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The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Jordan

This page contains a list of the greatest Jordanian Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 15,577 Politicians, 23 of which were born in Jordan. This makes Jordan the birth place of the 100th most number of Politicians behind Montenegro and Luxembourg.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Jordanian Politicians of all time. This list of famous Jordanian Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Jordanian Politicians.

1. Hussein of Jordan (1935 - 1999)

With an HPI of 71.19, Hussein of Jordan is the most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 61 different languages on wikipedia.

Hussein bin Talal (Arabic: الحسين بن طلال, Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family of Jordan since 1921, Hussein was a 40th-generation direct descendant of Muhammad.Hussein was born in Amman as the eldest child of Talal bin Abdullah and Zein al-Sharaf bint Jamil. Talal was then the heir to his own father, King Abdullah I. Hussein began his schooling in Amman, continuing his education abroad. After Talal became king in 1951, Hussein was named heir apparent. The Jordanian Parliament forced Talal to abdicate a year later due to his illness, and a regency council was appointed until Hussein came of age. He was enthroned at the age of 17 on 2 May 1953. Hussein was married four separate times and fathered eleven children including King Abdullah II of Jordan. Hussein, a constitutional monarch, started his rule with what was termed a "liberal experiment", allowing in 1956 the formation of the only democratically elected government in Jordan's history. A few months into the experiment, he forced that government to resign, declaring martial law and banning political parties. Jordan fought three wars with Israel under Hussein, including the 1967 Six-Day War, which ended in Jordan's loss of the West Bank. In 1970, Hussein expelled Palestinian fighters (fedayeen) from Jordan after they had threatened the country's security in what became known as Black September in Jordan. The King renounced Jordan's ties to the West Bank in 1988 after the Palestine Liberation Organization was recognized internationally as the sole representative of the Palestinians. He lifted martial law and reintroduced elections in 1989 when riots over price hikes spread in southern Jordan. In 1994 he became the second Arab head of state to sign a peace treaty with Israel. At the time of Hussein's accession in 1953, Jordan was a young nation and controlled the West Bank. The country had few natural resources, and a large Palestinian refugee population as a result of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Hussein led his country through four turbulent decades of the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Cold War, successfully balancing pressures from Arab nationalists, Islamists, the Soviet Union, Western countries, and Israel, transforming Jordan by the end of his 46-year reign into a stable modern state. After 1967 he engaged in efforts to solve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. He acted as a conciliatory intermediate between various Middle Eastern rivals, and came to be seen as the region's peacemaker. He was revered for pardoning political dissidents and opponents, and giving them senior posts in the government. Hussein, who survived dozens of assassination attempts and plots to overthrow him, was the region's longest-reigning leader. He died at the age of 63 from cancer in 1999 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Abdullah II.

2. As-Saffah (722 - 754)

With an HPI of 68.04, As-Saffah is the 2nd most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 40 different languages.

Abū al-ʿAbbās ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad al-Saffāḥ (Arabic: أبو العباس عبد الله بن محمد السفّاح‎; 721/722 – 8 June 754, al-Anbar) usually known as as-Saffāḥ, was the first caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, one of the longest and most important caliphates in Islamic history. His laqab as-Saffāḥ (السفّاح) means "the Blood-Shedder". It may refer to his ruthless tactics, or perhaps it was used to instill fear in his enemies.

3. Al-Mahdi (744 - 785)

With an HPI of 64.80, Al-Mahdi is the 3rd most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 37 different languages.

Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Manṣūr (Arabic: أبو عبد الله محمد بن عبد الله المنصور; 744 or 745 – 785), better known by his regnal name al-Mahdī (المهدي, "He who is guided by God"), was the third Abbasid Caliph who reigned from 775 to his death in 785. He succeeded his father, al-Mansur.

4. Abdullah II of Jordan (1962 - )

With an HPI of 61.70, Abdullah II of Jordan is the 4th most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 84 different languages.

