Ajloun

Ajloun
مدينة عجلون
Ajlun
Town

City of Ajlun from Ajlun Castle
Nickname(s): Jordan Green
Ajloun

Location in Karima

Coordinates: 32°21′N 35°44′E / 32.350°N 35.733°E / 32.350; 35.733
Country Jordan
Governorate Ajloun
Municipality established 1920
Area
 • Town 2 sq mi (4 km2)
 • Metro 10 sq mi (30 km2)
Elevation 2,508 ft (719 m)
Population (2009)
 • Town 8,356
 • Metro 55,000
Time zone GMT (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) +3 (UTC)
Area code(s) +(962)2
Website http://www.ajloun.gov.jo

Ajloun (Arabic: عجلون‎‎, ‘Ajlūn), also spelled Ajlun, is the capital town of the Ajloun Governorate, a hilly town in the north of Jordan, located 76 kilometers (around 47 miles) north west of Amman. It is noted for its impressive ruins of the 12th-century Ajlun Castle.

The Ajlun Governorate has a population of over 142,000 widespread in 27 villages and towns over an area of about 420 km². The population is mainly composed of the following Muslim tribes: Al-Qudah (AlQudah), Al-Share, Al-Zghoul, Al-Momani, Al-Smadi, Al-Shwayyat, Al-Freihat, Al-Khatatbah, Alnawateer, Al-Karraz, and others. Rabadi, Haddad, Iwais, Eisouh and Muqattash (which was split from Rabadi) are the main Christian tribes in Ajloun. Although Christians are a minority in the overall governorate, they form about more than half of the population in Ajloun city; most Christians resides in Ajloun city along with Muslims of the Al-Smadi tribe. Other tribes are distributed in the other districts of the governorate. Ajloun Governorate has four seats in the national parliament, one of which is dedicated for the Christian minority.

Districts of Metropolitan Ajloun

There are five districts in the Greater Ajloun Municipality:

Ajlun Castle at night
District
1 Ajloun
2 Ain Janna
3 Anjara
4 ِSakhra
5 Rawabi
6 Safaa
7 Khet Al-Laban
8 orjan

Kufranjeh

Demographics

According to the Jordan national census of 2004, the population of the town of Ajloun was 7,289. For Ajloun Governorate as a whole, the population was about 140,000 in 2010. Muslims make up the majority of Ajloun's population, there are Christian minority groups in the city as well. The governorate of Ajloun is highly agricultural, as the population distribution tells.

Geography

There is a theory that the town's name is connected with the Moabite King Eglon mentioned in the Bible, though the precise derivation is obscure.

Ajlun Castle is located on the site of an old monastery. It was renovated as a fort in 1184 by Izz al-Din Usama, a general in the army of Saladin. The castle controlled traffic along the road connecting Damascus and Egypt. The fortress marks the furthest limit of Frankish incursions during the Crusades. The Mamluks added a prominent tower to the castle. It was captured by the Mongols in 1260 and was partially destroyed in the process. Great damage was done by the Galilee earthquake of 1837 and the 1927 Jericho earthquake.[1]

Located in the center of Ajloun is the Great Ajlun Mosque. This mosque is one of the oldest extant in Jordan and dates back around 800 years. This edifice was previously a Byzantine Christian church; there have been reports of Greek writing in the oldest sections. The prayer tower is called "the filter" by some locals (referring to a cigarette filter, because half of the tower was built over a square tower, most likely a Church bell tower). In 2007 work began on improving the mosque to allow tourists to visit it. There are also reports that when the west wall fell apart in the heavy rains and snow in January 2013 a Bible and crosses were found in the old section.

Tell Mar Elias is located just outside the city limits. This site contains Byzantine church mosaics which were uncovered during the summer months for tourists. T tohis location for Saint Elijah (Mar Elias) has been a shrine for centuries – people would go there and walk around the shrine singing ancient songs to cure a disease called "Rigeh". There are folk songs they sang for this visit. However, prior to the Pope's visit in 2000. A scholar on both Mar Elias and Ajlun Castle is Mohammad Abu-Abeileh in Jordan.

The Ajloun Forest Reserve is also located nearby.The whole area had been reputed to be the largest forested area in the Middle East – however, the area was largely deforested by the Turks to secure fuel for their railroad to Mecca

Climate and topography

The Ajlun mountains are famous for their lush vegetation and thick green forests and a good place for hikes. Its highest mountain peaks reach around 1268 meters above sea level and Ajloun mountains receive a few snow storms every year usually in winter season from December to March. It's one of the country's most beautiful regions. Ajlun has a Mediterranean weather rainy and snowy in winter season and pleasant in the summer time.

Landmarks

References

  1. ↑ Teller, Matthew (2012), The Rough Guide to Jordan, Rough Guides, p. 173, ISBN 978-1858287409

Further reading

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ajlun.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ajlun.
 
Largest cities or towns in Jordan
Rank Name Governorate Pop.

Amman

Zarqa		 1 Amman Amman Governorate 1,349,260
Irbid

Russeifa
2 Zarqa Zarqa Governorate 502,900
3 Irbid Irbid Governorate 313,800
4 Russeifa Zarqa Governorate 289,800
5 Al Quwaysimah Amman Governorate 176,400
6 Wadi as-Ser Amman Governorate 158,900
7 Tilā' al-'Alī Amman Governorate 147,400
8 Ajloun Ajloun Governorate 125,000
9 Aqaba Aqaba Governorate 111,600
10 Khuraybat as-Sūq Amman Governorate 110,600

Coordinates: 32°21′N 35°44′E / 32.350°N 35.733°E / 32.350; 35.733

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