A City A Day

Sidon  or  Saïda  ( Arabic :  صيدا ‎ ,  Ṣaydā ;  Phoenician :  ,  Ṣydwn ;  Greek :  Σιδών ;  Latin :  Sidon ;  Hebrew :  צידון ,  Ṣīḏōn ,  Turkish :  Sayda ) is the third-largest city in  Lebanon . It is located in the  South Governorate  of Lebanon, on the  Mediterranean  coast, about 40 km (25 mi) north of Tyre  and 40 km (25 mi) south of the capital  Beirut . In  Genesis , Sidon is the son of  Canaan  the grandson of  Noah . Its name coincides with the modern Arabic word for fishery. Tyre  ( Arabic :  صور ,  Ṣūr ;  Phoenician :  ,  Ṣur ;  Hebrew :  צוֹר ,  Tzor ;  Tiberian Hebrew   צר ,  Ṣōr ;  Akkadian : 𒋗𒊒  Ṣurru ;  Greek :  Τύρος , Týros ;  Turkish :  Sur ;  Latin :  Tyrus ) is a city in the  South Governorat...

Tripoli  ( Arabic :  طرابلس ‎ /  ALA-LC :  Ṭarābulus ; [note 1]   Lebanese Arabic :  Ṭrāblos ; [2]   Greek :  Τρίπολις  /  Tripolis ) is the largest  city  in northern  Lebanon and the second-largest city in the country. Situated 85 km north of the capital  Beirut , it is the capital of the  North Governorate  and the  Tripoli District . Tripoli overlooks the eastern  Mediterranean Sea , and it is the easternmost  seaport  in Lebanon. It holds offshore a string of four small islands, the only surviving islands of Lebanon. The largest of these islands, the  Island of Palm Trees , was declared a protected reserve by UNESCO  in 1992 for its rich  ecosystem  of trees, green  sea turtles , and exotic  birds . With the history of Tripoli dating back to the 14th century BCE, it is home to the largest  fortress  in Lebanon (the Citadel of Ray...

Beirut  ( Arabic :  بيروت ‎  Bayrūt ,  Greek :  Βηρυττός ,  Latin : Berytus,  Aramaic : Birot בירות,  French :  Beyrouth ) is the capital and largest city of Lebanon . As there has been no recent population census, the exact population is unknown; estimates in 2007 ranged from slightly more than 1 million to slightly less than 2 million. Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's  Mediterranean  coast, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport. The Beirut metropolitan area consists of the city and its suburbs. The first mention of this metropolis is found in the  ancient Egyptian   Tell el Amarna  letters, dating from the 15th century BC. The city has been inhabited continuously since then. Beirut is Lebanon's  seat of government  and plays a central role in the Lebanese economy, with many banks and corporations based in its Central District ,  Hamra Street ,  R...

Aqaba  ( Arabic :  العقبة ‎  al-ʻAqabah  , "the Burden") is a Jordanian coastal city situated at the northeastern tip of the  Red Sea . Aqaba is the largest city on the  Gulf of Aqaba  and Jordan's only coastal city. The city of Aqaba is the southernmost part of Jordan and the capital of  Aqaba Governorate . Aqaba is one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan, and famous for its warm water and rich marine life. It is best known today as a seaside and diving resort and also as a home for Jordan's mega projects. However, industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's only  seaport .

about 60,000. It is best known for its  Byzantine  and  Umayyad   mosaics , especially a large Byzantine-era mosaic map of The Holy Land. Madaba is located 30 kilometers south-west of the capital  Amman .

Amman  ( English   pronunciation:   / ɑː ˈ m ɑː n / ;  Arabic :  عمان ‎  ʿAmmān  ) is the capital and largest city of  Jordan . It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. [2]  The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost 6.5 million by 2025 due to constant and rapid immigration. The recent economic growth experienced in Amman is unmatched by any other Arab city except those located in the Gulf. [3]  Amman is also the administrative seat of the homonymous  governorate . Amman is also ranked a Gamma  global city  on the  World city  index. Amman was named one of the  MENA 's best cities according to economic, labour, environmental, and socio-cultural factors. Amman is among the most popular locations for multinational corporations ...

Jerash , the  Gerasa  of Antiquity, is the capital and largest city of  Jerash Governorate  ( محافظة جرش ), which is situated in the north of Jordan , 48 kilometres (30 mi) north of the capital  Amman  towards Syria. Jerash Governorate's geographical features vary from cold mountains to fertile valleys from 250 to 300 metres (820 to 980 ft) above sea level, suitable for growing a wide variety of crops. A strong earthquake in 749 AD destroyed large parts of Jerash, while subsequent earthquakes along with the wars and turmoil contributed to additional destruction. Its destruction and ruins remained buried in the soil for hundreds of years until they were discovered by  German   Orientalist   Ulrich Jasper Seetzen  in 1806 [2]  to begin excavation and to return life to rise to the current Jerash by inhabitants of old villages. Then followed 70 years after by the community of Muslims, Circassians, who emigrated to Jordan fr...

