Adwan Rebellion Adwan Rebellion or the Balqa Revolt was the largest uprising against the British mandate and the newly installed Transjordanian government , headed by Mezhar Ruslan , during its first years . The rebellion was initiated in the early months of 1923 , under the slogan " Jordan for Jordanians " , but was quickly crushed with the assistance of the British RAF . As a result , the revolt leader , Sultan al - Adwan , fled to Syria with his sons . Background . The most serious threats to emir Abdullah ' s position in Transjordan were repeated Wahhabi incursions from Najd into southern parts of his territory . The emir was powerless to repel those raids by himself , thus the British maintained a military base , with a small air force , at Marka , close to Amman . This force could have been easily used against the Wahhabi Ikhwan . The British military , which was the primary obstacle against the Ikhwan , and was also incorporated to help emir Abdullah with the suppression of local rebellions at Kura and later by Sultan al - Adwan . Rebellion beginnings . With the end of the Kura affair , another challenge to Hashemite rule began to loom as the feud between the Banu Sakhr bedouin , led by Mithqal al - Fayez — particularly favored by Emir Abdullah , and the Adwan bedouins of Balqa , headed by Sultan al - Adwan . Dangerously exposed to the Wahhabi raids from Arabia , emir Abdullah had no intention of alienating Sultan al - Adwan , even if he did pay a special attention to Banu Sakhr . Yet , when Abdullah attempted a reconciliation , paying a formal visit to Sultan al - Adwan , he was reportedly met with refusal . Opposing Abdullah ' s tribal policies , Sultan had received a support from an unexpected direction — educated members of young generation in the large towns of Irbid , as - Salt and al - Karak , who began to criticize Abdullah ' s autocracy and demanded a democratic rule . The new generation of urban intellectuals had been growing increasingly envious of the Lebanese , Syrians and Palestinians , who monopolized key positions of Transjordanian government and administration . In August 1923 , Sultan arrived in Amman at the head of an armed demonstration , openly backing popular demands for a constitutional , parliamentary government and pressure the emir for some urgent economic issues , but actually showing " who were the real masters of the Balqa region " ( i . e . the Adwan and not Banu Sakhr ) . Unprepared for the showdown , Emir Abdullah received Sultan , listened to his demands and promised his due consideration . To silence the opposition , the standing government was dismissed , and a new one formed . However , Abdullah decided that the show of defiance of established authority could not go unpunished and Mustafa al - Tall and two other officials , who had backed Sultan , were arrested and accused of conspiracy against the state . Sultan ' s attack . Becoming fearful of the consequences of al - Tall ' s trial , the Sultan decided to strike first . He advanced on Amman in a full force , and occupied two gendarmerie outposts , at the western entrances to the capital . Unlike the previous time , Peake ' s forces were well prepared . Adwan ' s forces were defeated in a fierce battle and put to flight . The prisoners , taken among the attackers , were banished to Hejaz , while the Sultan and his sons fled to Syria , seeking refuge in Jebel Druze . Aftermath . By March 1924 , a general pardon permitted all Adwan exiles to return home . Both Kura and Adwan rebellions made Abdullah understand the basic need for an effective armed force , even if such force was under British , rather than Arab command . Some tribal unrests continued to simmer in the country for a few years after the suppression of Adwan insurrection . In 1926 , the government had to send a force to suppress a rebellion in Wadi Musa , where the villagers refused to pay taxes and seized and looted the local gendarmerie post and government house .