Mafraq

Also known as Al Mafraq

Mafraq ( Al-Mafraq, local dialects: Mafrag or Mafra; ) is the capital city of Mafraq Governorate in Jordan, located 80 km to the north of the national capital, Amman. It is located at a crossroads, with a road north going to Syria and another road to the east going to Iraq. It had 56,340 inhabitants in 2004.

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Place details

Locality: المفرق
Region: المفرق
Country: الأردن
Population: 57,118
Timezone: Asia/Amman

via OpenStreetMap · GeoNames

Key facts

Settlement.subdivision_type: Country
Settlement.official_name: Mafraq
Settlement.native_name: مدينة المَفْرَق
Settlement.settlement_type: City
Settlement.image_skyline: Al-Mafraq, Jordan - panoramio.jpg
Settlement.imagesize: 250px
Settlement.image_caption: Mafraq city center
Settlement.image_flag: Flag of Greater Mafraq Municipality.png
Settlement.pushpin_map: Jordan
Settlement.pushpin_label_position: Mafraq
Settlement.subdivision_type1: Province
Settlement.subdivision_name1: Mafraq Governorate
Settlement.established_title: Founded
Settlement.established_date: 333 B.C.
Settlement.established_title1: Municipality established
Settlement.established_date1: 1945
Settlement.leader_title: Mayor
Settlement.leader_name: Abdullah arqan

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Official name: المفرق
Population: 580.000
Area: 14
Elevation: 700
Official website: www.mafraq.gov.jo
Image: Mafraq Tank Circle.jpg

Show 2 more facts

Commons category: Mafraq
native label: المفرق

Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

Travel guide

Understand

Mafraq was originally settled in the 4th century BC. After being called Fudian from the Arabic word for fortress for a while, it was renamed Mafraq meaning crossroads by the Turks after the Hejaz Railway connecting Istanbul to Medina passed through. It also served as a military base for Allied forces during World War II and Arab Legion forces during the Arab-Israel War. In 2012, the Zaatari refugee camp opened up for Syrian refugees just east of Mafraq. By 2018, there was an estimate by World Bank of a whopping 593,900 people living in that camp.

Get in

Mafraq is just 70 km from Amman on a good 4-lane highway. The Hejaz Railway became defunct by the time of the Six-Day War in 1967, and while there is a train station in town, there is no service.

See

thumb|Ruins of a house in Umm el-Jimal

Do

There's a chance you may be able to volunteer at the Zaatari Refugee Camp through an NGO. Might have to be prearranged though.

Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)

~3 min read

Article

8 sections

Contents

History
Geography
Climate
Transport
Education
See also
References
External links

==History== 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.