Zarqa City مدينة الزرقاء az-Zarqāʔ
—  City  —
A view from Zarqa city center
Zarqa City Location in Jordan
Coordinates: 32°05′N 36°06′E / 32.083°N 36.1°E / 32.083; 36.1
Country	Jordan
Governorate	Zarqa Governorate
Settled	1902
Municipality	1929
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Mayor	Muhammed Al-Gweri
Area
• Total	20 sq mi (60 km2)
Elevation	2,031 ft (619 m)
Population (2004)
• Total	395,227
Time zone	UTC+2 (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (UTC+3)
Area code(s)	+(962)5
Website	http://www.zm.gov.jo

Az-Zarqāʔ (Arabic: الزرقاء‎; BGN: Az Zarqāʼ; local pronunciation ez-Zergā, ez-Zer'a, or ez-Zarka) is a city in Jordan located to the northeast of Amman. Zarqa is the capital of Zarqa Governorate (Arabic محافظة الزرقاء Muħāfazat az-Zarqā). Its name means "the blue one".

Geography[link]

Zarqa is Jordan's industrial centre, located in the zarqa River basin, is home to over 50% of Jordanian factories. The growth of industry in the city is the result of low real estate costs and proximity to the capital, Amman, situated only 25 km south west of Zarqa. Although inhabited since the first century A.D., the city of Zarqa was established by immigrants from the Caspian Sea region at the beginning of the twentieth century, initially on the banks of the Zarqa River, the population grew steadily with the construction of the Hejaz railway by the ottomans. The bases of the Jordanian army, formerly called the Arab Legion, were located in Zarqa.

History[link]

The zarqa train station of the Ottoman-built Hejaz Railway

The Zarqa Trade Center

The first settlement in the city was in 1902 by Chechen immigrants who were displaced from the wars between the Ottoman and Russian Empires. They settled along the Zarqa River. At that time a station on the Hejaz railway was built in the new settlement, this railway station turned Zarqa into an important hub. On April 10, 1905 the Ottoman governor issued a decree that allowed the Chechen immigrants to own lands which they settled on. The population then quickly grew in size. On November 18, 1928 the new Jordanian government issued a decree to establish the first municipal council for Zarqa.

After the Transjordan Frontier Force was formed in 1926, military bases were constructed in the city by the British army, and the city later became known as the "military city".^[1] The headquarters of Jordan's Arab Legion was in Zarqa.

Demographics[link]

With an estimated metropolitan population of about 700,000 in 2010, Zarqa has the third largest metropolitan population in Jordan after Amman and Irbid, whilst the city of Zarqa has the second largest population after Amman with a population of about 500,000.

Districts of Greater Zarqa Municipality[link]

A view from Zarqa city center

The Engineering Building in Zarqa Private University

The city of Zarqa is divided into five districts that all together have an area of about 60 km², and another two districts within the radius of influence of the city.

Economy and Infrastructure[link]

The Amman-Zarqa highway

In Zarqa city centre at night

A residential neighborhood in Zarqa

Transportation[link]

Zarqa is connected by the Hejaz railway to Amman to the south and to Syria to the north. A new railway is currently under construction to connect Amman with Zarqa. Zarqa lies on the international highway that connects Saudi Arabia with Syria, and on the international Amman-Baghdad highway.

Industry[link]

Several facilities that are vital to Jordan's economy are based in Zarqa, such as Jordan's only oil refinery plant. According to the Zarqa Chamber of Commerce, 10% of Jordan's total exports in 2011 came from Zarqa Governorate amounting to more than 512 million US$. ^[2] Leather and Garment products constituted about 52% of Zarqa'a exports, followed by chemical, agricultural and pharmaceutical products.

Education[link]

There are three universities in Zarqa, the largest of which is Hashemite University, other community colleges and research centers are based in Zarqa such as the Al-Zarqa Educational & Investment: Hashemite University,^[3] Al-Balqa` Applied University-Zarqa College,^[4] and Zarqa Private University.

See also[link]

Jordan portal

• Railway stations in Jordan
• Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

References[link]

External links[link]

• Zarqa Discussion Forum (Arabic)

Coordinates: 32°05′N 36°06′E / 32.083°N 36.1°E / 32.083; 36.1

v t e Governorates of Jordan North Region Irbid Jerash Ajloun Mafraq Central Region Amman Balqa Zarqa Madaba South Region Aqaba Karak Ma'an Tafilah files Dictionary Books Quotes Resources Portal

Zarqa Nawaz (Born 1968 in Liverpool, England) is a British-Canadian freelance writer, journalist, broadcaster, and filmmaker of Pakistani origin.

