Irbid

City in Irbid Governorate, Jordan

City in Irbid Governorate, Jordan

Irbid

إربد

city

Irbid Skyline

Irbid Downtown

Irbid Clock Tower

JUST

Yarmouk University

Al-Hassan Stadium

Flag

Nickname:

Bride of the North

Irbid

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Irbid

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Coordinates: 32°33′0″N 35°51′0″E﻿ / ﻿32.55000°N 35.85000°E﻿ / 32.55000; 35.85000
Grid position| 230/217
Country|  Jordan
Governorate| Irbid Governorate
Founded| 7000 BC
Municipality| 1881
Government

• Type| Municipality
• Mayor| Nabeel Al-Kofahi
Area

[1]

• city

| 410 km2 (160 sq mi)
• Metro

| 1,572 km2 (607 sq mi)
Elevation

| 620 m (2,034 ft)
Population

(2025)

• city

| 569,068
• Density| 1,400/km2 (3,600/sq mi)
• Metro

| 2,003,800[2]
Time zone| UTC+2 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)| +3
Area code| +(962)2
Website| www.irbid.gov.jo

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.[3] 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. The population of Irbid swelled in the late 19th century, and prior to 1948 it served as a significant centre of transit trade.[4]

The greater Irbid Municipality was established in 1881 in the ottoman era.[5] It is the oldest municipality in Jordan.

The city is a major ground transportation hub between Amman, Syria to the north, and Mafraq to the east. The Irbid region is also home to several colleges and universities.

## Name

[edit]

The place-name Ἄρβηλα for present-day Irbid is first documented on civic bronze coins of the Decapolis struck in the late first century BCE and the early first century CE,[6][7] with the same Greek form recorded in 1 Maccabees 9 2 and in Josephus, Antiquities 12 11 1.[8][9] The variant ʾrbl appears in Nabataean Aramaic inscriptions and in Safaitic Old Arabic graffiti dating from roughly the first century BCE to the third century CE,[10][11][12] and Eusebius lists a village called Arbela across the Jordan near Pella in his fourth-century Onomasticon.[13] Excavations on Tell Irbid show continuous occupation from at least the Early Bronze Age around 3200 BCE,[14][15] placing the settlement more than two millennia before these Hellenistic attestations and more than three millennia before the earliest archaeological evidence for a permanent Jewish community in the northern Transjordan, which appears with the third or fourth century CE synagogue at Gerasa.[16][17]

## History

[edit]

Pottery dating from the Bronze Age displayed in the Irbid Archaeological Museum

Further information on the prehistoric burial site: Uyun al-Hammam

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.[18] A city wall dated to around 1300–1200 BC.

* Phase III (c. 3200 BC)
* Phase II (c. 1300–1150 BC)
* Phase I (c. 1150–800 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.[19][20][21]

During the Early Muslim conquests, the city came under the rule of the Rashidun Caliphate in 634 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.[22]

In 1596 it appeared in the Ottoman tax registers named as Irbid, situated in the nahiya (subdistrict) of Bani Juhma, part of the Hauran Sanjak. It had 72 households and 35 bachelors; all Muslim. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products; including wheat (22,500 akçe), barley, summer crops, fruit trees, goats and bee-hives; in addition to a market toll. The total tax was 38,116 akçe.[23]

In 1838, Eli Smith noted Irbid (Arbela) as being a place with Sunni Muslim.[24]

The Jordanian census of 1961 found 44,585 inhabitants in Irbid.[25]

Irbid today combines the bustle of a provincial Middle Eastern town and the youthful nightlife of a typical college town.[citation needed] 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 and other historical sites; or traveling on to Syria.

## Geography

[edit]

Irbid is situated in northern Jordan, on a fertile plateau. As of 2010, the city of Irbid encompassed an area of 30 km2, with residential areas making up 74.3% of the total area, followed by the Services areas occupying 9.5%, then Empty or unoccupied areas of 7.7%, then 4.2% is classified as Commercial areas, and 3.3% as Industrial areas, and finally gardens occupied 1% of the total city area.

### Border cities

[edit]

* Al-Kūrah
* Al-Mazār ash-Shamālī
* Al-Wasṭīyah
* Ar-Ramthā
* Aṭ-Ṭaībah
* Banī Kenānah
* Banī 'Obeīd

### Climate

[edit]

Irbid has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), common in the Levant region. Summers are hot at days with warm nights, while winters are cool and wet, with two snowy days on average.

