Azraq

Azraq الأزرق
Toun
Ruins o Azraq Castle an a street in Azraq
Azraq Location in Jordan
Coordinates: 31°50′N 36°49′E
Country	Jordan
Govrenorate	Zarqa Govrenorate
Govrenment
• Teep	Municipality
• Mayor	Kamal Ata
Elevation	525 m (1,722 ft)
Population  (2009)
• Total	10,800
Time zone	UTC+2 (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (UTC+3)
Area code(s)	+(962)5
Airports	Muwaffaq Salti Airbase

The wetlands o Azraq

Azraq (Arabic: الأزرق‎) is a sma toun in the o Zarqa Govrenorate in central-eastren Jordan, 100 km east o Amman. The population o Azraq wis 9021 bodies in 2004.

History

A Jordanian F-16 landin in the Muwaffaq Salti Air base in Azraq

Azraq haes lang been an important settlement in a remote an nou-arid desert aurie o Jordan. The strategic value o the toun an its castle (Qasr Azraq) is that it lies in the middle o the Azraq oasis, the anerlie permanent source o fresh water in approximately 19,000,000 square kilometres o desert.

The toun is locatit on a major desert route that wad hae facilitatit trade athin the region. The Azraq oasis haes a lang history beginnin in the Lawer Palaeolithic period. Mony Palaeolithic steids hae been documentit in the Azraq Wetlands Reserve. Durin the Epipalaeolithic period the oasis wis an' a' an important focus o settlement. Nabatean period settlement activity haes an aa been documentit in the aurie. Qasr Azraq wis built bi the Romans in the 3rd century A.D., an wis hivily modife'd in the Middle Ages by the Mameluks. In the Umayyad period a water reservoir was constructed in southern Azraq. Durin the Arab Revolt in the early 20th century, Qasr Azraq wis an important heidquarters for T. E. Lawrence.

Demographics

Accordin tae the Jordan Naitional Census o 2004, the population o Azraq wis 9,021 bodies, o whom 7,625 (84.5%) wur Jordanian citizens. 4,988 (55.3%) wur males, an 4,033 (44.7%) females. The next census is scheduled for 2014.

Wildlife reserve

The Shaumari Wildlife Reserve in Azraq

The Azraq Castle

Azraq is an aa notable as being the steid o ane o Jordan's seiven protectit nature reserve auries (setup bi the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature): the Azraq Wetlands Reserve in Azraq al-Janoubi (Sooth Azraq).

The separate an lairger Shaumari reserve is an aa close tae Azraq, being anerlie 10 km sooth o the toun.