Biography[link]

A Muslim woman of Pakistani origin, she was raised in the Toronto area and attended Chinguacousy Secondary School. Initially, Nawaz planned to go to medical school. She completed a Bachelor of Science degree from University of Toronto. She completed a second degree in journalism at Ryerson University in 1992. She worked with CBC Radio, CBC Newsworld, CBC Television's The National, and CTV's Canada AM, and was an associate producer of several CBC Radio programs including Morningside. Her 1992 radio documentary The Changing Rituals of Death won multiple awards at the Ontario Telefest Awards. Stating that she became "bored of journalism", she took a summer film workshop at the Ontario College of Art & Design and began working as a filmmaker, using comedy to explore the relationships between Muslims and their neighbours in contemporary North America. She has described the goal of her production company, FUNdamentalist Films, as "putting the 'fun' back into fundamentalism".

In an interview with Prairie Dog Magazine, Nawaz said her screenplay Real Terrorists Don't Bellydance was "inspired by movies like True Lies and Executive Decision". She describes it as a "new genre of film", a cross between a terrorist flick and a comedy: "I call it a 'terrordy.'" ^[1] Her use of humour in the television series Little Mosque on the Prairie attracted media attention ranging from CNN and The Jerusalem Post to The Colbert Report even before it aired, prompting the CBC to broadcast it months ahead of its original schedule.

Nawaz's CBC show Little Mosque on the Prairie was inspired by her documentary 'Me and the Mosque'. Nawaz felt that mosques would be run differently if imams were recruited from North America instead of being brought from overseas where cultural differences, especially when it came to women, affected how the imams behaved with their congregation.

Zarqa Nawaz is the mother of four children and lives in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Short films[link]

• BBQ Muslims (1995) - Two Muslim brothers are accused of terrorism after their barbecue explodes in their backyard.
• Death Threat (1998) - A young Muslim novelist claims to have received a death threat in order to get her book published.
• Random Check (2005) - A young man, late for his wedding, turns to the media after being arrested at the airport as the result of racial profiling.
• Fred's Burqa (2005) - A stolen burqa leads to mistaken identity, a career change and true love.

Screenplays[link]

• Real Terrorists Don't Bellydance (2003) - a struggling actor inadvertently takes a role as a stereotypical Muslim terrorist, to his fiancée’s chagrin

Feature-length films[link]

• Me and the Mosque (2005) - documentary about the role of women in Islam, both throughout history and in contemporary Canada, told from a personal perspective.^[2]

Television series (writer)[link]

• Little Mosque on the Prairie (2007 – present) - comedy about relations between Muslims and non-Muslims living in a small Saskatchewan town

See also[link]

• List of Pakistani journalists

References[link]

1. ^ AlterNet: Movie Mix: My Big Fat Muslim Movie
2. ^ NFB - Collection - Me and the Mosque

External links[link]

• FUNdamentalist Films website
• CBC Interview
• Little Mosque on the Prairie, Allah is Great – and Funny, taz 2007
• Artist profile from Video Pool
• Gill Deacon Show: Little Mosque on the Prairie, Zarqa Nawaz, the creator of the new Muslim sitcom „Little Mosque on the Prairie“ talks about her inspiration for the show.
• Muslim Public Affairs Council Banquet with Zarqa Nawaz
• Zarqa Nawaz at the Internet Movie Database
• Famous Canadian Immigrant Filmmakers

This article is an orphan, as few or no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; suggestions may be available. (July 2011)

Ali Khattab (July 4, 1977) is an Egyptian composer and guitarist.^[1] In his works, he combines the elements of two musical worlds and traditions: The Arab-Oriental and the Gypsy-Andalusian, flamenco.^[1][2] From the age of seventeen, the time when he first starts performing on stage, everything he does is meant to lead him to one place: the cradle of flamenco, Jerez de la Frontera. From then on, Ali spends a lot of time in Andalucia, meeting and performing with influential flamenco musicians, singers, guitarists, and dancers who introduce him to the true universe of flamenco. Following a tour in Spain and the middle east, Ali Khattab's first album named "Al Zarqa",^[3][4] (Blue eyed brunette) was released in March 2010 in Madrid, Spain.^[5] In a recent radio interview the artist explained that his music as the name of his album is like a blue eyed brunnete a mix of two worlds in perfect harmony.

Discography[link]

• 2010 Al-Zarqa

Track listing

1. Tangos Del Nilo
2. Al Zarqa
3. Sueño Claro en Jerez
4. Sueño Claro
5. Olé Umm Kulthum
6. Adiós
7. Al Andalus
8. Notas Mediterráneas

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ali Khattab On Facebook
• Ali Khattab Official Myspace