Highway 65, also known as the Dead Sea Highway, is a north–south highway in
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 ...
. It starts in
Aqaba
Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...
passing through
Wadi Araba
The Arabah, Araba or Aravah ( he, הָעֲרָבָה, ''hāʿĂrāḇā''; ar, وادي عربة, ''Wādī ʿAraba''; lit. "desolate and dry area") is a loosely defined geographic area south of the Dead Sea basin, which forms part of the borde ...
, and adjacent to the
Dead Sea and the
Jordan Valley
The Jordan Valley ( ar, غور الأردن, ''Ghor al-Urdun''; he, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, ''Emek HaYarden'') forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to ...
to the western suburbs of the city of
Irbid in Jordan's northern tip.
Development
The first part of the highway was conceived in 1974 as the
Safi-Aqaba Highway. After the highway had reached Safi (in 1977), further plans were developed for a Dead Sea Highway to the north. For a long time however, there was an incomplete section between Mazra'a to Zara.
Later, Highway 65 became included in the Jordanian 25-year plan to build an extensive road network which travels around the country. It involves building
beltway
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop, bypass or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city, or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist i ...
s around major cities such as
Irbid,
Salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
or its
capital,
Amman. This project's road-improvement investigation is expected to reach US$1.8 billion when complete.
Tourist attractions
This highway runs north-south from
Irbid Governorate
Irbid or Irbed ( ar, إربد) is a governorate in Jordan, located north of Amman, the country's capital. The capital of the governorate is the city of Irbid. The governorate has the second largest population in Jordan after Amman Governorate, ...
along the
Dead Sea. North from the Dead Sea is a place called
Potash City, down to
Aqaba
Aqaba (, also ; ar, العقبة, al-ʿAqaba, al-ʿAgaba, ) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative centre of the Aqaba Govern ...
.
See also
*
Highway 15 (Jordan)
Highway 15 in Jordan is also known as the Desert Highway runs in Jordan south to north. It starts in Aqaba going north east towards Ma'an, passing through the desert to the east of the major settlements in the southern region of Jordan. It th ...
*
Highway 90 (Israel–Palestine) – the parallel road on the Israel–Palestine side of the border
*
References
Nyazi Tours, Jordan
* ttp://www.jordaninvestment.com/IndustrySectors/TransportationSector/tabid/102/language/en-US/Default.aspx#597 Jordan Investment Board - Transportation
{{Roads in Jordan
Roads in Jordan