Irbid

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Irbid

Irbid , known in ancient times as Arabella, is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate

Irbid Governorate

Irbid or Irbed is one of the governorates of Jordan. It is located north of Amman, Jordan's capital. The center of the governorate of Irbid is the city of Irbid....
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Irbid , known in ancient times as Arabella, is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate

Irbid Governorate

Irbid or Irbed is one of the governorates of Jordan. It is located north of Amman, Jordan's capital. The center of the governorate of Irbid is the city of Irbid....
. It is also the third largest city in Jordan

Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, and is located about 70km north of Amman

Amman

Amman , sometimes spelled Ammann , is the Capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, a city of 2,525,000 inhabitants , and the administrative capital and commercial center of Jordan....
on the northern ridge of the Gilead

Gilead

From the Scriptures, "Gilead" means hill of testimony or mound of witness, , a mountainous region east of the Jordan River, situated in the present-day Kingdom of Jordan....
, equidistant from Pella

Pella, Jordan

File:Thedecapolis.pngFile:Kidsplayingpellaruins.jpgFile:classical_pella.jpgFile:mosaic.jpgFile:migdol_temple.jpgPella, Jordan, known in Arabic language as Tabaqat Fahl , is a village and the site of ancient ruins in northwestern Jordan....
, Beit Ras (Capitolias), and Umm Qais

Umm Qais

Umm Qais is a town in Jordan located on the site of the ruins Hellenistic-Roman Empire city of Gadara , . The town was also called Antiochia or Antiochia Semiramis and Seleucia....
. Irbid is nicknamed as (???? ??????) 'Arus asShamaal (Bride of the North) because of its beauty and its location in the north of Jordan.

Irbid proper is the third largest city in Jordan in terms of population. The population of the governorate of Irbid, which includes the city of Irbid and surrounding cities and villages, is the second largest. The city is a major ground transportation hub between Amman, Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
to the north, and Mafraq

Mafraq

Mafraq is the capital city of Mafraq Governorate, Jordan, located in crossroad to Syria to the north and Iraq to the east. It has 58,954 inhabitants ....
to the east.

The Irbid region is also home to several colleges and universities, the two most prominent being Jordan University of Science and Technology

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Yarmouk University

Yarmouk University is a university in Jordan. It was established in 1976. Located in the northern town of Irbid, it has a student body of roughly of over 25,000....
.

History

Artifacts and graves in the area show that Irbid has been inhabited since the Bronze Age

Bronze Age

The Bronze Age is, with respect to a given prehistory, the period in that society when the most advanced metalworking included smelting copper and tin from naturally-occurring outcroppings of copper and tin ores, creating a bronze alloy by melting those metals together, and casting them into bronze artifact s....
. In the Hellenistic period, it was a major trade center and the birthplace of Nittai of Arbela

Nittai of Arbela

Nittai of Arbela was av beit din or vice-president of the Sanhedrin under the nasi Joshua ben Perachyah at the time of John Hyrcanus . In Jerusalem Talmud Haggigah II 76d he is called Mattai of Arbela, which is also found in ancient and linguistically reliable manuscripts of the Mishnah, such as Codex Kaufmann. The confusio...
. Before the advent of Islam

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
, the city was known as Arabella and was famous for producing some of the best wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
s in the ancient world. The area in the region had extremely fertile soil and moderate climate, allowing the growing of high quality grapes.

After the introduction of Islam

Islam

Islam is a Monotheism, Abrahamic religion originating with the teachings of the Prophets of Islam Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure....
, the city became known as Irbid, and moved from wine to olive oil

Olive oil

Olive oil is a fruit oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. The wild olive tree originated in Anatolia and spread from there as far as southern Africa, Australia, Japan and China....
production. Wheat was also an important product in the area.

