'an and Tabuk granted under direct rule of the Hashemites; however shortly the Hashemite ruler Abdullah was granted nominal rule over all districts. Central government was established in Transjordan in 1921 and in 1922 the region became known as the Emirate of Transjordan, receiving full autonomy in 1929. In 1946, the Emirate achieved independence from the British and in 1952 the country changed its name to the "Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan".

Name

The prefix trans- is Latin and means "across" or beyond, and so "Transjordan" refers to the land on the other side of the Jordan River. The equivalent term for the west side is the Cisjordan - literally, "on this side of the [River] Jordan".

Maps

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  This map of the Tribal allotments of Israel shows the two and a half tribes settling east of the Jordan.

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  The British Mandate for Palestine. The Emirate of Transjordan is shown in brown.

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  Jordan, 1948-1967. The East Bank is the portion east of the Jordan River, the West Bank is the part west of the river

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  Countries pictured are (clockwise from top right) Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt (across the Gulf of Aqaba), Israel, the disputed West Bank Territory, and Lebanon. In the center is Jordan.

See also

• Transjordan (Bible), an area of land in the Southern Levant lying east of the Jordan River that is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible
• Perea (region)
• Oultrejordain
• Emirate of Transjordan
• Transjordan memorandum
• Geography of Jordan