# Shoubak
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{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Shoubak
|native_name = الشوبك
|nickname =
|settlement_type = Town
|image_skyline = Shoubak2.jpg
|imagesize = 250px
|image_caption =
|image_flag =
|pushpin_map = Jordan
|pushpin_label_position =
|subdivision_type =Country
|subdivision_name = [Jordan](/source/Jordan)
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = [Ma'an Governorate](/source/Ma'an_Governorate)
|government_type = Municipality
|established_title = Municipality established
|established_date = 2001
|leader_title = [Mayor](/source/Mayor)
|leader_name = Adel Al-Rafayah
|area_metro_km2 = 15
|area_metro_sq_mi =
|population_as_of = 2015
|population_total = 4275
|population_metro = 19279
|population_footnotes = [{{cite web|url=http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_home_a/main/population/census2015/No_of_pop_depand_on_GOV.pdf|format=|title=The General Census - 2015 |publisher=Department of Population Statistics}}]
|timezone =[GMT](/source/Greenwich_Mean_Time) +2
|utc_offset =
|timezone_DST = +3
|coordinates = {{coord|30|31|08|N|35|33|28|E|region:JO|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name = [PAL](/source/Palestine_Grid)
| grid_position = 205/993
|area_code = +(962)3
|elevation_m = 1330
|elevation_ft =
|elevation_footnotes = [{{Cite web |url=http://www.shoubak.gov.jo/2008/content/society/history.php |title=Shoubak Municipality |access-date=2009-11-21 |archive-date=2009-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627085739/http://www.shoubak.gov.jo/2008/content/society/history.php |url-status=dead }}]
|website =
}}
'''Shoubak''' ({{langx|ar|الشوبك}}) is a municipality that lies at the northwestern edge of the [Ma'an Governorate](/source/Ma'an_Governorate) in [Jordan](/source/Jordan). It had a population of 19,297. At one of the highest elevations above sea level in Jordan, this municipality is famous for apple and fruit farms. The [Crusader](/source/Crusades) castle [Montreal](/source/Montr%C3%A9al_(castle)) is located in Shoubak.
==History==
[[File:Montreal Castle 01.jpg|thumb|left|The [Crusader](/source/Crusades) castle [Montréal](/source/Montr%C3%A9al_(castle)) in Shoubak.]]
===Antiquity and Middle Ages===
Shoubak was first settled by the [Edom](/source/Edom)ites who had their capital in [Busaira](/source/Bozrah) in neighboring [Tafilah Governorate](/source/Tafilah_Governorate), in the second millennium BC. It was then settled by the [Nabataeans](/source/Nabataeans) in the first millennium BC.
Shoubak is known for its [Crusader](/source/Crusades) castle [Montreal](/source/Montreal_(Crusader_castle)). Along with [Petra](/source/Petra) and [Aqaba](/source/Aqaba), Shoubak forms the third head of this triangle that lies on the cross road between [Syria](/source/Syria), [Saudi Arabia](/source/Saudi_Arabia) and [Egypt](/source/Egypt). Its unique high elevation (1330 m above [sea level](/source/sea_level)) gave it a strategic importance.
The importance of Shoubak reached its peak after [Baldwin I of Jerusalem](/source/Baldwin_I_of_Jerusalem) took control. The Montreal castle was built on top of a hill in 1115. Shoubak was annexed to the [Ayyubid dynasty](/source/Ayyubid_dynasty) by [Saladin](/source/Saladin) in 1187. In the early 16th century, the Arab Christian community migrated to [Gaza](/source/Gaza_City) which became the largest Christian center in Palestine.[{{cite book |last1=Panchenko |first1=Constantine A. |title=Arabic Christianity between the Ottoman Levant and Eastern Europe |date=24 August 2021 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-46583-1 |page=36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SnU_EAAAQBAJ |access-date=18 January 2024 |language=fr}}]
In 1596 it appeared in the [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Syria) [tax registers](/source/Defter) under the name of ''Sawbak'', situated in the ''[nahiya](/source/nahiya)'' (subdistrict) of Sawbak, part of the ''[Sanjak](/source/Sanjak)'' of [Ajlun](/source/Ajlun). It had 65 households who were [Muslim](/source/Muslim), in addition to 5 Christian households. They paid taxes on various agricultural products, including [wheat](/source/wheat) (5500 a.), [barley](/source/barley) (2000 a.), vineyards/fruit trees (1000 a.), goats and bee-hives (1800 a.); in addition to occasional revenues (1000 a.) and a [water mill](/source/water_mill) (120 a.). Their total tax was 14,000 [akçe](/source/ak%C3%A7e).[Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 173]
Shoubak became a ''[nahia](/source/Nahiyah)'' in 1894, and administratively belonged to the [Ottoman](/source/Ottoman_Empire) [Kerak](/source/Kerak) department.
===Modern history===
{{See also|Shoubak Revolt}}
The city of Shoubak revolted against the Ottomans in 1900 and in 1905. During the [Arab Revolt](/source/Arab_Revolt), [T. E. Lawrence](/source/T._E._Lawrence) entered Shoubak in Feb. 1918, commenting, "We went over the ridge and down to the base of the shapely cone, whose mural crown was the ring-wall of the old castle of Monreale, very noble against the night sky." Upon departure, he wrote, "...we skated timorously down the rapid path to the open plain across which still stretched the Roman road with its groups of fallen milestones, inscribed by famous emperors."[{{cite book |last1=Lawrence |first1=T. E. |title=Seven Pillars of Wisdom |date=1935 |publisher=Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. |location=Garden City |pages=495–497}}]
In 1961, there were 4,634 inhabitants in Shaubak.[Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p06.pdf 6]]
In 1973, it was ranked up to a ''[qadaa](/source/qadaa)''. In the 31st Administrative Divisions System of 1995, Shoubak became a full department within [Ma'an Governorate](/source/Ma'an_Governorate) benefiting from the decentralization program.