Irbid is notable for being close to the site of the decisive Battle of Yarmouk

Battle of Yarmouk

The Battle of Yarmouk comprised a series of engagements between the Rashidun and the Byzantine Empire over six days in August 636, near the Yarmouk River, along what is today the border between Syria and Jordan, south-east of the Sea of Galilee....
, fought along the banks of the Yarmouk River

Yarmouk River

The Yarmouk River is the largest tributary of the Jordan River. It drains much of the Hauran. It is one of three main Tributaries which enter the Jordan between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea....
roughly 30 kilometres north of the city. The battle was waged between the Islamic Caliphate

Rashidun

The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first four Caliphs who established the Rashidun Empire....
led by Umar

Umar

Umar , also known as Umar the Great or Omar the Great was a Muslim from the Banu Adi clan of the Quraysh Tribes of Arabia, and a sahaba of Muhammad....
and the Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire

Byzantine Empire and Eastern Roman Empire are conventional names used to describe the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople....
. It set the stage for the departure of Byzantine armies from Greater Syria

Greater Syria

Greater Syria , also known simply as Syria, is a term that denotes a region in the Near East bordering the Eastern Mediterranean Sea or the Levant....
and the beginning of the expansion of the Islamic Caliphate.

Present-day

Irbid today combines the bustle of a provincial Middle East

Middle East

File:GreaterMiddleEast1.pngThe Middle East is a region that spans southwestern Asia, western Asia, and northeastern Africa. It has no clear boundaries, often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East....
ern town and the youthful nightlife of a typical college town. University Street, which defines the western border of the Yarmouk University campus, is popular with locals as well as with the occasional foreign visitor who stops to relax in any of its numerous restaurants and cafés.

Though not usually a major tourist destination itself, Irbid is home to two notable museums: the Museum of Jordanian Heritage and the Jordan Natural History Museum, both on the campus of Yarmouk University

Yarmouk University

Yarmouk University is a university in Jordan. It was established in 1976. Located in the northern town of Irbid, it has a student body of roughly of over 25,000....
. Furthermore, Irbid's strategic location in northern Jordan makes it a convenient starting point for tourists interested in seeing the northern Jordan Valley; visiting Umm Qais

Umm Qais

Pella, Jordan

Umm el-Jimal

Umm el-Jimal is a village in Northern Jordan approximately 17 kilometers west of Mafraq. It is primarily notable for the substantial ruins of a Byzantine and early Islamic town which are clearly visible above the ground, as well as an older Roman Empire village located to the southwest of the Byzantine ruins....
, and other historical sites; or traveling on to Syria

Syria

Districts of Greater Irbid Municipality

Irbid is divided into 23 administrative units. In Jordan there are many types of administrative units, like Nahias, Qadha's, and city districts.

	District		District		District
1	Al'al	9	Fo'ra	17	Maru
2	Al Hisn Al Hisn Al Husn is a town in northern Jordan, located 65 km north of Amman, and about 7 km south of Irbid. It has a population of 33,000. The region has fertile soil which along with the moderate climate allows the growing of high quality crops....	10	Hakama	18	Mughayer
3	Al-Rabia	11	Hashemiyah	19	Naser
4	Al-Sareeh	12	Hawar	20	Rowdah
5	Barha	13	Huwara	21	Sal Area
6	Beit Ras	14	Kitim	22	Nu'aimah
7	Bushra	15	Kufr Jayez	23	Nuzha
8	Edun	16	Manarah

Education

As of 2007, there were 70,000 registered students in Irbid's 10 universities and colleges, of whom 8000 were international students from 47 countries. The largest universities in Irbid are Yarmouk University

Yarmouk University

Yarmouk University is a university in Jordan. It was established in 1976. Located in the northern town of Irbid, it has a student body of roughly of over 25,000....
and Jordan University of Science and Technology

Jordan University of Science and Technology

The Jordan University of Science and Technology , often abbreviated JUST, is a comprehensive, state-supported university located outside of Irbid at Ar Ramtha region, in northern Jordan....
. This high concentration of institutions of higher education has played a key role in carving a unique identity of the city.

Sports

The Irbid-based club Al-Hussein Irbid was ranked forth in the Jordanian football premier league in 2008. Its home matches are held in Prince Hasan Youth City's stadium. The other major football club in Irbid is Al-Arabi. Established in 1945, it is one of the oldest athletic clubs in the country.

As of 2008, there are 22 cultural and sport clubs registered in Irbid. Irbid hosted the 1999 Pan Arab Games

1999 Pan Arab Games

August 15 and August 31, 1999. 5504 athletes from 21 countries participated in events in 26 sports. the opening ceremony that took place in Al Hussein Youth City Stadium was officially opened by King Abdullah II....
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External links

Irbid Governorate
Irbid Governorate

Irbid or Irbed is one of the governorates of Jordan. It is located north of Amman, Jordan's capital. The center of the governorate of Irbid is the city of Irbid....