ABSTRACT

During the Ottoman empire, which ruled over four centuries (1516-1918), a rather weak administration gave way for the decline of many towns and villages. Agriculture struggled and families and tribes moved frequently from one village to another in search of better fortune. The population level continued to fall until the late 19th century, when Jordan received several waves of immigrants from Syria and Palestine, as well as from Muslim Circassians and Chechens further to the north.