Zoubia (alternate spelling Zubia or Zubya) is a village in Jordan with a population of around 7,000. It is located in northwestern Jordan and is part of the

Irbid Irbid ( ar, إِربِد), known in ancient times as Arabella or Arbela (Άρβηλα in Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek), is the capital and largest city of the Irbid Governorate. It also has the second largest metropolitan population in ...

Governorate. Zoubia is known for its abundant oak forests and its mountains, which are considered the highest in Irbid. For most of known history, Zoubians worked in agriculture. Chief crops included

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...

s, grapes and

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

s, while some farmers focused on seasonal crops such as wheat, barley, lentils and tomatoes. The villagers also used to raise cattle, sheep and horses. Nowadays, the majority of the population have taken on other jobs to live, leaving very few to work in agriculture.

History

In 1596 it appeared in the Ottoman tax registers named as ''Zubiya'', situated in the '' nahiya'' (subdistrict) of Kura, part of the '' Sanjak'' of Ajlun. It had 14 households and 6 bachelors; all

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

; and 7

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

households. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products; including wheat, barley, olive trees, goats and bee-hives, in addition to occasional revenues. The total tax was 8,200

akçe The ''akçe'' or ''akça'' (also spelled ''akche'', ''akcheh''; ota, آقچه; ) refers to a silver coin which was the chief monetary unit of the Ottoman Empire. The word itself evolved from the word "silver or silver money", this word is deri ...

. The Jordanian census of 1961 found 586 inhabitants in Zubiya.Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p
20
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Tourist destinations

Zoubia is home to several tourist destinations. The Zoubia Natural Reserve consists of rolling hills in a Mediterranean climate, covered in evergreen oaks, as well as

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...

and

pistachio The pistachio (, ''Pistacia vera''), a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating from Central Asia and the Middle East. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. ''Pistacia vera'' is often confused with other sp ...

trees, among others. Fallow deer, mountain gazelles, stone martens, jackals,

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

es, striped hyenas,

Persian squirrel The Caucasian squirrel (''Sciurus anomalus'') or Persian squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' found in temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in south-western Asia. The species is usually said to have first been described in 1778 ...

porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two families of animals: the Old World porcupines of family Hystricidae, and the New World porcupines of family, Erethizont ...

s, wild boars,

mountain hare The mountain hare (''Lepus timidus''), also known as blue hare, tundra hare, variable hare, white hare, snow hare, alpine hare, and Irish hare, is a Palearctic hare that is largely adapted to polar and mountainous habitats. Evolution The mountai ...

s, and wolves inhabit this area. Zoubia cave is about 3 km², and it is internally surrounded by

stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...

and

stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

columns. There is an old spring in one of Zoubia's valleys, which residents used to consider their only source for drinking water and for watering their livestock. The Old Village is located on the slope of a high mountain, and contains traces of old houses and castles that were left by Byzantine, Roman, Umayyad, and Ottoman civilizations.

References

Bibliography

* * Populated places in Irbid Governorate {{Jordan-geo-stub