The Arabs in Jordan and the Arab Identity of Jordan

Jordan is historically known for being part of the Arab states and peoples that emerged in the southern Levant, such as the Kedarites, Nabataeans, and Itureans. Jordan has been associated with being part of Nabataean Arabia, which encompassed southern Syria, Jordan, and parts of Palestine. Ancient sources have documented that Jordan is part of the lands of the Arabs.

1 - Petra is mentioned by Strabo as the greatest city of Jordan, described as the city of the Nabataean Arabs.

[ Strabo 16.4.18 ]
[ Strabo and the Arabian Peninsula p. 116 ]

2 - Josephus mentions that the Arnon River (Wadi Mujib today) originates from the mountains of Arabia.

This indicates the Arab identity of Jordan because Wadi Mujib is located south of the city of Dhiban in Madaba, Jordan today.

[ Josephus Antiquities 4.5.1 ]

3 - Origen mentioned that the Yabboq River, which is the Zarqa River in Jordan, belongs to the lands of the Arabs, meaning that the river covering Jordan is an Arab river, indicating that Jordan is part of the lands of the Arabs.

[ The Arabs in Antiquity p503 ]

Origen describes the city of Gerasa, which is Jerash today, as Arab land, providing further evidence of Jordan’s Arab identity.

[ Commentary on the Gospel of John 6.24, Origen ]

4 - The historian Eusebius of Caesarea stated that the land of Amman, part of the Levant, was within the lands of the Arabs.

His statement, found in the dictionary of names and places, reads: Amman: a city in the lands of the Arabs, known in our time as Philadelphia.

[ The Onomasticon of Eusebius, Edited and Translation John E. Taylor p18 ]

5 - An inscription from the Jordanian city of Bila, dating back to 522 CE, refers to soldiers who came from Jordan and Bosra as soldiers coming from the land of the Arab people.

[ Arab Kings, Arab Tribes, Arab Historical Memory Robert Hoyland p396 ]

6 - The geographer Stephanus of Byzantium described the land of Gilead as Arab land. Gilead is a region located in Jordan and Palestine. When Stephanus mentioned it as Arab land, he cited a text by Josephus, who spoke of Gilead being ruled by Og.

[ Stephani Byzantii Ethnica vol 1 p399 ]
[ Josephus Antiquities 4.96 ]

As we see, Jordan is an Arab country and part of the lands of the Arabs.