Madaba (Arabic مادبا) is one of the governorates of Jordan. It is located southwest of Amman, the capital of Jordan, and its capital is Madaba. The governorate is ranked 8th (of 12 governorates) by population and area. It is bordered by Balqa Governorate to the north, The Capital Governorate to the east, Karak Governorate to the south and the Dead Sea to the west.
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In this Dossier
Balqa Governorate in the context of Gilead
Gilead or Gilad (UK: /ˈɡɪliæd/, US: /ˈɡɪliəd/; Hebrew: גִּלְעָד Gilʿāḏ, Arabic: جلعاد, Jalʻād) is the ancient, historic, biblical name of the mountainous northern part of the region of Transjordan, present-day Jordan. The region is bounded in the west by the Jordan River, in the north by the deep ravine of the river Yarmouk and the region of Bashan, and in the southwest by what were known during antiquity as the "plains of Moab", with no definite boundary to the east. In some cases, "Gilead" is used in the Bible to refer to all the region east of the Jordan River. Gilead is situated in modern-day Jordan, corresponding roughly to the Irbid, Ajloun, Jerash and Balqa Governorates.
Balqa Governorate in the context of Salt, Jordan
As-Salt (Arabic: السلط As-Salt), also known as Salt, is an ancient trading city and administrative centre in west-central Jordan. It is on the old main highway leading from Amman to Jerusalem. Situated in the Balqa highland, about 790–1,100 metres above sea level, the city is built in the crook of three hills, close to the Jordan Valley. One of the three hills, Jabal al-Qal'a, is the site of a 13th-century ruined fortress. It is the capital of Balqa Governorate of Jordan.
The Greater Salt Municipality has about 107,874 inhabitants (2018).
Balqa Governorate in the context of Salihids
The Salīḥids (Arabic: بنو سليح, romanized: Banū Salīḥ), also known simply as Salīḥ or by their royal house, the Zokomids (Arabic: Ḍajaʿima) were the dominant Arab foederati of the Byzantine Empire in the 5th century. They succeeded the Tanukhids, who were dominant in the 4th century, and were in turn defeated and replaced by the Ghassanids in the early 6th century.
The Salihids were originally concentrated in the Wadi Sirhan and Balqa regions of modern Jordan, but spread as far as northern Syria after entering the service of the Byzantine Empire. The Salihids were charged with collecting tax from Bedouins dwelling within the Limes Arabicus (Byzantine frontier with the Syrian and Arabian deserts) and protecting the frontier from Bedouin raiders. They were ardent Christians and at least one of their phylarchs and kings, Dawud, built a Christian monastery, Deir Dawud.