Zarqa

Zarqa is regarded as Jordan's third largest urban settlement but now part of the ever-growing urban sprawl of Amman.

Zarqa is Jordan's industrial centre. It 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.

There are three universities in Zarqa, the largest of which is Hashemite University. The other two are Al-Balqa` Applied University and Zarqa University. Other community colleges and research centres are based in Zarqa such as the Al-Zarqa Educational & Investment Centre.

In September 2020, massive explosions occurred at an army munitions depot for mortars near Zarqa, caused by an electric short circuit.

Bus rapid transit is the most convenient and cheapest way to reach Zarqa from Amman.

Zarqa is connected by the Hejaz Railway to Amman to the south and to Syria to the north. A new railway is 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.

• 🌍 The global village of the animal (القرية العالمية للحيوان), ☏ +962 7 9997 4889. Another kind of sad zoo for the animals who live in confined spaces with little to no landscaping or stimulation. But maybe the zoo means well, or the animals like watching the people anyway. Pretty lions and lots of monkeys. (updated Oct 2020)