Dhiban, Jordan
Dhiban
ذيبان | |
|---|---|
City | |
Ancient Dhiban with modern settlement in the background, looking south | |
| Coordinates: 31°29′56″N 35°47′8″E / 31.49889°N 35.78556°E | |
| Country | Jordan |
| Governorate | Madaba Governorate |
| Founded | 2000 BC |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Mayor | Salim Hawawsheh |
| Area | |
• City | 10.24 km2 (3.95 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 20.35 km2 (7.86 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 726 m (2,382 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Metro | 13,043 |
| Time zone | GMT +2 |
| • Summer (DST) | +3 |
| Area code | +(962)5 |
Dhiban (Arabic: ذيبان, romanized: Ḏībān) is a Jordanian town located in Madaba Governorate approximately 70 kilometres south of Amman and east of the Dead Sea. It was the site of an ancient Moabite town (Moabite: 𐤃𐤉𐤁𐤍, romanized: Daybōn;, Biblical Hebrew: דִּיבוֹן, romanized: Diḇon,)
Previously nomadic, the current community settled the town in the 1950s. Dhiban's current population is approximately 15,000, with many residents working in the army, government agencies, or engaged in seasonal agricultural production. Several young people study in nearby universities in al Karak, Madaba, and Amman. Most inhabitants practise Islam.