Wadi Al-Seer

Wadi Al-Seer
وادي السير
District

Wadi Al-Seer location in Amman Governorate

Flag
Country  Jordan
Governorate Amman Governorate
Area
 • District 80 km2 (30 sq mi)
Elevation 900-1,000 m (2,952-3,280 ft)
Population
 • Urban 152,000

Wadi Al-Seer or Wadi as-Seer (Arabic: وادي السير, meaning "Valley of the Orchards"), is the 14th district out of the 27 districts of the Amman Governorate, named after a prehistoric queen that ruled the area, Queen Seer. It consists of ten neighborhoods, some of which are residential, other commercial, or both.[1][2]

Jordan Gate Towers
The Qasr al-Abd Hellenistic castle

Neighborhoods

Wadi Al-Seer district contains ten neighbourhoods; Al-Rawabi, Swefieh, Jandaweel, Al-Rawnaq, Al-Sahl, Al-Diyar, Bayader, Al-Sina'a, Al-Kursi and west Umm Uthaina.[3]

Bayader Wadi Al-Seer

Wadi as-Seer neighbourhood is a small low-income town on the outskirts of the Greater Amman Municipality. It contains some Ottoman buildings from the early 20th century.[2] 10 kilometres outside Wadi as-Seer are the ruins of the Qasr al-Abd castle and the related caves of Iraq al-Amir.[4] Wadi as-Seer city contains a well known historical courthouse, an old fort,[5] an entire Ottoman-style neighbourhood standing on extremely steep hills that are enveloped by European narrow streets.

The area is on the extreme outskirts of the city and overlooks some of the mountains that the city is built on.

The name of the neighbourhood is an archaic Levantine compound noun, it roughly translates to "the Threshing Floor of the Valley of the Orchards".

Sweifieh

Sweifieh, the pedestrian zone around 3 a.m.

Sweifieh, one of the most important cultural neighborhoods of the capital Amman, is located in the Wadi as-Seer district. The neighborhood is home to several entertainment, clubbing and shopping industries of the country.

In Sweifieh has a lot of family-oriented spots. The malls of Sweifieh are usually filled by families during the days and afternoons, whereas the same spots are occupied by a younger crowd during the night time. Sweifieh also has a high number of renowned schools, such as The English School,[6] the British International Community School, the Modern American School,[7] and the First Patriarch Diodoros School, a Greek Orthodox school.

Sweifieh is home to the Albaraka Mall,[8] one of the most influential malls in the district due to its beautiful and bizarre glass architecture and its iconic cinema complex.[9]

Culture

Wadi as-Seer has some quite distinctive culture that shapes that of the rest of the city. The municipality has the largest amount of West European and North American residents. The Sweifieh district is home to the fashion industry of the municipality and the rest of the city. Wadi as-Seer city has historic architecture, such as the old courthouse, the old fort and Ottoman styled neighbourhood which stands on the extremely steep western hills. However, Wadi as-Seer city does not affect the culture of the area due to the fact that a high percentage of the population has low-income, unlike Sweifieh and Abdoun which is almost exclusively inhabited by the rich and wealthy. In general, the culture of Sweifieh and Abdoun is based upon media, fashion, finance and shopping; which is a very important aspect of the everyday life of the areas' residents.[10] Also, the film and music studios in the city are located in them and most of the city's artists and celebrities prefer to reside in the area. Some of the disadvantages of residing in the area are the high-congested population with non-stop traffic.[11]

Climate

The climate in Wadi as-Seer is quite similar to the rest of the city, with variations of 5 degrees Celsius between some of its districts. Due to the quite high elevation of the valley, it sees warm and pleasant summers and cold rainy winters with the occasional snow. The Abdoun Valley sees warmer temperatures than the rest of the district due to its elevation but receives approximately the same amount of precipitation during the winter. The valley isn't usually windy during the winter, but the summers enjoy beautiful breezes day and night long. On an average Summer the temperature would range from 15 °C (59 °F) to 30 °C (86 °F), and typical Winter temperatures range from −4 °C (25 °F) to 6 °C (43 °F), not counting intense heatwaves or strong cold fronts. It should be noted that the entire city generally and Wadi as-Seer specifically suffer from strong fog episodes during the winter, and somewhat intense haze or smog during the summer.[12]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ammanplan.gov.jo/english/maps.asp
  2. 1 2 Matthew Teller. The Rough Guide to Jordan. Rough Guides. ISBN 1-84353-458-4. Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  3. ↑ http://www.ammancity.gov.jo/en/interactive/districts.asp?dist_id=20&sub_id=24
  4. ↑ "Jordan - Touristic Sites - Near Amman". Retrieved 2008-03-10.
  5. ↑ http://www.jordanbeauty.com/IraqAl-Amir.html
  6. ↑ http://www.english-schools.org/jordan/New%20English%20School.htm
  7. ↑ http://www.modernamericanschool.com/
  8. ↑ http://www.albarakamall.com/Home.aspx?Lng=1
  9. ↑ http://www.prime.jo/
  10. ↑ http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Middle_East/Jordan/Amman-1800107/Nightlife-Amman-TG-C-1.html
  11. ↑ http://www.csbe.org/urban_crossroads/urban_crossroads27/sweifieh.htm
  12. ↑ http://www.kinkaa.com/weather/Amman_Amman_Jordan.15670.html
 
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: 31°57′00″N 35°49′00″E / 31.9500°N 35.8167°E / 31.9500; 35.8167

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