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Al-Zarqāʾ
Jordan
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Al-Zarqāʾ, one of the largest cities inJordan, located 12 miles (19 km) northeast ofAmman.
Once the site of a small Arabfortress, Al-Zarqāʾ marked the defense line east of Al-Ṣadaqah and west ofMaʿān. Although in the 1920s Al-Zarqāʾ was a smallCircassian village, it expanded rapidly after 1948. In 1924 the headquarters of theArab Legion was established there, and in 1962 an oil refinery was constructed to the north of the town. The Hashemite University (1992) is located at Al-Zarqāʾ. Pop. (2015) 635,160.