Ajloun

Ajloun مدينة عجلون Ajlun
Town
City of Ajlun from Ajlun Castle
Nickname(s): Jordan Green
Ajloun Location in Karima
Coordinates: 32°21′N 35°44′E / 32.350°N 35.733°E / 32.350; 35.733
Country	Jordan
Governorate	Ajloun
Municipality established	1920
Area
• Town	2 sq mi (4 km2)
• Metro	10 sq mi (30 km2)
Elevation	2,508 ft (719 m)
Population (2009)
• Town	8,356
• Metro	55,000
Time zone	GMT (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)
Area code(s)	+(962)2
Website	http://www.ajloun.gov.jo

Ajloun (Arabic: عجلون‎‎, ‘Ajlūn), also spelled Ajlun, is the capital town of the Ajloun Governorate, a hilly town in the north of Jordan, located 76 kilometers (around 47 miles) north west of Amman. It is noted for its impressive ruins of the 12th-century Ajlun Castle.

The Ajlun Governorate has a population of over 142,000 widespread in 27 villages and towns over an area of about 420 km². The population is mainly composed of the following Muslim tribes: Al-Qudah (AlQudah), Al-Share, Al-Zghoul, Al-Momani, Al-smadi, Al-Shwayyat, Al-Freihat, Al-Khatatbah, Alnawateer, Al-Karraz, and others. Rabadi, Haddad, Iwais, Eisouh and Muqattash (which was split from Rabadi) are the main Christian tribes in Ajloun. Although Christians are a minority in the overall governorate, they form about more than half of the population in Ajloun city; most Christians resides in Ajloun city along with Muslims of the Al-Smadi tribe. Other tribes are distributed in the other districts of the governorate. Ajloun Governorate has four seats in the national parliament, one of which is dedicated for the Christian minority.

There are five districts in the Greater Ajloun Municipality:

Kufranjeh

According to the Jordan national census of 2004, the population of the town of Ajloun was 7,289. For Ajloun Governorate as a whole, the population was about 140,000 in 2010. Muslims make up the majority of Ajloun's population, there are Christian minority groups in the city as well. The governorate of Ajloun is highly agricultural, as the population distribution tells.

There is a theory that the town's name is connected with the Moabite King Eglon mentioned in the Bible, though the precise derivation is obscure.

Ajlun Castle is located on the site of an old monastery. It was renovated as a fort in 1184 by Izz al-Din Usama, a general in the army of Saladin. The castle controlled traffic along the road connecting Damascus and Egypt. The fortress marks the furthest limit of Frankish incursions during the Crusades. The Mamluks added a prominent tower to the castle. It was captured by the Mongols in 1260 and was partially destroyed in the process. Great damage was done by a the Galilee earthquake of 1837 and the 1927 Jericho earthquake.