As with other parts of the Levant, signs of habitation in Tafilah Governorate have been found dating from the Palaeolithic periods.

In 1984 a team of archaeologists from the University of Arizona discovered stone tools estimated at 90,000 years old in caves in Ain Defla and Hessa.

The entire land covered by Tafilah Governorate was the stronghold of the Edomites with the town of Busairah as their capital.

Edom often allied with Moab and Ammon, and later with the Nabataeans[dubious – discuss] until their fall to the Roman Empire.

Although Tafilah Governorate is rich in history, having been the nucleus of the ancient kingdom of Edom, it has one of the lowest numbers of tourists in Jordan.

The governorate depends mostly on domestic tourists, who visit the hot water springs and the natural reserves within it.