Ma'an
Ma'an
مدينة معان | |
|---|---|
City | |
Hejaz Railway is still operational today. | |
| Nickname: Capital of the Great Arab Revolt | |
  Ma'an Location in Jordan | |
| Coordinates: 30°11.6′N 35°44′E / 30.1933°N 35.733°E | |
| Country |  Jordan |
| Governorate | Ma'an Governorate |
| Municipality established | 1898 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Akram Kreishan |
| Area | |
| • City | 7.5 km2 (2.9 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 100 km2 (40 sq mi) |
| Population (2015)[1] | |
| • City | 41,055 |
| Time zone | GMT +2 |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
| Area code | +(962)3 |
| Website | http://www.maan.gov.jo |
Ma'an (
History
Ma'an was founded by the
During the
]Islamic era
When the Umayyads took control of the Caliphate, Ma'an entered a period of relative prosperity. In 951 the Persian geographer Istakhri described it as "a small town on the border of the desert." He claimed that most of its inhabitants belonged the Umayyad family or their clients even though by that time the Umayyads had been overthrown by the Abbasid Caliphate. Istakhri further noted that Ma'an served as a fortress in the Sharat district (today southern Jordan) and "travelers were well received."[6] A market was organized in the city where pilgrims could store their unessential possessions.[2]
When Syrian geographer
Ottoman rule
Because of its geographic isolation from the rest of Syria and a low frequency of travelers (with the exception of Mecca-bound pilgrims), the history of Ma'an was the least well-documented of the Transjordanian districts of Ottoman Syria—at least until direct rule was attempted in the late 19th century.[9] The Ottomans annexed Transjordan in 1517 and in 1559, during the tenure of Suleiman the Magnificent, the Ottomans built a fort in Ma'an to safeguard the pilgrimage route (see Qal'at al-Ma'an at "External links").[10] The governor of Damascus put down a revolt by Ma'an and other cities in south Damascus Eyalet in 1656, although Ottoman troops were later routed as a result of a revolt by the Banu Tamim tribe. Since then, the Ottomans had struggled to maintain full control of the area.[11]
Ma'an was divided into two distinct quarters since the Umayyad period:
During the late 19th century, there were numerous attempts by the Ottoman authorities to elevate Ma'an's political status at over al-Karak, although most attempts failed or were short-lived. In 1868 the Ottoman governor of
Following the British occupation of Egypt, Ottoman politicians began serious initiatives to form a new vilayet out of Damascus Vilayet that would combine the districts of Ma'an, al-Balqa and
Between 1897 and 1899, two primary schools for boys and a secondary school were founded by the Ottomans in Ma'an.[17] In 1902 the Ma'an train station connected the city to Damascus and Medina.
Modern era
Following the Battle of Aqaba during the Arab Revolt, the Turkish army fortified Maan with 6000 infantry, a regiment of cavalry and mounted infantry, and an aerodrome, all under the command of Behjet Pasha. This important Ottoman military base and communications hub was under 5-day siege by the Arab Northern Army during the Battle of Maan, 13–17 April 1918. Though failing to capture the city, the Hejaz railway southwards was wrecked.[18][19]
In 1920, The
A railway building at Ma'an station was used by Abdullah I as the site of the first government of the Kingdom of Jordan. It is now called the Ma'an Palace and is depicted on the reverse of the 5 Jordanian dinar note.[25]
The
In 1998 a large demonstration in Ma'an protesting the threat of an American attack against Iraq turned into a miniature uprising. The flags of
Ma'an was the site of clashes between the Jordanian army and
The city has been described as a "hotbed of
In December 2022, demonstrations against high fuel prices that broke out in Ma'an; one policeman was killed in the ensuing violence.[30]
Climate
Ma'an has a
| Climate data for Ma'an, Jordan (1961–1990 normals, extremes 1923–1993) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 27.7 (81.9) |
30.6 (87.1) |
33.4 (92.1) |
39.3 (102.7) |
39.6 (103.3) |
42.5 (108.5) |
42.2 (108.0) |
42.3 (108.1) |
40.0 (104.0) |
36.1 (97.0) |
31.4 (88.5) |
28.0 (82.4) |
42.5 (108.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.0 (66.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
28.7 (83.7) |
32.4 (90.3) |
33.9 (93.0) |
34.1 (93.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
27.2 (81.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
15.1 (59.2) |
24.7 (76.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
9.1 (48.4) |
12.2 (54.0) |
16.9 (62.4) |
20.8 (69.4) |
24.0 (75.2) |
25.5 (77.9) |
25.6 (78.1) |
23.8 (74.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) |
2.8 (37.0) |
5.3 (41.5) |
9.5 (49.1) |
13.0 (55.4) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.2 (63.0) |
17.2 (63.0) |
15.4 (59.7) |
11.7 (53.1) |
6.8 (44.2) |
3.0 (37.4) |
9.9 (49.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.6 (20.1) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
4.4 (39.9) |
8.5 (47.3) |
10.0 (50.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
7.4 (45.3) |
3.3 (37.9) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 7.1 (0.28) |
7.3 (0.29) |
6.9 (0.27) |
3.6 (0.14) |
2.0 (0.08) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.01) |
3.8 (0.15) |
4.3 (0.17) |
7.5 (0.30) |
42.7 (1.68) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 9.3 |
| Average snowy days | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%)
|
62 | 59 | 52 | 44 | 39 | 39 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 47 | 55 | 63 | 49 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 229.4 | 226.8 | 263.5 | 270.0 | 322.4 | 369.0 | 384.4 | 365.8 | 318.0 | 291.4 | 246.0 | 223.2 | 3,509.9 |
| Percent possible sunshine | 72 | 74 | 72 | 71 | 77 | 88 | 90 | 90 | 87 | 84 | 78 | 71 | 80 |
| Source 1: NOAA[31] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (extremes, humidity 1973-1993)[32] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
In 1845 Ma'an al-Hijaziyya had a population of 200 households and Ma'an al-Shamiyya 20 families.[13] Karl Baedeker estimated its population to be around 3,000 in 1912 and the same number was recorded in Guide Bleu's survey in 1932. By 1956 Ma'an's population reached 4,500 and in 1973 it was 9,500.[4] Ma'an has now 75000 with 5 large tribes (Kreshan, Shamiah, Bazaia, Hararah, Fanatsah). In 1961, the population of Maan was 6,643 persons.[33]
The city had a population of 22,989 in the 1994 census. The gender makeup was 54.3% male 45.7% female. There were 4,871 housing units and 3,862 households.