Irbid  ( Arabic :  إربد ‎), known in ancient times as  Arabella  or  Arbela , is the capital and largest city of the  Irbid Governorate . It also has the second largest metropolitan population in  Jordan  after  Amman , with a population of around 660,000, and is located about 70 km north of  Amman  on the northern ridge of the  Gilead , equidistant from  Pella , Beit Ras ( Capitolias ), and  Umm Qais . The city of Irbid is the second largest city in Jordan by population (after  Amman ). Metropolitan Irbid is the second largest. The province of  Irbid Governorate  has the second largest population, and the highest population density in the kingdom. The city is a major ground transportation hub between Amman,  Syria  to the north, and  Mafraq  to the east. The Irbid region is also home to several colleges and universities. The two most prominent universities are...

Yanbu' al Bahr  ( Arabic :  ينبع البحر ‎,  Yanbuʿ al-Baḥr , "spring by the sea"), also known simply as  Yanbu ,  Yambo  or  Yenbo , is a major  Red Sea  port in the  Al Madinah  province of western  Saudi Arabia . It is approximately 300 kilometers north-west of  Jeddah  (at  24°05′N   38°00′E ). The population is 188,430 (2004 census). A large number of the residents are foreign  expatriates  working in the oil refineries and petrochemical industry, mostly from Asia, but there are also large numbers from the Middle East and Europe.

Jubail  ( Arabic : "الجبيل"  Al Jubayl ), is a city in the  Eastern province  on the  Persian Gulf  coast of  Saudi Arabia . It is the Largest industrial city in the  Middle East . It also holds the middle east's largest and world's 4th largest petrochemical company. It comprises the Old Town of Al Jubail, which was a small fishing village until 1975, and the new industrial area. Jubail industrial city is the largest  civil engineering  project in the world today. In 1975, the Saudi government designated Jubail as the site for a new industrial city. Rapid expansion and  industrialization ensued. The new industrial and residential areas were named Madīnat al Jubayl aṣ Ṣinā`īyah (Jubail Industrial City). The 2005 Census Report for Jubail Industrial City estimates the resident population at 224,430.

Khobar  (also written  al-Khobar  or  al-Khubar ;  Arabic :  الخبر ) is a large city located in the  Eastern Province  of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  on the coast of the  Persian Gulf . It has a population of over 500,000 and forms part of the greater  Dammam metropolitan area along with  Dhahran , which together have a combined estimated population of over 2,500,000 reaching 3,000,000. All three urban centers are served by the  King Fahd International Airport , the distance to the airport terminal from Khobar is about 50 km (30 Miles). Many of Al Khobar's residents work for  Saudi Aramco , the world's largest  oil company , Al Khobar also hosts and is preferred by many of the most important regional and international companies as its base. Traditionally, Khobar has also been a city of shopkeepers and merchants, and the city today has many modern malls and boulevards with shops run by internationa...

Dammam  ( Arabic :  الدمام ‎  Ad Dammām ) is the capital of the  Eastern Province  of  Saudi Arabia , the most oil-rich region in the world. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province and several government departments are located in the city. Dammam is the largest city in the Eastern Province and forms part of the greater Dammam metropolitan area along with Dhahran  and  Khobar , which together have a combined population of over 2,500,000.and the fifth largest in Saudi Arabia, after Riyadh ,  Jeddah ,  Mecca  and  Medina . It is an important commercial hub and port. [ citation needed ] Dammam, and the rest of the Eastern Province, is served by the  King Fahd International Airport  (KFIA), the largest airport in the world in terms of land area (approximately 780 km 2 ), about 20 km to the northwest of the city. Dammam's King Abdul Aziz Sea Port is the largest on the  Persian Gulf ....

Medina  ( / m ɛ ˈ d iː n ə / ;  Arabic :  اَلْمَدِينَة اَلْمَنَوَّرَة ‎,  al-Madīnah al-Munawwarah , “the radiant city” (officially), or  اَلْمَدِينَة   al-Madīnah ), also officially  transliterated  as  Madinah  on Saudi maps and in modern Islamic literature generally, is a modern city in the  Hejaz region of western  Saudi Arabia , and serves as the capital of  Al Madinah Province . An alternative name is  Madinat Al-Nabi ("The City of the Prophet," i.e.  Muhammad ). The Arabic word  madinah  simply means "city." Before the advent of Islam, the city was known as  Yathrib  but was personally renamed by  Muhammad . It is the second holiest city in  Islam  after  Mecca  and the burial place of the  Islamic Prophet   Muhammad . Medina is critically significant in  Islamic History  for being where  Muhammad 's final religious base was esta...