Mahis

Mahis (Arabic: ماحص‎, romanized: Māḥis, alternatively spelled Mahas) is a town in the Balqa Governorate northwest from the governorate's capital Salt, and 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) west of Amman. Its population was 17,754 in 2015. Most of the population of Mahis descends from the Abbadi tribe.[2] (Arabic: العبادي‎). The mountainous town is located at over 800 meters (2,600 ft),[3] with views on the Jordanian valley, West Bank with Jerusalem's walls visible on the horizon. Mahis is known for its orchards and its numerous water fountains and springs, notably the Fountain of Mahis.

Mahis

ماحص
Town
Late winter in Mahis, 2005
Mahis
Location in Jordan
Coordinates: 31°59′N 35°46′E
Country Jordan
GovernorateBalqa Governorate
DistrictMahis and Fuheis
SubdistrictMahis and Fuheis
Elevation
2,600 ft (800 m)
Population
 (2015)[1]
 • Total17,754
Time zoneUTC+2 (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (UTC+3)

History

Mahis is believed to emerged during the Roman period, when it bordered Jewish Perea and the territory of Philadelphia - Amman of the Decapolis, and in the Byzantine period between the territory of the dioceses of Gadara and Philadelphia.[4] The name comes from the Arabic word (Arabic: محص‎) meaning to check out and examine due to its status as a border check point.

The village was listed in the 1915 Ottoman census for the district of Salt as Mahis and the tribe of Jabara and had a population of 505.[5] By the early 1980s, the town became a practical suburb of the capital Amman.[6]

Religious importance

In Mahis there is a shrine of Khidr, a single room surrounded by a small garden with a green flag on top.[7][8] Near Mahies (2 km West of Mahis) in an area called Wadi Shuaib, is the grave of prophet Shuaib, or Jethro in the biblical tradition.[9]

Economy

Mahis is based on an agrarian economy, including wheat, barley, and tobacco as well as pomegranates, grapes and olives. The importance of agriculture is decreasing, though figs and olives are still a primary source of income. The area also produces natural goods such as kaolin which is then produced in the neighboring city Fuhais.[10] The southern part of the Mahis territory called Almeda also attracts tourism due to its forested mountains and location near the Dead Sea/West Bank as well as Amman. Mahis also focuses on education and is well known for its higher education academic disciplines.

Demographics

In the 2015 Jordanian census Mahis had 3,284 households for a total population of 17,754, of whom 47.6% were females and 52.4% were males.[1] The inhabitants largely descend from the Jabara (Jubarah) section of the Abbad tribal confederation.[6]

  • Farms in Mahis
  • Site from Mahis towards the Jordanian valley
  • The tomb of Khidr, a revered figure in Islam
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References
  1. "The General Census - 2015" (PDF). Department of Population Statistics.
  2. Bawazir.com Archived 2007-02-04 at the Wayback Machine (Arabic Online)
  3. Indexmundi.com Online.
  4. RICERCA STORICO-ARCHEOLOGICAIN GIORDANIA XXIII - 2003 (Pdf file Research by Basema Hamarneh)
  5. Barakat, Nora Elizabeth (Spring 2015). An Empty Land? Nomads and Property Administration in Hamidian Syria (PDF) (PhD). Berkeley: University of California. p. 158.
  6. Layne, Linda L. (1994). Home and Homeland: The Dialogics of Tribal and National Identities in Jordan. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 48, note 2. ISBN 978-0-691-19478-3.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  7. Zain-Eldin, Mustafa Bin-Hashim (Summer 2003). "Jordan: The Land of Prophets" (PDF). Islamic Tourism (7): 66–74. Retrieved 2010-12-27.
  8. The American Schools of Oriental Research Archived 2008-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Online
  9. Peterjclark.tripod.com Online.
  10. Jordandevnet.org Online Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine

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