King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein (Arabic: عبدالله الثاني بن الحسين, romanized: ʿAbd Allāh aṯ-ṯānī ibn al-Ḥusayn; born 30 January 1962) is King of Jordan, having ascended the throne on 7 February 1999. He is a member of the Hashemite dynasty, who have been the reigning royal family of Jordan since 1921, and is considered a 41st-generation direct descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.Abdullah was born in Amman as the first child of King Hussein and his second wife, Princess Muna. As the king's eldest son, Abdullah was heir apparent until Hussein transferred the title to Abdullah's uncle Prince Hassan in 1965. Abdullah began his schooling in Amman, continuing his education abroad. He began his military career in 1980 as a training officer in the Jordanian Armed Forces, later assuming command of the country's Special Forces in 1994, eventually becoming a major general in 1998. In 1993 Abdullah married Rania Al-Yassin, and they went on to have four children: Crown Prince Hussein, Princess Iman, Princess Salma and Prince Hashem. A few weeks before his death in 1999, King Hussein named his eldest son Abdullah his heir, and Abdullah succeeded his father. Abdullah, a constitutional monarch, liberalized the economy when he assumed the throne, and his reforms led to an economic boom which continued until 2008. During the following years Jordan's economy experienced hardship as it dealt with the effects of the Great Recession and spillover from the Arab Spring, including a cut in its petroleum supply and the collapse of trade with neighboring countries. In 2011, large-scale protests demanding reform erupted in the Arab world. Many of the protests led to civil wars in other countries, but Abdullah responded quickly to domestic unrest by replacing the government and introducing reforms to the constitution and laws governing public freedoms and elections. Proportional representation was introduced to the Jordanian parliament in the 2016 general election, a move which he said would eventually lead to establishing parliamentary governments. The reforms took place amid unprecedented challenges stemming from regional instability, including an influx of 1.4 million Syrian refugees into the natural resources-lacking country and the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Abdullah is popular locally and internationally for maintaining Jordanian stability, and is known for promoting interfaith dialogue and a moderate understanding of Islam. The longest-serving current Arab leader, he was regarded by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre as the most influential Muslim in the world in 2016 and ranked fifth in 2022 and 2023. Abdullah is custodian of the Muslim and Christian sacred sites in Jerusalem, a position held by his dynasty since 1924. The 2021 Pandora Papers leak and the 2022 Credit Suisse leak revealed that Abdullah maintained a vast empire of wealth that he disguised through offshore companies and tax havens; the Royal Court responded that the offshore accounts were used for offering privacy and security, while the funds were a result of private wealth inherited from his father.

5. Balak ( - )

With an HPI of 57.98, Balak is the 5th most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Balak (Hebrew: בָּלָק Bālāq) was a king of Moab described in the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible, where his dealings with the prophet Balaam are recounted. Balak tried to engage Balaam for the purpose of cursing the migrating Israelite community. On his journey to meet the princes of Moab, Balaam is stopped by an angel of the lord after beating his donkey. He tells the angel he will return home: "I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood against me on the road". The angel instructs Balaam to attend the meeting with the princes of Moab but to "say only what I tell you". According to Numbers 22:2, and Joshua 24:9, Balak was the son of Zippor. In the preceding chapter of Numbers, the Israelites, seeking the Promised Land following their Exodus from Egypt, had defeated the Canaanites at a place named Hormah, as well as the Amorites and the people of Bashan, and next approached Moab. The biblical narrative stresses the fears of the people of Moab, who were 'exceedingly afraid' and 'sick with dread' (NKJV) or 'terrified' (GNT). Their fears appear to relate to the size of the Israelite population and the consequent resource depletion which could be expected if they were permitted to occupy Moabite land. Balak initially conferred with his Midianite allies in order to block Israelite settlement, before sending his elders (along with Midianite elders) to seek Balaam's curse on them. The Midianites appear to have been co-located with the Moabites - according to the Targum of Jonathan, they were one alliance of people at this time and therefore had a common interest in preventing Israelite settlement of the area. After his mission with Balaam to curse Israelites failed, Balak decided to ally with Midianites to gather their women in order to lead Israelites men astray in adultery. Sources detailing the story of Balak: Numbers 22–24 Judges 11:25 - This is the only time in the Bible that Balak is not mentioned in direct conjunction with Balaam. Micah 6:5According to the Pulpit Commentary, Balak seems to be mentioned by name on a papyrus in the British Museum. In 2019, Israel Finkelstein, Nadav Na'aman and Thomas Römer proposed the common reading of "House of David" in the Mesha Stele is actually "Balak".

6. Jair (-1000 - )

With an HPI of 56.61, Jair is the 6th most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

In the Biblical Book of Judges, Jair or Yair (Hebrew: יָאִיר Yā’īr, "he enlightens") was a man from Gilead of the Tribe of Manasseh, east of the River Jordan, who judged Israel for 22 years, after the death of Tola, who had ruled of 23 years. His inheritance was in Gilead through the line of Machir, the son of Manasseh. Yair was the son of Segub, the son of Hezron through the daughter of Machir (1 Chronicles 2). According to Judges 10:3–5, Yair had thirty sons, who rode thirty ass colts, and controlled 30 cities in Gilead which came to be known as Havoth-Yair (Judges 10:4; cf. 23 towns in 1 Chronicles 2:22). The word chawwoth ('tent encampments') occurs only in this context (Numbers 32:41; Deuteronomy 3:14; Judges 10:4). Yair died and was buried in Camon (or Kamon). W. Ewing suggests that Kamon probably corresponds to Kamun taken by the Seleucid king Antiochus III, on his march from Pella to Gephrun (Polybius Book V.70:12). After his death there were 18 years of infidelity to the God of the Israelites and oppression at the hands of their Philistine and Ammonite neighbours.King David appointed a Yairite named Ira as his chief ruler or priest after Sheba's rebellion.

