Arab Arab Jordanians are either descended from families and clans who were living in the cities and towns in
Transjordan prior to Jordanian independence in 1946, most notably in the governorates of
Jerash,
Ajlun,
Balqa,
Irbid,
Madaba,
Al Karak,
Aqaba,
Amman and some other towns in the country, or from the
Palestinian families who settled in Jordan in different times in the 20th century, mostly during and after the wars of
1948 and
1967. Many Christians are natives especially in towns such as
Fuhies,
Madaba,
Al Karak,
Ajlun, or have Bedouin origins, and a significant number came in 1948 and 1967 mainly from
Jerusalem,
Jaffa,
Lydda,
Bethlehem, and other Palestinian cities.
Druze The Druze people are believed to constitute about 0.5% of the total population of Jordan, around 32,000 people. The Druze, who refer to themselves as al-Muwahhideen, or "believers in one God," are concentrated in the rural, mountainous areas west and north of
Amman. Even though the faith originally developed out of
Ismaili Islam, most
Druze do not identify as
Muslims, and they do not accept the
five pillars of Islam.
Bedouin Arabs The other group of Jordanians is descended from
Bedouins, of which less than 1% live a nomadic lifestyle. Bedouin settlements are concentrated in the south and east of the country.
Afro-Jordanians An unknown but considerable number of Jordanians are of African descent.
Armenians There were an estimated 5,000
Armenians living within the country in 2009. An estimated 4,500 of these are members of the
Armenian Apostolic Church, of the
Armenian language. This population makes up the majority of non-
Arab Christians in the country.
Assyrians There is an Assyrian refugee population in Jordan. Many Assyrians have arrived in Jordan as refugees since the invasion of Iraq, making up a large part of the Iraqi refugees.
Turks There are people of Turkish ancestry living in Jordan. These people have had a thriving presence in Jordan since the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Today, there is a minority of about 60,000 people in the country who are the descendants of the Ottoman-Turkish immigrants. As of 2009, there are also 8,262 Turkish citizens who are recent migrants to Jordan.
Circassians By the end of the 19th century, the Ottoman Authorities directed the Circassian immigrants to settle in Jordan. The Circassians are Sunni Muslims and are estimated to number 100,000 to 170,000 people.
Chechens There are about 10,000 Chechens estimated to reside in Jordan.
Doms There are 70,000
Dom people in Jordan.
Genetics Bahri et al. (2011) observed that the Jordanians have a genetic profile that is Arabian Semitic, despite the succession of several civilizations in Jordan. They have a common origin in Mesopotamia and are not too genetically dissimilar from the peoples of the
United Arab Emirates and
North Africa, who respectively have a common origin in Arabia and North Africa. Zanetti et al. (2014) discovered significant genetic differentiation between general Jordanians and Bedouin Arabs. General Jordanians were more similar to other Middle Eastern populations whilst Bedouin Arabs were more similar to North Africans. However, the Bedouin Arabs played a significant role in the "peopling" of Jordan, both in the past and present. ==Religion==