Gharandal غرندل | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Gharandal | |
| Coordinates:30°42′55″N35°39′00″E / 30.71528°N 35.65000°E /30.71528; 35.65000 | |
| Country | Jordan |
| Province | Tafilah Governorate |
| Population (2015)[1] | |
• Total | 4,680 |
| Time zone | GMT +2 |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
| Area code | +(962)3 |
Gharandal (Arabic:غرندل) is a town in theTafilah Governorate in southernJordan, located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south-southeast of the governorate capitalTafilah.[2] It is identified withArindela (Ancient Greek:Ἀρίνδηλα), a town in the lateRoman province ofPalaestina Salutaris, also called Palaestina Tertia.[2]
The town, situated at 1,300 metres (4,300 ft) above sea level, became prominent inByzantine times, ranking third among the cities ofPalaestina Tertia.[2] Arindela was also a Christian bishopric. One of its bishops, Theodorus, took part in theCouncil of Ephesus in 431. Another, Macarius, participated ina council held at Jerusalem in 536.[3] No longer a residential bishopric, Arindela is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see.[4]
Arindela became known as Arandal under Arab rule, which began after it was conquered during the early stage of theMuslim conquest of Syria inc. 634.[2] It was held byal-Baladhuri to have surrendered without resistance to one of the chief commanders of the conquest,Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan.[5] It became part of the largemilitary district of Damascus.[2] The 9th-century geographeral-Yaqubi mentions that it was the center of the Jibal subdistrict and its population at that time consisted ofGhassanid andBalqayn tribesmen.[6] By the 10th century, the center of Jibal shifted to the neighboring town of Ruwath.[7] In the 13th century, it is mentioned as a village by the geographerYaqut al-Hamawi.[8]
The Byzantine and Islamic remains of old Gharandal, the name by which it is presently known, have largely been overtaken by the modern town of the same name. Most of the modern town's population, which was 4,680 in the 2015 Jordanian census, were originally from nearbyBuseira and the town is part of the Buseira District of the Tafilah Governorate.[7][1]