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21-510: Many Roman and Byzantine sites have been found throughout the governorate, most notably churches dating to the third century AD; believed to be two of the oldest purpose built churches in Christianity: and Roman water dams in Jawa , Ruwaished , and the city of Mafraq. The Jawa Dam is the oldest known dam in the world, dating back to 3000 B.C. Mafraq city also contains a Roman fort. During

42-465: A central element of the economy for Mafraq Governorate, especially in the Houran Plateau in the western part of the province. The total area of fruit farms in the province in 2008 was 48.676 km, with a total production of 101874 tons of fruits mainly apples and peaches, according to the ministry of Agriculture. The total area of vegetable farms in the province for 2008 was 8.295 km with

63-399: A double wall, 80 metres long and 4–5 metres high, in-filled with sand and ash. Excavators found traces of revetments and a rudimentary apron on the up-stream face. An attempt to build a larger wall to expand the capacity of the reservoirs beside the town was not completed. The small amount of rainfall, perhaps 150 mm per year, which fell on local micro-catchments, was also harnessed by

84-400: A number of reservoirs. The third was an attempt at a reservoir dam, completely blocking the flow of the flood. It appears not to have survived more than one season. The other two probably ceased to function within a generation. The largest is a masonry gravity dam , and the oldest known dam in the world, with recent carbon-14 dating putting initial construction between 3500-3400 BC. It

105-505: A total production of 15540 tons, with cabbage, onions, garlic, and lettuce being the main products. There is one natural gas production field at Al-Reeshah, it is run by the Jordanian National Petroleum Company. In 2008, British Petroleum purchased the rights to produce natural gas in the field, and is expected to increase its capacity from 21 cubic feet (0.59 m) to 300 million cubic feet per day in

126-438: A walled town and extensive earthworks to divert winter floods from the wadi into a series of reservoirs. This work would have had to be completed by the first winter after the group's arrival; otherwise they would not have survived the following summer. It is estimated the work would have taken a minimum workforce of 700. It is located on the southern edge of an area of basalt which runs across Syria and eastern Jordan and

147-445: Is a fortified building located in the center of the ruins of the original town. It is believed to date from 2000 to 1500 BC, and is not associated with any contemporaneous stone structures. There are remains of three dams across Wadi Rajil at Jawa, part of an extensive water supply system that included other smaller dams, channels, and deflectors across the wadi to support the town. Two are deflection dams meant to channel water into

168-410: Is an attempt to harness the major water resources of Wadi Rajil : a dry river bed which floods irregularly during the winter months. Wadi Rajil has a catchment area of 300 km reaching 35 km north into Jebel Druze . The basalt allows very little water to soak into the ground. Any rainfall in the mountains results in violent short lived flash floods. The total annual flow down the wadi at Jawa

189-427: Is apparent that some of the water was also used for irrigation agriculture. The inhabitants ate barley, wheat, chickpeas, lentils and grapes. Based on the size and density of houses in the excavated areas, Helms estimated that the maximum population of the town was between 3,000 to 5,000. He also considered it short-lived: occupied for perhaps as little as a single generation before it was violently destroyed. There

210-565: Is considered urban and 70% is rural. Jordanian citizens made up about 94% of the population. The Jordanian Department of Statistics population estimate for the year 2010 is 287,300 with a female to male ratio of 48.17 to 51.83 and a population density of 10.8 persons per km. In 2011 and 2012, the civil war in Syria resulted in the immigration of more than 180,000 Syrian refugees to Jordan, mostly settled in Mafraq and Irbid Governorates . In July 2012,

231-600: Is estimated to be 2,000,000 m per year arriving in a few dramatic winter floods with flows of 80–110 m /s. Research suggests that the community at Jawa could survive on 3% of that total flow: if they could store it in sufficient quantities to last through the four dry summer months. It would have to support their population of 2,000 to 5,000 as well as their large herds of sheep, goats and some cattle. Estimates based on bone counts indicate there may have been as many as 10,000 sheep and goats as well as 800 cattle. There were also 200 equids and 160 dogs. From seed remains it

