Souf (سوف) is a town in

Jerash Governorate Jerash Governorate ( ar, محافظة جرش) is one of 12 governorates in Jordan. It is located in the northwestern side of the country. The capital of the governorate is the city of Jerash. Jerash Governorate has the smallest area of the 12 ...

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 ...

, set over a series of mountains at an altitude of 1,000 meters. Souf is situated 35 miles north of

Amman Amman (; ar, عَمَّان, ' ; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤓𐤁𐤕 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''Rabat ʻAmān'') is the capital and largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of 4,061,150 a ...

, the capital of Jordan. The total population of Souf exceeds 14,000 people, while it covers a wide area of agricultural land, considered the widest in

Jerash Jerash ( ar, جرش ''Ǧaraš''; grc, Γέρασα ''Gérasa'') is a city in northern Jordan. The city is the administrative center of the Jerash Governorate, and has a population of 50,745 as of 2015. It is located north of the capital city ...

. For many centuries, Souf was the centre of al-Meradh region; which has been called المعراض in Arabic, because it defeated Bedouins used to attack on north Jordan during the 19th century. Later, this region was the base for the governorate of

which was created according to the kingdom's new administrative divisions. A number of villages are considered an extension of the old town of Souf including: Kufr Khall, Balila, Thughretasfour, Jaba, Zagreet, Majar, and Megbleh. Recently, Souf has been attached to greater city of Jerash due to its proximity to the new city.

People

Some Natives of Souf live in the city of Jerash and comprise small minorities in Amman and

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 ...

. During the last century, some Soufanian individuals have emigrated to the

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

, Europe and to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The main profession in Souf was agriculture for centuries, but during the last decades, a growing number of people are working in higher education, government, the military and business.

Traditions

The women in Souf (Muslims, and Christians) used to wear a long black dress embroidered with colourful stripes called "The Costume" or Eshorsheh Essoufaniieh or Soufanian Dress. The dress has a unique design that reflect the special identity of Souf. The men used to wear a special type of robe which comes in two forms: an open style called Maznook which is tightened to the body using a leather belt, and a closed style called Doshdash. They also wear a special type of wide trousers called Serwal, and a head cover comes in white and red called Kufeiieh, Hattah or Selk which is fixed to the head using a black headband called Eqall. In special celebrations and ceremonies they wear a special type of cloak made of camel hair called Abaah comes in black, brown or beige. The costume is found in other regions in the north of Jordan with slight differences depending on the place.

Agriculture

Al-Magasel ( ar, المغاسل) is located in Souf. A wide range of fruits is grown in Souf, including olives, grapes, figs, peaches, pears, plums, apples, apricots, almonds, and cherries. Beside the irrigated lands in Souf valley, there is a wide area of non-irrigated lands scattered over a number of hills and mountains which depend on seasonal rains. Locales include Manarah, Koom, Mrab'ah, Sabatah, Sahlat, Fanadeg,

Mansoura Mansoura (' , rural: ) is a city in Egypt, with a population of 960,423. It is the capital of the Dakahlia Governorate. Etymology ''Mansoura'' in Arabic means "victorious". The city is named after the El Mansoura Battle against Louis IX of Fr ...

, and

Wadi Warran Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

. File:Burj (Banimustafa).jpg, Farms in Jerash Governorate File:Sahlat.jpg, A farm in the mountains of

Ajloun Ajloun ( ar, عجلون, ''‘Ajlūn''), also spelled Ajlun, is the capital town of the Ajloun Governorate, a hilly town in the north of Jordan, located 76 kilometers (around 47 miles) north west of Amman. It is noted for its impressive ruins of t ...

References

{{Reflist Populated places in Jerash Governorate