Irbid Jordan

Description: Irbid (Arabic: إِربِد), known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela (Άρβηλα in Ancient Greek), is the capital and largest city of Irbid Governorate. It has the second-largest metropolitan population in Jordan after Amman, with a population of around 2,003,800. As a city, Irbid is Jordan’s third-largest, after Amman and Zarqa. Irbid is located about 70 kilometres (43 mi) north of Amman on the northern ridge of the Gilead, equidistant from Pella, Beit Ras (Capitolias), and Um Qais, and approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of the Syrian border. Irbid was built on successive Early Bronze Age settlements and was possibly the biblical Beth Arbel and the Arbila of the Decapolis, a Hellenistic league of the 1st-2nd century BCE.

Population: 2,003,800

Demographics: Around 94% of residents of Irbid are Arabs, while the remaining 6% belong to other ethnic minorities, including Circassians, Chechens, Armenians and Kurds. Around 0.3 million inhabitants are non-citizens, a figure including refugees, legal and illegal immigrants.

History: Artifacts and graves in the area show that Irbid was inhabited in the Bronze Age. Pieces of pottery and wall stones found at Tell Irbid were estimated to be made in the year 3200 B.C. A city wall dated to around 1300-1200 BC. In the Hellenistic period, Irbid, then known as Arabella was a major trade center. Before the advent of Islam, Arabella was famous for producing some of the best wines in the ancient world. The area in the region had extremely fertile soil and moderate climate, allowing the growing of high quality grapes. After the Muslim conquests, the city came under the rule of the Rashidun Caliphate and became known as Irbid, at which time it shifted from wine to olive oil production. Wheat was also an important product in the area. In 1596 it appeared in the Ottoman tax registers named as Irbid, situated in the nahiya (subdistrict) of Bani Juhma, part of the Sanjak of Hawran. It had 72 households and 35 bachelors; all Muslim. In 1838, Eli Smith noted Irbid (Arbela) as being a place with Sunni Muslim. The Jordanian census of 1961 found 44,585 inhabitants in Irbid. Irbid today combines the bustle of a provincial Middle Eastern town and the youthful nightlife of a typical college town. The city is home to four major universities: Yarmouk University, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid National University and Jadara University. In addition, it is home for two campuses of Balqa Applied University and several private colleges. University Street, which defines the western border of the Yarmouk University campus, is popular with locals as well as with the occasional foreign visitors who stop by to relax in any of its numerous restaurants and cafés that open late into the night. Though not usually a major tourist destination itself, Irbid is home to two notable museums: the Museum of Jordanian Heritage and the Jordan Natural History Museum, both on the campus of Yarmouk University. Furthermore, Irbid’s strategic location in northern Jordan makes it a convenient starting point for tourists interested in seeing the northern Jordan Valley; visiting Umm Qais, Beit Ras (Capitolias), Pella, Ajloun, Umm el-Jimal, La Foossi baitaras and other historical sites; or traveling on to Syria.

Elevation: 620 m

Climate: Mediterranean hot summer climate. Average annual temperature in Irbid is 22 C (71 F), the average for July is 26 C (80 F), the average for January is 10 C (50 F).

Attractions: King’s Higghway, Dar As Saraya Museum, Arabela Mall, Opatrip, Qamal Art, UMm Qays Archeological Site

Airports: Amman International Airport AMM

Distance To City Centre: 115 km

Commute Length: 1 hour 45 min

Average Transportation Cost: 150 USD

Traffic Hours: 6:30 am – 9:30 am, 3:30 pm – 8:30 pm