Mafraq#History

File:20100922 umaljamal09.jpg]]

Mafraq was first settled in the 4th century BC. It is located about 17 km west of the historic Nabataean and Byzantine town of Umm el-Jimal, which was built in the 1st century.

The city was first named "Fudain",{{when |date=April 2024}} which comes from the word for fortress in Arabic.

In Ottoman times, there was a pilgrims' inn or khan there, known as Khan or Qal'at el-Mafraq, which was part of the Syrian Hajj route, used annually by Muslims on their way to Medina and Mecca.{{Cite book |last= Al Shqour |first= Reem Samed |title= The Aqaba Khans and the Origin of Khans in Jordan: An Archaeological Approach |year= 2019 |publisher= Gorgias Press |location= Piscataway, NJ |isbn= 978-1-4632-0651-2 |oclc= 1106116517 |chapter= Ch. 6, Late Islamic Khans of Jordan: Ottoman Khans/Qila' |url= https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9781463239541_A43599316/preview-9781463239541_A43599316.pdf |access-date= 27 March 2024}} The city gained more significance after the establishment of the Hejaz Railway connecting Damascus (and by extension Istanbul) to Medina in 1908. The Ottoman Turks renamed the city "Mafraq", which means "crossroads" in Arabic.

File:Z Mafraq JO 18.jpg

Mafraq was the location of a British military base and airport during the British post-WWI Mandate. During the Second World War, the city's military base hosted British troops from India, Australia and other British colonies. It later became the base for the Arab Legion during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Mafraq is 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.

In 1945, the Municipality of Mafraq was established, with Ali Abdeyyah as its first mayor.

As of 2016, 50% of the population of Mafraq were Syrian refugees.{{cite news|title=Increasingly, hungry refugees receive aid not as food, but as cash|url=https://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21707983-increasingly-hungry-refugees-receive-aid-not-food-cash-fat-help|accessdate=4 October 2016|newspaper=The Economist|date=1 October 2016}}

The city of Mafraq is located in northern Jordan at the boundary between the Hauran plateau and the Syrian Desert, about 80 km north of Amman. 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, and Damascus to the north.

Mafraq has a cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). Most rain falls in the winter. The average annual temperature in Mafraq is {{convert|16.6|°C|1}}. About {{convert|184|mm|2|abbr=on}} of precipitation falls annually.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Mafraq, elevation {{convert|683|m|ft|abbr=on}} (1991–2020 normals)

|Jan high C = 13.5

|Feb high C = 15.2

|Mar high C = 19.5

|Apr high C = 24.6

|May high C = 29.5

|Jun high C = 32.3

|Jul high C = 34.1

|Aug high C = 34.0

|Sep high C = 31.7

|Oct high C = 28.0

|Nov high C = 21.0

|Dec high C = 15.4

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = 8.0

|Feb mean C = 9.4

|Mar mean C = 12.7

|Apr mean C = 16.8

|May mean C = 21.2

|Jun mean C = 23.9

|Jul mean C = 25.8

|Aug mean C = 25.8

|Sep mean C = 24.0

|Oct mean C = 20.3

|Nov mean C = 14.3

|Dec mean C = 9.7

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = 2.5

|Feb low C = 3.6

|Mar low C = 6.0

|Apr low C = 9.1

|May low C = 12.7

|Jun low C = 15.3

|Jul low C = 17.4

|Aug low C = 17.8

|Sep low C = 15.9

|Oct low C = 12.7

|Nov low C = 7.5

|Dec low C = 3.8

| year low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 37.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 28.3

|Mar precipitation mm = 15.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 5.3

|May precipitation mm = 1.5

|Jun precipitation mm = 0.2

|Jul precipitation mm = 0.0

|Aug precipitation mm = 0.0

|Sep precipitation mm = 0.0

|Oct precipitation mm = 4.5

|Nov precipitation mm = 15.3

|Dec precipitation mm = 26.9

|year precipitation mm =

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 5.7

| Feb precipitation days = 5.5

| Mar precipitation days = 3.0

| Apr precipitation days = 1.5

| May precipitation days = 0.4

| Jun precipitation days = 0.1

| Jul precipitation days = 0.0

| Aug precipitation days = 0.0

| Sep precipitation days = 0.0

| Oct precipitation days = 1.0

| Nov precipitation days = 2.8

| Dec precipitation days = 4.7

| year precipitation days =

|source 1 =Starlings Roost Weather{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/worldclimate/graphs.php?climate=9120&code=40265

|title= MAFRAQ Climate: 1991–2020

|publisher=Starlings Roost Weather

|access-date= 21 December 2024}}}}

File:Prisoners.jpg

The international highway that connects Damascus to Riyadh passes through the city. Mafraq has a station on the {{railgauge|1050mm}} national railway system.

File:JHR Bahnhof Marfaq.jpg

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.{{Cite web |url=http://www.aabu.edu.jo/aboutAABU/genInfo.html |title=Al al-Bayt University |accessdate=21 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303234018/http://www.aabu.edu.jo/aboutAABU/genInfo.html |archivedate=3 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}

• King Hussein Air Base {{airport codes|OMF|OJMF}}
• Railway stations in Jordan
• List of cities in Jordan

{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160109235654/http://www.mafraq.gov.jo/ Official website]
• [https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:Al%20Mafraq%20(Jordan) Photos of Al Mafraq] at the American Center of Research

{{Ottoman hajj routes}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Mafraq Governorate