Ma'an Governorate

Ma'an encompasses Jordan's largest governorate by area with its lowest population density—fewer than 4 persons per square kilometer across terrain that stretches from Petra's rose-red cliffs to the Saudi Arabian border. This demographic emptiness reflects the desert ecology that supported Nabataean traders at Petra two millennia ago but cannot sustain modern agricultural communities without the water that aquifers can no longer reliably provide.

Petra, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that anchors Jordan's tourism industry, generates visitor spending that Ma'an governorate captures unevenly—the 4th-century BC Nabataean capital drawing millions while surrounding communities struggle to benefit from proximity. The Treasury (Al-Khazneh) and The Siq define Jordan's international image, yet tourism employment concentrates in Wadi Musa rather than distributing across the vast governorate.

The October 2023-ongoing Gaza conflict devastated tourism revenues that Ma'an particularly depends upon, the sector contributing 15% of Jordan's GDP before the crisis began. Whether Petra's drawing power can recover—and whether that recovery benefits communities beyond the archaeological site itself—determines Ma'an's economic future.