Climate data for Irbid (1985–2018)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 13.3
(55.9)  | 14.7
(58.5)  | 18.1
(64.6)  | 23.1
(73.6)  | 27.4
(81.3)  | 30.2
(86.4)  | 31.8
(89.2)  | 32.0
(89.6)  | 30.3
(86.5)  | 27.1
(80.8)  | 21.0
(69.8)  | 15.7
(60.3)  | 23.7
(74.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)  | 9.4
(48.9)  | 10.0
(50.0)  | 12.9
(55.2)  | 17.9
(64.2)  | 21.1
(70.0)  | 24.0
(75.2)  | 25.8
(78.4)  | 26.2
(79.2)  | 24.6
(76.3)  | 21.3
(70.3)  | 15.6
(60.1)  | 11.1
(52.0)  | 18.3
(65.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 5.2
(41.4)  | 5.9
(42.6)  | 8.4
(47.1)  | 11.5
(52.7)  | 15.1
(59.2)  | 18.2
(64.8)  | 20.3
(68.5)  | 20.7
(69.3)  | 19.2
(66.6)  | 16.2
(61.2)  | 10.8
(51.4)  | 6.8
(44.2)  | 13.2
(55.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 100.3
(3.95)  | 99.8
(3.93)  | 63.6
(2.50)  | 19.9
(0.78)  | 5.8
(0.23)  | 1.6
(0.06)  | 0.0
(0.0)  | 0.0
(0.0)  | 0.7
(0.03)  | 12.4
(0.49)  | 42.6
(1.68)  | 83.2
(3.28)  | 429.9
(16.93)
Average precipitation days  | 11.3  | 10.6  | 9.4  | 4.6  | 2.0  | 0.2  | 0.0  | 0.0  | 0.2  | 3.2  | 6.0  | 9.6  | 57.1
Source: Jordan Meteorological Department[26]

## Demographics

[edit]

### Demographic distribution

[edit]

Historical populationYear| Pop.| ±%

|
|

1884| 1,300| —
1922| 3,500| +169.2%
1952| 23,157| +561.6%
1961| 44,585| +92.5%
1970| 73,000| +63.7%
1980| 116,000| +58.9%
1994| 208,329| +79.6%
2004| 250,645| +20.3%
2015| 502,714| +100.6%
2022| 561,000| +11.6%

The city of Irbid is located in Irbid Governorate. It is the largest city in Jordan after Amman and Zarqa. It is considered the economic centre of northern Jordan. The greater Irbid municipality encompasses Irbid city with its surrounding areas (population about 2,050,300) making it the second largest metropolitan area in Jordan and the seventh in the Levant.

### History

[edit]

Irbid was one of the major towns of the territories of Jordan in the Ottoman era. One of the earliest censuses of Irbid was conducted by the Ottomans in 1596 where 72 households were recorded.[23] The town gained importance after the creation of Transjordan region by the British after the first world war, as it was one of the major towns in that area.[27]

Irbid's population increased significantly as part of Jordan's overall population growth, with notable peaks in 1948, 1967, and 2011 due to refugee crises in neighbouring countries.

## Districts of Greater Irbid Municipality

[edit]

Church in Irbid

Irbid is divided into city districts forming smaller cities within the metropolitan sphere of influence of Irbid:

| District  |  | District  |  | District

|
|
|
|
|

1  | Al'al (علعال)  | 9  | Foa'ra (فوعرا)  | 17  | Maru (مرو)
2  | Al Husn (الحصن)  | 10  | Hakama (حكما)  | 18  | Al Mughayer (المغير)
3  | Al-Rabia (الرابية)  | 11  | Hashemiyah (الهاشمية)  | 19  | Naser (نصر)
4  | Al-Sareeh (الصريح)  | 12  | Hawar (حور)  | 20  | Rowdah (روضة)
5  | Al Barha (البارحة)  | 13  | Huwwarah (حوارة)  | 21  | Sal (سال)
6  | Beit Ras (بيت راس)  | 14  | Kitim (كتم)  | 22  | Nu'aimah (نعيمة)
7  | Bushra (بشرى)  | 15  | Kufr Jayez (كفر جايز)  | 23  | Nuzha (نزهة)
8  | Aydoun (ايدون)  | 16  | Manarah-Hatim (منارة-حاتم)

## Hospitals

[edit]

Irbid is one of the major cities in Jordan, known for its well-developed healthcare infrastructure. The city hosts a large number of hospitals, medical centers, and specialized clinics that serve not only the residents of Irbid but also people from surrounding areas. With both public and private healthcare facilities, Irbid offers a wide range of medical services, from general healthcare to highly specialized treatments. The largest hoospitals in Irbid are:

King Abdullah University Hospital in Irbid, the hospital of Jordan University of Science and Technology.

