Maan

Maan məänˈ [key], town (1996 est. pop. 18,000), S Jordan. It is the terminus of the country's main rail line (which extends to Damascus, Syria) and carries on trade in agricultural produce. Important since biblical times, Maan was a point on an early Middle Eastern caravan route and on the pilgrimage road to Mecca. A modern desert highway links Maan and Medina. The ancient Nabatean trading town of Petra is in Maan's hinterland.

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