Mu'tah

This article is about the town in Jordan. Not to be confused with Mut'a, the temporary marriage.

Mu'tah (Arabic: مُؤْتَة, Muʿtah)^[1] is a town in Karak Governorate in Jordan. Mutah University is located in the city.^[2][3][4]

City of Mu'tah مَدِينَة مُؤْتَة
City
City of Mu'tah
Coordinates: 31°6′N 35°42′E
Grid position	216/055
Country	Jordan
Province	Karak Governorate
Elevation	820 m (2,690 ft)
Population  (2015)[1]
• Total	27,426
Time zone	GMT +2
• Summer (DST)	+3
Area code	+(962)2

History

In Islamic tradition, it is known for the Battle of Mu'tah in 629 CE, the first military engagement between the Arab Muslims under Muhammad and the Byzantine Empire. Mausolea were built nearby for some of those fallen in said battle, namely Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, 'Abd Allah ibn Rawahah, and Zayd ibn Harithah.^[5][6]

In 1596 it appeared in the Ottoman tax registers named as Muta, situated in the nahiya (subdistrict) of Karak, part of the Sanjak of Ajlun. It had 14 households; all Muslim. The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on agricultural products; including wheat, barley, summer crops, olive trees/vineyards/fruit trees, goats and bee-hives; in addition to occasional revenues. The total tax was 6,000 akçe.^[7]

See also

• Levant
• Sahaba

References

1. "The General Census - 2015" (PDF). Department of Population Statistics.
2. "Humanities and Social Sciences Series". Mutah.edu.jo. 2010-03-07. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
3. "Natural and Applied Sciences Series". Mutah.edu.jo. 2010-03-07. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
4. "Jordan Journal of Arabic Language and Literature". Mutah.edu.jo. 2010-03-07. Retrieved 2012-05-14.
5. Al-Maqdisi, p. 178 and Yaqut, IV, p. 677; cited in Le Strange 1890, pp. 509–510
6. Abu'l-Fida, p. 247; cited in Le Strange 1890, p. 479
7. Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 171

Bibliography

• Hütteroth, W.-D.; Abdulfattah, K. (1977). Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century. Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft. ISBN 3-920405-41-2.
• Le Strange, G. (1890). Palestine Under the Moslems: A Description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.