* Abu Obaida Hospital
* Al-Najah Hospital
* Al-Qawasmi Hospital
* Al-Ramtha Hospital
* Al-Yarmouk Hospital
* Ibn-Alnafees Hospital
* Irbid Islamic Hospital
* Irbid Speciality Hospital
* King Abdullah University Hospital
* Muath Bin Jabal Hospital
* Prince Rashid Bin Al Hassan Hospital
* Princess Badea'a Hospital
* Princess Basma Hospital
* Princess Rahma Hospital
* Princess Raya Hospital
* Rahbat Al-Wardieh Hospital
* Roman Catholic Hospital

## Education

[edit]

As of 2007, there were 70,000 registered students in Irbid's 10 universities, community colleges and institutes, of whom 8,000 were international students from 47 countries.[28] This high concentration of institutions of higher education has played a key role in carving a unique identity of the city. The largest universities in Irbid are:

Yarmouk University Jordan University of Science and Technology campus

* Yarmouk University[29]
* Jordan University of Science and Technology[30]
* Irbid National University[31]
* Al-Balqa` Applied University (Irbid campus)[32]
* Jadara University[33]

Some of the Private Schools in Irbid (sorted by alphabetical order):

* Al-Jeel Al Jadeed School
* Al-Manara Schools
* Al-Nahda Private School
* American University School of the Middle East [34]
* Arar Academy Schools
* Dar Al Uloum Schools
* Greek Catholic School
* Irbid International Schools
* Irbid Model School
* Islamic School (Al-Madares Al-Islamiya)
* Jordan National Schools
* King Abdullah II School for Excellence
* Rosary Sisters School
* Summit International Academy National
* Yarmouk University Model School

## Economy

[edit]

Irbid Mall in Western Irbid.

Most of the city's economy is based on the services sector, that is directly or indirectly related to the higher education institutions in the city, as an example there are 26 book publishing companies in the city. The number of internet cafes per capita is the highest in the world that took Irbid to the Guinness Book of World Records.[35] Irbid is considered the cultural capital of Jordan.[36] There is one Qualifying Industrial Zone in Irbid.

## Sports

[edit]

The Irbid-based club Al-Hussein (Irbid) was ranked fourth in the Jordanian football premier league in the year 2008. Its home matches are held in Prince Hasan Youth City's Stadium. The other major football club in Irbid is Al-Arabi. Established in 1945, it is one of the oldest athletic clubs in the country. As of 2008, there are 22 cultural and sport clubs registered in Irbid. Irbid hosted the 1999 Pan Arab Games.

## Twin towns – sister cities

[edit]

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Jordan

Irbid is twinned with:

* Gaziantep, Turkey[37]
* Zhengzhou, China[38]

## Notable people

[edit]

Main article: List of people from Irbid

## See also

[edit]

