Irbed

Irbid إربد Arabella (Ancient Greek)
City
Flag
Nickname(s): Bride of the North
Irbid
Coordinates: 32°33′0″N 35°51′0″E / 32.55000°N 35.85000°E / 32.55000; 35.85000
Country	Jordan
Province	Irbid Governorate
Founded	5000 B.C.
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Mayor	Hussein Bani Hani
Area
• City	30 km2 (10 sq mi)
• Metro	410 km2 (158.30 sq mi)
Elevation	620 m (2,034 ft)
Population (2015)
• City	502,714
• Metro	1,770,158
Time zone	GMT +2
• Summer (DST)	+3 (UTC)
Area code(s)	+(962)2
Website	http://www.irbid.gov.jo/

Irbid (Arabic: إربد‎‎), known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela, is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate. It also has the second largest metropolitan population in Jordan after Amman, with a population of around 1,088,100, and is located about 70 km north of Amman on the northern ridge of the Gilead, equidistant from Pella, Beit Ras (Capitolias), and Um Qais. It's 20 km south of the Syrian border.

Irbid is the third largest city in Jordan by population (after Amman and Zarqa). Metropolitan Irbid is the second largest. The province of Irbid Governorate has the second largest population, and the highest population density in the kingdom.

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. The two most prominent universities are Jordan University of Science and Technology and Yarmouk University.

Artifacts and graves in the area show that Irbid has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. Pieces of pottery and wall stones found at Tell Irbid were estimated to be made in the year 3200 B.C. 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.

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Wikipedia