7. Fayez Tarawneh (1949 - 2021)

With an HPI of 51.94, Fayez Tarawneh is the 7th most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Fayez Tarawneh (Arabic: فايز الطراونة; Fāyiz aṭ-Ṭarāwinah; 1 May 1949 – 15 December 2021) was a Jordanian independent politician, who served twice as the 31st Prime Minister of Jordan, and also as Chief of the Royal Hashemite Court.

8. Nayef Hawatmeh (1938 - )

With an HPI of 50.39, Nayef Hawatmeh is the 8th most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Nayef Hawatmeh (Arabic: نايف حواتمة, romanized: Nāyef Ḥawātmeh, Kunya: Abu an-Nuf; born 17 November 1938) is a Jordanian politician who was active in the Palestinian political life.Hawatmeh hails from a Jordanian clan and is a practicing Greek Catholic. He is the General Secretary of the Marxist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) since its formation in a 1969 split from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), of which he was also a founder. He was active as a leader in the Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM), which preceded the PFLP. He presently resides in exile in Syria, from which the DFLP receives some support. Hawatmeh opposed the 1993 Oslo Accords, calling them a "sell-out", but became more conciliatory in the late 1990s. In 1999 he agreed to meet with Yassir Arafat (who had signed the accords) and even shook hands with the Israeli President, Ezer Weizmann, at the funeral of King Hussein of Jordan, drawing strong criticism from his Palestinian and Arab peers.In 2004 he was briefly active in a joint Palestinian-Israeli non-governmental attempt to start a coalition of Palestinian groups supporting a two-state solution, and called for a cessation of hostilities in the al-Aqsa Intifada. In 2007 Israel indicated it would allow him to travel to the West Bank for the first time since 1967, in order to participate in a meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

9. Marouf al-Bakhit (1947 - )

With an HPI of 48.42, Marouf al-Bakhit is the 9th most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 31 different languages.

Marouf Suleiman al-Bakhit (Arabic: معروف البخيت; born 1947) is a Jordanian politician who was twice Prime Minister. He first served as Prime Minister from 27 November 2005 until 25 November 2007 and then again from 9 February 2011 to 17 October 2011. Bakhit also held the position of Jordanian ambassador to Israel and the national security chief. Appointed as Prime Minister by King Abdullah II less than three weeks after the 2005 Amman bombings, Bakhit's main priorities were to maintain security and stability in Jordan. He was reappointed as Prime Minister by the King on 1 February 2011, following weeks of protests.He resigned from his post on 17 October 2011, and was succeeded by Awn Shawkat Al-Khasawneh on 24 October.

10. Zaid ibn Shaker (1934 - 2002)

With an HPI of 47.73, Zaid ibn Shaker is the 10th most famous Jordanian Politician. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Zeid Ibn Shaker, GBE, CVO (4 September 1934 – 30 August 2002) (Arabic: الامير زيد بن شاكر) served as commander-in-chief of the Jordanian military for more than twelve years and the 27th Prime Minister of Jordan three times. King Hussein awarded him the non-hereditary title prince on 4 February 1996. Field Marshal General of the Army Sharif Zaid ibn Shakir was a cousin of King Hussein. He joined the military and served with the future King Hussein. In 1957 and 1958 he was the assistant military attache at the Embassy of Jordan in London. He served in a number of positions in the Jordanian military, including being a tank commander at both the brigade and division level. On 8 January 1996 he was made chief of staff for the armed services, which post he held until resigning in 1988. In June 1987 he was made field marshal. Being a Hashemite, Zaid ibn Shaker's family had always been close to the Royal family, and Zaid ibn Shakir himself had been personally linked with King Hussein throughout his military career. In addition to his high palace position, he also filled a then newly created post of adviser to the king on national security, which implied that Zaid bin Shaker would retain considerable influence over military policies.

People

Pantheon has 23 people classified as politicians born between 1000 BC and 1988. Of these 23, 14 (60.87%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living politicians include Abdullah II of Jordan, Nayef Hawatmeh, and Marouf al-Bakhit. The most famous deceased politicians include Hussein of Jordan, As-Saffah, and Al-Mahdi. As of April 2022, 3 new politicians have been added to Pantheon including Nayef Hawatmeh, Prince Hassan bin Talal, and Abdelsalam Majali.