* Jordan portal

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ "دائرة الإحصاءات العامة" (in Arabic).
2. ^ http://dosweb.dos.gov.jo/DataBank/Population_Estimares/Municipalities.pdf Archived 12 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
3. ^ http://dosweb.dos.gov.jo/DataBank/Population_Estimares/PopulationEstimatesbyLocality.pdf Archived 5 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine [bare URL PDF]
4. ^ Irbid. Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived 21 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine.
5. ^ admin (16 January 2025). "Greater Irbid Municipality - Ordonna". Retrieved 5 July 2025.
6. ^ Spijkerman, Augustus (1978). The Coins of the Decapolis and Provincia Arabia. Franciscan Printing Press. pp. 248 to 253.
7. ^ Lichtenberger, Achim (2014). "Decapolis, Archaeology of". Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer. pp. 2066 to 2069.
8. ^ Septuaginta. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft. 2006. p. 1 Macc 9 2.
9. ^ Josephus. "12 11 1". Antiquities of the Jews. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
10. ^ Healey, John F. (2003). "Nabataean Inscriptions". Context of Scripture. Brill. pp. 191 to 193.
11. ^ Macdonald, M C A (1993). "Nomads and the Hawran in the Late Hellenistic and Roman Periods". Syria. 70: 303 to 403. doi:10.3406/syria.1993.7341.
12. ^ Khraysheh, Fawwaz H. (1995). "New Safaitic Inscriptions from Jordan". Syria. 72 (3): 401–414\. doi:10.3406/syria.1995.7452.
13. ^ Eusebius (1971). Onomasticon. Translated by C U Wolf. Catholic University of America Press. pp. 40 to 41.
14. ^ Fischer, Peter M. (2015). "The Ivory Tomb at Tell Irbid Jordan". Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research. 374: 209 to 232. doi:10.5615/bullamerschoorie.374.0209.
15. ^ "Report on a Late Bronze to Early Iron Age Tomb on Tall Irbid" (PDF). Annual of the Department of Antiquities of Jordan. 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
16. ^ Kraeling, Carl H. (1938). Gerasa City of the Decapolis. American Schools of Oriental Research. pp. 234 to 236.
17. ^ Rosenfeld, Ben-Zion (2010). "Torah Centres and Rabbinic Activity in Palestine 70 to 400 CE". Studies in Judaism: 254.
18. ^ Lenzen, C. J.; Gordon, R. L.; and Mcquitty, A. M. 1985; "Excavation at Tell Irbid and Beit Ras", 1985. ADAJ. Vol 29, pp. 151–159.
19. ^ "Irbid". Book2Jordan. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
20. ^ "Irbid History, History of Irbid, Irbid City Information :: Traveltill.com". Traveltill. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
21. ^ mahmoudmaayta (4 June 2022). "Irbid, Jordan". Atlas Tours. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
22. ^ Haitham Mahmoud El-Hurani, Mohamed (1975). "Economic analysis of the development of the wheatsubsector of Jordan". Iowa State University Digital Repository. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
23. ^ a b Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 203
24. ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 163
25. ^ Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. 13
26. ^ "Weather Information for Irbid". Jordan Meteorological. Retrieved 27 March 2025.
27. ^ Amadouny, Vartan (1993). "THE BRITISH ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN INFRASTRUCTURE IN TRANSJORDAN DURING THE MANDATE PERIOD, 1921-1946" (PDF). Department of geography. University of Southampton, Faculty of Science (published February 1993).
28. ^ "ØªÙ‚Ø±ÙŠØ± Ø§Ù"ØØ· Ø§Ù"Ø§Ø³Ø§Ø³ÙŠ Ø§Ù"Ø§Ù‚ØªØµØ§Ø¯ÙŠ Ù"Ø§Ø±Ø¨Ø¯-2007". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2008.
29. ^ Yarmouk University
30. ^ "Jordan University of Science and Technology". Retrieved 24 November 2016.
31. ^ Irbid National University
32. ^ Balqa' Applied University
33. ^ Al-Issa, Mohammad Omar. "Jadara University". Retrieved 24 November 2016.
34. ^ "American University School Of The Middle East". sau.edu.jo. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
35. ^ Gomes, Lee (18 November 2002). "College Town in Jordan Is Full of Internet Cafes". WSJ. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024.
36. ^ Greater Irbid Municipality Archived 1 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
37. ^ "Kardeş Şehirlerimiz" (PDF). gaziantep.bel.tr (in Turkish). Gaziantep. 2013. p. 43\. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
38. ^ "友好城市". zhengzhou.gov.cn (in Chinese). Zhengzhou. Retrieved 30 June 2020.

## General bibliography

[edit]

* Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics (1964). First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population (PDF).
* Hütteroth, W.-D.; Abdulfattah, K. (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN 3-920405-41-2.
* El-Khouri, Lamia, "Roman and Byzantine Settlements in the Region of West Irbid," Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 139,3 (2007), 166–185.
* Robinson, E.; Smith, E. (1841). Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838. Vol. 3\. Boston: Crocker & Brewster.

## External links

[edit]

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Irbid.

* Irbid - Jordan Tourism Board Archived 15 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine
* Beautiful Natural Scenes From Al-Koura Department - Irbid
* Irbid News[usurped]
* Greater Irbid Municipality
* Irbid Guide[usurped]
* Irbid Discussion Forum (in Arabic)

* v
* t
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Irbid Governorate of Jordan

Capital|

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* Taybeh Department
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* Al-Husn
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