Mafraq

For the village in Saudi Arabia, see Mafraq, Saudi Arabia.
Mafraq City
مدينة المفرق
City

The Tank Circle in Mafraq
Mafraq City
Coordinates: 32°20′24″N 36°12′19″E / 32.339939°N 36.205166°E / 32.339939; 36.205166Coordinates: 32°20′24″N 36°12′19″E / 32.339939°N 36.205166°E / 32.339939; 36.205166
Country Jordan
Province Mafraq Governorate
Founded 333 B.C.
Municipality established 1945
Government
  Mayor Abdullah Yarqan
Area
  City 14 km2 (5 sq mi)
  Metro 128 km2 (49 sq mi)
Elevation 700 m (2,300 ft)
Population (2004)[1]
  City 56,340
  Metro 122,000
Time zone GMT +2
  Summer (DST) +3 (UTC)
Area code(s) +(962)2
Website www.mafraq.gov.jo

Mafraq (Arabic: المفرق Al-Mafraq, local dialects: Mafrag or Mafra' , "crossroads") is the capital city of Mafraq Governorate in Jordan, located 80 km to the north from the capital Amman in crossroad to Syria to the north and Iraq to the east. It has 58,954 inhabitants (2000).

History

The historic city of Umm el-Jimal
The Martyr's Memorial in Mafraq
Prisoners of war being escorted to the military base in Mafraq in 1948

Mafraq was first settled in the 4th century BC. It is located about 17 km west from the historic Nabataean and Byzantine town of Umm el-Jimal, which was built in the 1st century. The city gained a significant importance after the establishment of the Hejaz Railway connecting Istanbul to Medina. Mafraq was also the location of a British military base and airport from the early 20th century. It later became the base for the Arab Legion during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

Mafraq is the capital of Mafraq Governorate and the headquarters of the Third Division of the Jordanian Army. King Hussein Air College and an air base of the Royal Jordanian Air Force are also located in the city.

As of 2016, 50% of the population of Mafraq is Syrian refugees.[2]

Geography

The city of Mafraq is located in northern Jordan at the boundary between the Hauran plateau and the Syrian Desert, about 80 km to the north from Amman. It is the capital and largest city of Mafraq Governorate. The city is at a close proximity to the three major cities in the region, Amman, to the south, Irbid to the west, and Damascus to the north.

Transport

The international highway that connects Damascus to Riyadh passes through the city. Mafraq is served by a station on the 1,050 mm (3 ft 5 1132 in) national railway system.

The train station in Mafraq

Education

Al al-Bayt University is the only university in the city. The university was established in 1992 and is located in the south-eastern outskirts of Mafraq city..[3]

See also

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.