==Geography==
thumb|left|Shoubak is known for its cold winters.
Shoubak is located at an area bordering Tafilah Governorate to the north and [Aqaba Governorate](/source/Aqaba_Governorate) to the west. It is administratively in Ma'an Governorate.
Due to its high elevation, Shoubak experiences freezing winters, but the summer season is dry due its proximity to the [Arabian Desert](/source/Arabian_Desert).
The Köppen-Geiger climate classification is Csb, but very close to Dsa and BSk. The average annual temperature in Shoubak is {{convert|12.7|°C|1}}. About {{convert|317|mm|2|abbr=on}} of precipitation falls annually.
==Climate==
{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y
|collapsed = Y
|location = Shoubak, elevation {{convert|1300|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Jan high C = 9.1
|Feb high C = 10.3
|Mar high C = 14.3
|Apr high C = 19.0
|May high C = 22.5
|Jun high C = 26.5
|Jul high C = 27.5
|Aug high C = 28.3
|Sep high C = 25.9
|Oct high C = 22.7
|Nov high C = 17.1
|Dec high C = 12.2
| year high C =
|Jan mean C = 6.2
|Feb mean C = 8.7
|Mar mean C = 12.5
|Apr mean C = 14.1
|May mean C = 20.8
|Jun mean C = 22.6
|Jul mean C = 24.1
|Aug mean C = 23.9
|Sep mean C = 21.8
|Oct mean C = 19.5
|Nov mean C = 13.3
|Dec mean C = 9.4
| year mean C =
|Jan low C = 0.3
|Feb low C = 0.3
|Mar low C = 2.7
|Apr low C = 5.4
|May low C = 7.3
|Jun low C = 10.1
|Jul low C = 12.6
|Aug low C = 13.5
|Sep low C = 10.0
|Oct low C = 8.4
|Nov low C = 5.2
|Dec low C = 1.5
| year low C =
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 72
|Feb rain mm = 62
|Mar rain mm = 41
|Apr rain mm = 29
|May rain mm = 5
|Jun rain mm = 1
|Jul rain mm = 0
|Aug rain mm = 0
|Sep rain mm = 0
|Oct rain mm = 4
|Nov rain mm = 41
|Dec rain mm = 57
|year rain mm = 312
| Jan humidity = 70
| Feb humidity = 67
| Mar humidity = 61
| Apr humidity = 50
| May humidity = 41
| Jun humidity = 38
| Jul humidity = 42
| Aug humidity = 52
| Sep humidity = 64
| Oct humidity = 62
| Nov humidity = 55
| Dec humidity = 68
| year humidity =56
|source 1 = Arab Meteorology Book[{{cite web
| url = http://extras.springer.com/2007/978-1-4020-4577-6/Book_Shahin_ISBN_9781402045776_Appendix.pdf
| title = Appendix I: Meteorological Data
| publisher = Springer
| access-date = 14 October 2024
| archive-date = March 4, 2016
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072830/http://extras.springer.com/2007/978-1-4020-4577-6/Book_Shahin_ISBN_9781402045776_Appendix.pdf
| url-status = dead
}}]
|date=14 October 2024
}}
==Demographics==
The national census of 2004 showed that the total population of Shoubak was 12,590 persons, of whom 5,666 are males (45%) and 6924 are females, constituting 55% of the total population. There were 1,663 households with an average of 5 persons/household. Almost the entire population is [Muslim](/source/Muslim).[{{Cite web |url=http://shoubak.gov.jo/2008/content/statistics/housing.php |title=السكان ومؤشراتهم في منطقة البلدية | language=ar | trans-title=Population and their indicators in the municipal area |access-date=2009-12-28 |archive-date=2010-02-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211233113/http://www.shoubak.gov.jo/2008/content/statistics/housing.php |url-status=dead }}]
==Economy==
thumb|View from the Montreal castle.
Agriculture forms the major source of income for Shoubak, followed by tourism. Benefiting from its high altitude of more than 1,300 m above sea level, the countryside of Shoubak extends to about 189 km2 of olive, vegetable and fruit farms, mainly apple farms surrounding and within the town of Shoubak, resulting in the city spanning a relatively large area. There are 129 honey bee farms in the town's countryside, making it a major producer of honey.[{{Cite web |url=http://www.shoubak.gov.jo/2008/content/statistics/agriculture.php |title=Shoubak Municipality |access-date=2010-02-08 |archive-date=2010-02-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211232641/http://www.shoubak.gov.jo/2008/content/statistics/agriculture.php |url-status=dead }}]
==Education==
The college of agriculture of [Al-Balqa` Applied University](/source/Al-Balqa%60_Applied_University) is located in Shoubak. The Regional Center of Agricultural Research and Technology Transport is also located in Shoubak.
==Notable people==
* [Eid Dahiyat](/source/Eid_Dahiyat), Minister of Education
* Taha Ali Al-Habahbeh, Minister of State.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book
| title = First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population
| author = Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics
| year = 1964
|url=http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensus1961bits.pdf}}
*{{cite book
| last1= Hütteroth|first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth
| first2=K. | last2=Abdulfattah |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah
| title = Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century
| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ
| year = 1977
| publisher = Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft
|isbn= 3-920405-41-2}}
{{Refend}}
==External links==
* [http://www.shoubak.gov.jo Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100522115311/http://www.shoubak.gov.jo/ |date=2010-05-22 }}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Municipalities in Jordan
Category:Populated places in Ma'an Governorate
Category:1894 establishments in the Ottoman Empire
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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Shoubak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoubak) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoubak?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.