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Oultrejordain extended southwards through the Negev Desert to the Gulf of Aqaba. To the north and east (the ancient Gilead) there were no real borders - to the north was the Dead Sea and to the east were caravan and pilgrimage routes, part of the Muslim Hijaz. These areas were also under the control of the sultan of Damascus, and by custom the two opponents rarely met there, for battle or for other purposes.

Before the First Crusade Oultrejordain was controlled by the Fatimids of EgyptJumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah ( In Detail) Official language Arabic Capital Cairo Largest City Cairo President Hosni Mubarak Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif Area Total % water Ranked 29th 1,001,450 km² 0. 6% Population Total (2003) Density Ranked 15th 74,718,797, who withdrew when the Crusaders arrived. The various tribes there quickly made peace with the Crusaders. The first expedition to the area was under Baldwin I of JerusalemBaldwin of Boulogne (died 1118), count of Edessa ( 1098— 1100), and first king of Jerusalem (1100—1118), was the brother of Godfrey of Bouillon, son of Eustace II of Boulogne. As the younger brother of Godfrey and Eustace, Baldwin was originally intended, who built the castle of MontrealMontreal was a Crusader castle located in "Idumaea" ( Edom) on the eastern side of the Jordan river. The ruins, called Shaubaq in Arabic, are located in modern Jordan. The castle was built in 1115 by Baldwin I of Jerusalem during his expedition to the are in 1115Events Clairvaux Abbey is founded by St. Anselm of Laon becomes archdeacon of Laon. Hugh of St. Victor joins the Victorines in Paris. Pierre Abelard becomes canon of Notre Dame. Stephen of England becomes count of Mortain. The title of Duke of Atholl is c. The crusaders also controlled the area around PetraThis article is about the Jordanian site of Petra. For other meanings see Petra (disambiguation Petra rock in Greek) is an archaeological site in Jordan, lying in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Wadi Araba, the great valley run, where they set up an archbishopIn Christianity, an archbishop is an elevated bishop heading a diocese of particular importance due to either its size, history, or both, called an archdiocese. When a bishop becomes an archbishop, he is not in any sense being ordained nor otherwise receiric under the authority of the Latin Patriarch of JerusalemThe Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem is one of the Roman Catholic "patriarchs of the east". The Patriarchate of Jerusalem is the oldest of Eastern Catholic Patriarchates, and the only one that still follows the Latin Rite. In 1054, the Great Schism separated.

There were very few Christians in Oultrejordain, most of the inhabitants being Shiite Bedouin nomads. Many of the Syrian Christians who lived there were transplanted to Jerusalem in 1115 to fill up the former Jewish quarter (the Jews had been either killed or expelled). The other Christians who lived in Oultrejordain were nomadic or semi-nomadic and were often distrusted by the Crusaders.

In 1147 the lord of Oultrejordain was involved in the decision to attack Damascus during the Second Crusade, despite the truce between Jerusalem and Damascus that was vital to the survival of the kingdom and especially the lordship. The crusade ended in defeat and the security of the lordship diminished as a result.

When Raynald of Chatillon became lord in 1177, he began to claim that the king had no authority in Oultrejordain and acted as a petty ruler. He used his position to attack pilgrims and caravans, and threatened to attack Mecca, which resulted in an invasion of the kingdom by Saladin in 1187. By 1189 Saladin had taken all of Oultrejordain and destroyed its castles. In 1229 it was briefly recovered by treaty by Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, but the remnant of the kingdom never again controlled territory to the east of the Jordan.

While under Crusader control, the Bedouin nomads were generally left to themselves, although the king collected taxes on caravans passing through. The land was relatively good for agriculture, and wheat, pomegranates and olives were grown there. Salt was also collected from the Dead Sea.

Oultrejordain was also known in Latin as Transjordan, and covered territory that would later become part of the Emirate of Transjordan and the modern country of Jordan.