Главная

Человек, информация и образование

К вере
Образование
Виды наук
Ислам
Литература
Русский язык
Арабский язык

Природа и наука

Лес и его виды
Снег и лёд, дома из снега
Свет его виды
Астрономия

Страны и города, история

Jordan
Ниен
Москва
Петербург
Города Урала
Паспорт и история

Технологии и производство

Автомобили
Безопасность телефона
За компьютером
Домены
Хостинг
WWW
Аэрогриль

Jordan

Jordan is a country in the Middle East. Its official name is The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Geography

Jordan has borders with the countries of Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Syria and Iraq. It also has a very short coast on the Red Sea, and a longer coast along the Dead Sea.

Most of Jordan is desert and the country is very dry. The northwest of Jordan is its highest part, and its lowest part is the Dead Sea. This is, in fact, the lowest place on the Earth that is open to the sky.

Culture

People from Jordan are called Jordanians. Most of them speak Arabic as their first language. The population of Jordan is about 5.7 million people.

Jordan is a democracy, and the Jordanians vote for their political leaders. However, Jordan is also a monarchy and has a king. The King is the head of state, but he does not have all the power in the country. King Abdullah has been the King of Jordan since February 1999. Most Jordanians are Muslim. There is a small number of Christians.

Economy

Unlike some of the countries around it, Jordan has little petroleum and natural gas. Some of its economy comes from mining instead.

The currency of Jordan is called the Jordanian dinar.

Amman

Amman is the capital city of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It is a city of more than 1.7 million people, is the official capital and commercial center of Jordan. It is the capital city of Amman Governorate.

Amman is located in a hilly area of north-western Jordan, and is at an elevation of 1029 meters above sea level(highest point)to 773 meters above sea level(lowest point). The city was originally built on seven hills, but it now spans an area of over nineteen hills (each known as a jabal or "mountain"). Many of Amman's districts derive their names from the name of the mountain they are built on.

East Amman is the historic city center. Eastern Amman is more traditional and older than the newer West. Small shops and single family houses are dominant in East Amman's landscape. East Amman is the hub for the capital's historic sites and cultural activities. East Amman has a strong Arabic and Islamic character however its inhabitants are very tolerant of foreigners.

The most famous mosque of Amman is the King Abduallah I Mosque which can house almost 3,000 people. Most of the people in Jordan are Muslims, 93% and 7% Christians.

The Al al-Bayt Institute Building located in the Al Hussein Public Parks points to the importance that the Hashemites give to the role of the Institute in Islamic life. Moreover, it is in line with the vision expressed by the Late King Hussein as far as the enrichment of man’s life with all sorts of knowledge. Care was taken to emphasize the Islamic character of the project: internally, the theme is unity of elements, leading to an inner courtyard; the use of cellars, arches in roofing, and proportionality, breakage of continuity of entrances as an element of creating anticipation, in addition to the use of wood and metal in overlapping fashion whereby, in the end, a distinctly Islamic style is reflected. Externally, a viewer looking at the external facade will note the extensive use of arches and Islamic oriels which give the building a reflection from the inside out, as well as a particularity that differs from the urban texture, not only as a religious or cultural function but as a school of all Islamic architectural elements.

A new construction phase in Abdali will transform downtown Amman into a more desirable place for investment. The new development is mostly for business purposes and the rest are residential hi-rises and shopping centers. Office buildings and a new boulevard containing easy access to malls, restaurants, hotels, and residential buildings. This $1.5 billion construction plan should be completed by 2010.

The airports of Amman

The city's largest airport, Queen Alia International Airport, situated about 30 minutes south of Amman, is the major international airport for Jordan and the hub for Royal Jordanian, the flag carrier. The airport has three terminals, two passenger and one cargo, and in 2007 handled between 4 to 5 million passengers. The airport is undergoing expansion, including a new terminal costing $700M, that will allow the airport to handle over 9 million passengers. A new rail line being constructed will connect Queen Alia International with Raghadan, Mahatta, and Zarqa. Taxis and buses serve the airport 24/7.
Marka International Airport is a one-terminal airport that serves primarily domestic and nearby international routes and the military.

History of Amman

During its long history, Amman has been inhabited by several civilizations. The first civilization on record is during the Neolithic period, around 8500 BC, when archaeological discoveries in 'Ain Ghazal, located in eastern Amman, showed evidence of not only a settled life but also the growth of artistic work, which suggests that a well-developed civilization inhabited the city at that time. In the 13th century BC Amman was called Rabbath Ammon or Rabat Amon by the Ammonites Rabbat ?Ammon, Tiberian Hebrew Rabba? ?Ammon). It was later conquered by the Assyrians, followed by the Persians, and then the Greeks. Ptolemy II Philadelphus, the Hellenic ruler of Egypt, renamed it Philadelphia. The city became part of the Nabataean kingdom until 106 AD when Philadelphia came under Roman control and joined the Decapolis.

In 326 AD, Christianity became the religion of the empire and Philadelphia became the seat of a bishopric during the beginning of the Byzantine era. One of the churches of this period can be seen on the city's Citadel.

Philadelphia was renamed Amman during the Ghassanian era, and flourished under the Caliphates (with nearby capital) of the Umayyads (in Damascus) and the Abbasids (in Baghdad). It was then destroyed by several earthquakes and natural disasters and remained a small village and a pile of ruins until the Circassians settlement in 1887. The tide changed when the Ottoman Sultan decided to build the Hejaz railway, linking Damascus and Medina, facilitating both the annual hajj pilgrimage and permanent trade, putting Amman, a major station, back on the commercial map.

In 1921, Abdullah I chose Amman as seat of government for his newly-created state, the Emirate of Transjordan, and later as the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. As there was no palatial building, he started his reign from the station, with his office in a train car. Amman remained a small city until 1948, when the population expanded considerably due to an influx of Palestinian refugees from what is now Israel. Amman has experienced exceptionally rapid development since 1952 under the leadership of two Hashemite Kings, Hussein of Jordan and Abdullah II of Jordan.

In 1970, Amman was the site of major clashes between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the Jordanian army. Everything around the Royal Palace sustained heavy damage from shelling. Most of Amman suffered great damage from PLO rockets and the Jordanian army's shells.

The city's population continues to expand at a dizzying pace (fueled by refugees escaping the wartime events in the Occupied Territories and Iraq). The city received refugees from these countries on a number of occasions. The first wave of Palestinian refugees arrived from Israel in 1948. A second wave after the Six-Day War in 1967. A third wave of Palestinian and Jordanian and Southeast Asians, working as domestic workers, refugees arrived in Amman from Kuwait after the Gulf War of 1991. The first wave of Iraqi refugees settled in the city after the first Gulf War, with a second wave also arriving after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. During the last 10 years the number of new buildings within the city has increased dramatically with new districts of the city being founded at a very rapid pace (particularly so in West Amman), straining the very scarce water supplies of Jordan as a whole, and exposing Amman to the hazards of rapid expansion in the absence of careful municipal planning.

On November 9, 2005, coordinated explosions rocked three hotels in Amman, resulting in the death of 60 people and the injury of 115 others. Al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for the act, which was carried out despite the fact that the birthplace of since-killed Al Qaeda terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is the town of Zarqa, less than 30 km (19 mi) from Amman. The sheer brutality of the attacks, which targeted, amongst other things, a wedding party being held at one of the hotels, caused widespread revulsion across the widest range of Jordanians. Large protests and vigils followed in the wake of the attacks.

jordan-info.com