Education
Al-Hussein Bin Talal University is the only university in Ma'an, it offers a range of 38 undergraduate degrees, these being across the disciplines of engineering, arts, science, business administration, archaeology, education and nursing. It also offers postgraduate diplomas in education and in higher administration.
Economy
Ma'an is home to the Ma'an Development Area (MDA), a special economic zone with reduced income taxes, no other taxes (including taxes on income from exports), and streamlined regulatory procedures. Construction of the MDA's industrial park began in 2008 and is set to be completed in 2030.[37] The Shams Ma'an Solar Power Plant is located in the MDA.[38]
Notable people
- jaser Almaani (1947-2007),
Former diplomat worker.
- Talal Abu Tayeh, Deputy Prime Minister
- Omar Maani, former mayor of Amman
- Bahjat Talhouni, former Prime Minister
- Nabil Talhouni, ambassador of Jordan to Kuwait (1987–90), Austria (1991–93), U.A.E (1997–99), India (2001–05)
- Habis Majali (1914-2001), military figure.
External links
References
- ^ "The General Census - 2015" (PDF). Department of Population Statistics.
- ^ a b c Museum With No Frontiers, p. 203.
- ^ Bromiley, p. 362.
- ^ a b c d Gibb, p. 897.
- ^ UNESCO, p. 184.
- ^ Le Strange, 1890, p. 508
- ^ a b Le Strange (1890), p. 509
- ^ Rogan and Tell, 1994, p. 17
- ^ a b Rogan, p. 33.
- ^ Shoup, probably p. 16.
- ^ Rogan and Tell, 1994, p. 26
- ^ a b Rogan, p. 34.
- ^ a b c Rogan, p. 35.
- ^ a b c Rogan and Tell, 1994, pp. 41-42
- ^ Rogan, p. 190.
- ^ Rogan and Tell, 1994, p. 43
- ^ Rogan, p. 154.
- ^ Lawrence, T.E. (1935). Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. pp. 519-520.
- ISBN 9780300226393.
- JSTOR 4282995.
- ^ Massad, p. 103.
- ^ Massad, p. 89.
- ^ Massad, p. 56.
- ^ Massad, p. 186.
- ^ "5 Jordanian Dinars banknote (Ma'an Palace)". Leftover Currency. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
- ^ Cowell, Alan (April 21, 1989). "Jordan's Revolt Is Against Austerity". New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ Massad, pp. 273-274.
- ^ "Jihad and vandalism: Save our stones". The Economist. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
- ^ Su, Alice (September 2, 2014). "Fade to black: Jordanian city Ma'an copes with Islamic State threat". Al Jazeera. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
- ^ "Police officer killed in Jordan as anger over fuel prices spreads". Al Jazeera. December 16, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
- ^ "Ma'an Airport Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
- ^ "Klimatafel von Ma'an / Jordanien" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved February 14, 2016.
- ^ Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, pp. 6, 13
- ^ Population (by Sex), Number of Households, Housing Units and Buildings by Locality Archived 2012-01-17 at the Wayback Machine. General Census of Population and Housing of Jordan 1994. Department of Statistics of Jordan. 1994-10-12. Retrieved on 2012-02-24.
- ^ "Jordan: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population". Worldgazetteer. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
- ^ Rogan, p.37.
- ^ Elias Farraj. Where to Invest? Jordan's Enabling Platforms (PDF) (Report). Jordan Investment Board. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ "SHAMS MA'AN LAUNCHES PRODUCTION PHASE OF THE LARGEST ELECTRICITY GENERATION PROJECT USING PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS IN JORDAN". Shams Ma'an. October 10, 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-8028-3785-1.
- Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics (1964). First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population (PDF).
- Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
- ISBN 0-231-12323-X.
- ISBN 1-85043-829-3.
- ISBN 0-521-89223-6.
- The Umayyads: the rise of Islamic art. Museum With No Frontiers. Arab Institute for Research and Publishing. 2000. ISBN 1-874044-35-X.
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