Jabal al-Ashrafieh ( ar, جبل الأشرفية, often called al-Ashrafiyah or simply Ashrafiya) is a town and neighbourhood in Amman,

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

. Located in East Amman, it is the highest point in the city and it features many services, such as schools, restaurants, and shopfronts. The town is renowned for its mosques and churches, in addition to being encircled by many historical buildings. Other spelling variants and forms of the town's name include, Ashrafia, Ashrafieh, Jabal al-Ashrafiyah, Jebel Ashrafiya and Jebel El Ashrafiya.

Topography

Jabal al-Ashrafieh is a hill station that is divided into several areas, the most important of which are the Ashrafieh circuit and the

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

neighborhood named Hay Al-Arman (حي الأرمن). A large shopping square is present. It is also close to the Al-Wahdat area and has Barto Street, which panoramically overlooks the city center, Al-Masdar, and the ancient Roman amphitheater, due to its high elevation. In Arabic, "''ashrafiya''" means 'honorable one' and "''jabal''" translates to 'mountain', as the area is very

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not a ...

y with precipitous, serpentine streets and steep staircases that wind through the area, some of which that lead to

downtown Amman Downtown Amman ( ar, البلد, al-Balad) is an old, central commercial area of Amman, Jordan. History The Balad is the oldest section of the city. It is believed to have first been inhabited during the Neolithic period (around 6500 B.C.). The ...

Facilities and health

In 2020, the Harra rejuvenation strategy, based on the physical, environmental, educational and social aspects of the community, has successfully revitalized area in a span of 12 years. Established in 2008, a Community Development Center exists in the town, which specializes in community mobilization, law issues and reducing

inequality Inequality may refer to: Economics * Attention inequality, unequal distribution of attention across users, groups of people, issues in etc. in attention economy * Economic inequality, difference in economic well-being between population groups * ...

in the area. The Jordan National

Red Crescent Society The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, an ...

is headquartered in the town. The town features two prominent hospitals, Al-Bashir Hospital and the Italian Hospital. Medical research has occurred in Al-Bashir Hospital.

Religion and culture

After the

1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight In 1948 more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs – about half of prewar Palestine's Arab population – were expelled or fled from their homes, during the 1948 Palestine war. The exodus was a central component of the fracturing, dispossessio ...

, many

Palestinian people Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

settled in Ashrafiya, living in

tents A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using gu ...

across the city. Today, the neighbourhood contains a number of churches, including an

Assyrian Church Assyrian Church may refer to: * Chaldean Catholic Church, an Eastern Christian church founded by and composed of ethnic Assyrians entered into communion with Rome. * Assyrian Church of the East, an Eastern Christian church. * Ancient Church of the ...

, an

Armenian Church Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

('' Saint Thaddeus Armenian Apostolic Church''), an

Armenian Catholic Church , native_name_lang = hy , image = St Elie - St Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral.jpg , imagewidth = 260px , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Saint Elias and Saint Gregory the Illuminat ...

, and St Paul's Church, which is an

Anglican church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

that is under the responsibility of an Iraqi Muslim that redistributes medicine, in addition to teaching English and music to children and adults alike. There is also the Abu Darwish Mosque, a branch of the Amman Municipality built in 1961, which is notable for its checkered black-and-white pattern, and having an

architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...

that is unique to Jordan.

Armenian community

The Armenian community in al-Ashrafiya is the second largest Christian community of Jordan. In 2019, there were around 5,000

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diasp ...

in the area, most of whom are descendants of those who fled the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

during the 1915

Armenian Genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily through t ...

. The next wave of Armenian refugees settled in Jordan after the

First Arab-Israeli War First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

in 1948, where there were around 10,000 Armenian inhabitants in the area. In 1962, the first Armenian church (St Thaddeus Church) and school were established. From the 1970s and onwards, the Armenians in the area gradually began to immigrate to the United States, Canada and Australia. Armenians living in the area today still preserve their culture; they have an Armenian elementary school, a kindergarten and Armenian pizzerias.

Palestinian–Jordanian conflict

In September 1970, Jordan permitted Palestinian military forces to operate independently in Amman. But the Palestinians' disappointment at not being able to claim the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

turned against Jordan. Thereafter, the Palestinians in Jordan battled Jordanian soldiers in a brief, but intense civil war. The conflict between Palestinians and Jordanians was so pernicious that

Jordanian army The Royal Jordanian Army (Arabic: القوّات البرية الاردنيّة; ) is the Army, ground force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). It draws its origins from units such as the Arab Legion, formed in the Emirate of Transjord ...

officers had to change into civilian apparel in order to enter Ashrafiyah to avoid being assaulted in the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood.

Population

In 2009, al-Ashrafia had a population of 8,200. In 2010, the

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

of the town, combined with the surrounding neighbourhoods, was over 20,000 inhabitants per square kilometre.

Gallery

Ashrafiya neighbourhood.jpg, Residential area on

Hatim al-Tai Hatim al-Tai ( ar, حاتم الطائي, ''Hatim of the Tayy tribe''; died 578), full name Ḥātim bin ʿAbd Allāh bin Saʿd aṭ-Ṭāʾiyy ( ar, حاتم بن عبد الله بن سعد الطائي) was the ruling prince and poet of the T ...

Stairs (from Al-Kuwait Street) Amman skyline.jpg, Amman skyline viewed from Hatem al-Tai Street Ashrafiya, Amman, Jordan.jpg, Corner shops at Hatem al-Tai Street Al Ashrafiya neighborhood.jpg, A hilly neighborhood zone on the Hatem al-Tai Stairs Al Ashrafiya.jpg, Apartments at Hatem Al-Tai Street Ashrafiya staircase.jpg, A stairway within the town Abu Darwish mosque1.jpg, Abu Darwish Mosque Abu Darwish Mosque.jpg, The craggy topography with the mosque in view

References

{{reflist Neighbourhoods of Amman Hills of Asia Mountains of Jordan Populated places in Jordan Populated places in Amman Governorate Armenian diaspora communities Geography of Amman