The Founding King’s Palace in Maan
The Founding King’s Palace bears witness to the role of the Hashemites in achieving the ambitions of the Great Arab Revolt. Prince Abdullah bin Al Hussein set up headquarters at one of the buildings of the Hijaz Railway Station in Maan built in 1904 AD (1322 Hijri), when he came to the city on 21 November 1920. The building was called the National Defence Headquarters.
From this building, Prince Abdullah began to take political decisions, announcing himself as a regent for his brother King Faisal (King of Syria), who had been assigned to work towards the liberation of Syrian land from the French occupation after the Battle of Maysaloun. The building became a command and administration centre, and from it the journey to establish the Jordanian state started on 2 March 1921 to Amman.
Also in this building, the first newspaper in Transjordan was published under the name Al Haq Yaalu. It was a weekly of which five issues were published, including four in Maan and one in Amman.
Work is currently underway to renovate the building, which has come to be known as the Founding King’s Palace, to turn it into a comprehensive national museum covering a major historical phase that started with the Great Arab Revolt, arriving at the establishment of the Jordanian state.
