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Al-Maquar

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Al-Maquar

Al-Maquar (Arabic: المقر, romanized: al-Maqarr, lit. 'the Headquarters') is a royal residential complex in Amman, Jordan. The compound spans 40 hectares and serves as the residence of the royal family of Jordan. The area was originally the camp-site for the armies of the Arab Revolt, who captured Am

man in 1918. The first palace to be built on the complex was the Raghadan Palace, completed in 1926. Raghadan became the official residence of the first King of Jordan, King Abdullah I, who then went on to commission the construction of two more, smaller palaces in the 1930s; Al-Ma'wa (المأوى, al-Ma’wā, 'the Sanctuary') and Al-Qasr as-Saghir (القصر الصغير, al-Qaṣr aṣ-Ṣaġīr, 'the Small Palace'). Construction on another, larger project, the Basman Palace, began in 1950. Although it was originally intended solely as a guesthouse, Basman became King Hussein's primary residence after he ascended to the throne in 1953, at the age of 18, following the death of Abdullah I and the brief reign of his father Talal. The King changed residence in the 1970s, this time to the Hashimiya Palace to the north-west. Following his move, Basman Palace became the official offices of the Royal Court, a function...

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