Mafraq مدينة المَفْرَق | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Mafraq city center | |
 Flag | |
  Mafraq | |
| Coordinates:32°20′24″N36°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 arqan |
| Area | |
• City | 14 km2 (5.4 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 128 km2 (49 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 700 m (2,300 ft) |
| Population (2017)[1] | |
• City | 580,000 |
| Time zone | GMT +2 |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
| Area code | +(962)2 |
| Website | www |
Mafraq (Arabic:المفرقAl-Mafraq, local dialects:Mafrag orMafra;lit. 'crossroads') is the capital city ofMafraq Governorate inJordan, located 80 km to the north of the national capital,Amman. It is located at a crossroads, with a road north going toSyria and another road to the east going toIraq. It had 56,340 inhabitants in 2004.
Mafraq was first settled[clarification needed] in the 4th century BC.[citation needed] It is located about 17 km west of the historicNabataean andByzantine town ofUmm el-Jimal, which was built in the 1st century.
In pre-Ottoman times, what is now the city of Mafraq was named Fudain,[when?] which comes from the word for fortress[which?] inArabic.[citation needed] TheOttoman Turks renamed the city "Mafraq", which means "crossroads" in Arabic.[when?][citation needed]
InOttoman times, there was a pilgrims' inn orkhan there, known as Khan or Qal'at el-Mafraq, which was part of theSyrian Hajj route, used annually by Muslims on their way toMedina andMecca.[2] The city gained more significance after the establishment of theHejaz Railway connectingDamascus (and by extensionIstanbul) toMedina in 1908.
Mafraq was the location of a British military base and airport during the British post-WWIMandate. During theSecond World War, the city's military base hosted British troops fromIndia, Australia and other British colonies. It later became the base for theArab Legion during the1948 Arab–Israeli War.
Mafraq is the headquarters of the Third Division of theJordanian Army.King Hussein Air College and an air base of theRoyal Jordanian Air Force are also located in the city.
In 1945, the Municipality of Mafraq was established, with Ali Abdeyyah as its first mayor.
As of 2016, 50% of the population of Mafraq wereSyrian refugees.[3]
The city of Mafraq is located in northern Jordan at the boundary between theHauran plateau and theSyrian Desert, about 80 km north ofAmman. It is the capital and largest city of Mafraq Governorate. The city is close to three major cities in the region, Amman to the south,Irbid to the west, andDamascus to the north.
Mafraq has acold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSk). Most rain falls in the winter. The average annual temperature in Mafraq is 16.6 °C (61.9 °F). About 184 mm (7.24 in) of precipitation falls annually.
| Climate data for Mafraq, elevation 683 m (2,241 ft) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.5 (56.3) | 15.2 (59.4) | 19.5 (67.1) | 24.6 (76.3) | 29.5 (85.1) | 32.3 (90.1) | 34.1 (93.4) | 34.0 (93.2) | 31.7 (89.1) | 28.0 (82.4) | 21.0 (69.8) | 15.4 (59.7) | 24.9 (76.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.0 (46.4) | 9.4 (48.9) | 12.7 (54.9) | 16.8 (62.2) | 21.2 (70.2) | 23.9 (75.0) | 25.8 (78.4) | 25.8 (78.4) | 24.0 (75.2) | 20.3 (68.5) | 14.3 (57.7) | 9.7 (49.5) | 17.7 (63.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) | 3.6 (38.5) | 6.0 (42.8) | 9.1 (48.4) | 12.7 (54.9) | 15.3 (59.5) | 17.4 (63.3) | 17.8 (64.0) | 15.9 (60.6) | 12.7 (54.9) | 7.5 (45.5) | 3.8 (38.8) | 10.4 (50.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 37.0 (1.46) | 28.3 (1.11) | 15.6 (0.61) | 5.3 (0.21) | 1.5 (0.06) | 0.2 (0.01) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 4.5 (0.18) | 15.3 (0.60) | 26.9 (1.06) | 134.6 (5.3) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 5.7 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 4.7 | 24.7 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 172.1 | 176.1 | 227.0 | 251.3 | 300.5 | 340.2 | 357.4 | 332.4 | 294.3 | 249.2 | 201.6 | 171.9 | 3,074 |
| Source 1: Starlings Roost Weather[4] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2:German Met Office (sun 1997-2022)[5] | |||||||||||||
The international highway that connects Damascus toRiyadh passes through the city. Mafraq has a station on the1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in) national railway system.
Al al-Bayt University is the only university in the city. It was established in 1992 and is located on the south-eastern outskirts of Mafraq city.[6]
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