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

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. 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 A hill station is a touristic town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The English term was originally used mostly in Western imperialism in Asia, colonial Asia, but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by ...

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 around 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, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as Mountain, mountains. Hills ...

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

downtown Amman Downtown Amman () is the old town of Jordan's capital, Amman. Nestled in a narrow valley called Wadi Amman, the downtown is a popular tourist destination, known for its shopping Bazaar, souks and ancient ruins. The Amman valley, surrounded by ...

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 in the area. The Jordan National

Red Crescent Society The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

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

Medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as health research, refers to the process of using scientific methods with the aim to produce knowledge about human diseases, the prevention and treatment of illness, and the promotion of ...

has occurred in Al-Bashir Hospital.

Religion and culture

After the

1948 Palestinian expulsion and flight In the 1948 Palestine war, more than 700,000 Palestinian Arabs – about half of Mandatory Palestine's predominantly Arab population – fled from their homes or were expelled. Expulsions and attacks against Palestinians were carried out by the ...

, many

Palestinian people Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenous ...

settled in Ashrafiya, living in tents across the city. Today, the neighbourhood contains a number of churches, including an Assyrian Church, an Armenian Church ('' Saint Thaddeus Armenian Apostolic Church''), an

Armenian Catholic Church The Armenian Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic particular church ''sui iuris'' of the Catholic Church. It accepts the papal supremacy, leadership of the bishop of Rome, and is therefore in full communion with ...

, and St Paul's Church, which is an

Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in 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 Check (also checker, Brit: chequer, or dicing) is a pattern of modified stripes consisting of crossed horizontal and vertical lines which form squares. The pattern typically contains two colours where a single checker (that is a single square with ...

black-and-white pattern, and having an

architectural style An architectural style is a classification of buildings (and nonbuilding structures) based on a set of characteristics and features, including overall appearance, arrangement of the components, method of construction, building materials used, for ...

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 (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

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

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

during the 1915

Armenian Genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, 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 t ...

. The next wave of Armenian refugees settled in Jordan after the First Arab-Israeli War 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 Palestinians () are an Arab ethnonational group native to the Levantine region of Palestine. *: "Palestine was part of the first wave of conquest following Muhammad's death in 632 CE; Jerusalem fell to the Caliph Umar in 638. The indigenou ...

' disappointment at not being able to claim the

West Bank The West Bank is located on the western bank of the Jordan River and is the larger of the two Palestinian territories (the other being the Gaza Strip) that make up the State of Palestine. 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 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: Standing 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 geog ...

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 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