Ar-Ramtha
Jordan · Asia
關於Ar-Ramtha
Ar-Ramtha (Arabic: الرَّمثا, romanized: ar-Ramṯā), colloquially transliterated as Ar-Romtha (Arabic: الرُّمثا, romanized: ar-Rumṯā), is a city situated in the far northwest of Jordan near the border with Syria. It covers 40 km2 on a plain 30 km northeast of the Jordan River and Irbid. In 2017, Ar-Ramtha had a population of approximately 164,211, making it the eleventh largest city in Jordan, and the second in Irbid Governorate, and the city has grown since then. It is part of the Ar-Ramtha district of the Irbid Governorate.
The origin of the name Ar-Ramtha is subject to scholarly debate. One widely accepted explanation links the name to al-ramath (Arabic: الرمث), a desert shrub native to the region that historically grew in abundance in northern Jordan. This interpretation reflects the longstanding Arab tradition of naming settlements after prominent local vegetation and geographic features.
Some historical and archaeological studies have also proposed connections between Ar-Ramtha and earlier settlements in the Gilead region, suggesting continuity of habitation in the area since antiquity. During the Roman and Byzantine periods, the settlement was recorded under the...
Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.