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252-516: Is the best preserved fourth-millennium town yet discovered anywhere in the world: paradoxically in a place—the Black Desert—where it could hardly exist today and probably hardly when it was built." The town was built by a group of perhaps 2,000 migrants coming from the North or East. They had some understanding of urban life, as well as hydrology . It extended over 100,000 m and consisted of

273-878: The Zaatari refugee camp was opened in Mafraq Governorate for Syrian refugees. The World Bank 2018 estimate records the population now at 593,900 people. The population of districts according to census results: Mafraq Governorate is divided into four districts ( liwa ) and fourteen sub-districts ( qda ): Bal'ama Sub-District Irhab Sub-District Manshiyah Sub-District Sabha Sub-District Um Al-Jemal Sub-District Dair Al Kahf Sub-District Om-Elqotain Sub-District Serhan Sub-District Hosha Sub-District Khaldiyah Sub-District Agriculture forms

294-607: The British mandate period, Mafraq housed military facilities which are still in use today. The fifth division of the Jordanian Army is stationed in Mafraq. The province is located in the eastern part of the kingdom of Jordan. It is the only governorate in Jordan that has borders with three countries: Iraq to the east, Syria to the north, and Saudi Arabia to the south. It is bordered by Irbid and Jerash governorates to

315-565: The barren Syrian Desert . At the eastern edge of the region is the 940m high Jebel 'Aneiza  [ ar ] (or 'Unayzah), at the border tripoint between Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The Governorate is connected to Iraq through the Karameh Border Crossing , and to Syria through the Jabir Border Crossing . The population of Mafraq Governorate according to the census of 2004 was 244,188 of whom 30%

336-476: The late 4th millennium BC (Early Bronze Age). It is located in one of the driest areas of the Black Desert (Harrat al-Shamah) of Eastern Jordan. Remains of dams have been found, the largest of which is a masonry gravity dam and the oldest known dam in the world. It was used as a protection from flash floods . Jawa was first reported by French explorer Antoine Poidebard , who flew over and photographed

357-510: The next five years. The natural gas produced at Al-Reeshah is used entirely for producing electricity at a nearby electricity generating station with a capacity of 120 Megawatts, covering 12% of the total needs of the kingdom for the year 2008. The city of Mafraq hosts Al al-Bayt University , which is the only university in the governorate. Jawa Dam (Jordan) Jawa is the site of the oldest proto-urban development in Jordan , dating from

378-499: The site and documented some of the inscriptions there. Amongst their number was Lankester Harding , who suggested that the remains were not Roman but in fact dated to the Early Bronze Age. Harding recommended the site to Svend Helms , who first visited the site in 1966 and directed excavations there between 1972 and 1976. In contrast to earlier assumptions about the site's lack of significance, Helms concluded that "Jawa

399-414: The site in 1931, mistaking it for Roman ruins. Before and after Poidebard's discovery, several archaeological expeditions came close to but missed the site. Nelson Glueck visited it in 1947 but apparently failed to notice its significance, describing Jawa as a "small, filthy spring […] probably never more than a small police post." Finally, in 1950, an expedition led by epigrapher F. V. Winnett reached

420-451: The west, and by Zarqa governorate to the south. Mafraq governorate covers the second largest area in the kingdom, but yet the second smallest population density (after Ma'an). The climate is dry most of the year. The western region of the province is part of the fertile Houran plateaus, that extend through southern Syria, the Golan heights and northern Jordan. The eastern region is part of

441-416: Was designed to divert water into three depressions to the west of the settlement. The feed canal was also used to fill a natural cave. The dam itself was built at an angle across the curve of the wadi. It may not have reached from bank to bank. It is speculated that even if the structure only withstood the flood for a short time, some water would have been diverted to the reservoirs. The largest reservoir had

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