Raghadan Flagpole

A view of Amman with the Raghadan Flagpole

The Raghadan Flagpole is a 126.8-metre (416 ft) tall flagpole located in Amman, Jordan.[1] It was built from steel and erected on the grounds of Raghadan Palace at the royal compound of Al-Maquar. The leader of Jordan, King Abdullah II, officially hoisted the country's flag on 10 June 2003. It was the tallest free-standing flagpole in the world at the time, and is clearly visible across the capital as well as from as far away as 20 kilometres (12 mi). It is illuminated, making it visible at night, and was also developed to withstand earthquakes and bad weather.[1]

It flies a 60-by-30-metre (200 by 100 ft) flag. Although it is a distinctive landmark, the excessive noise created during high winds has resulted in the flag being lowered during periods of bad weather.[1][2]

This free-standing flagpole surpassed the previous record-holder, which was located in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and had held the record since 2001.[3] The Raghadan Flagpole is 4.8 metres (16 ft) taller than the one located in the United Arab Emirates. In 2004, the flagpole lost its status as world's tallest following the construction of the Aqaba Flagpole.[4] The latter stands at 130 metres (430 ft) tall, and is also located in Jordan. As of 2015, Raghadan is the 7th-tallest free-standing flagpole in the world. The tallest flagpole now is the 170-metre (560 ft) Jeddah Flagpole, constructed in 2014. All three flagpoles were constructed in the Dubai port of Jebel Ali by the United States-based company Trident Support in sections 12 metres (39 ft) long from 50 millimetres (2.0 in) thick steel plates.[5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jordan flagpole hits new heights". BBC News. 10 June 2003. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  2. ↑ George, Alan (2005). Jordan: Living in the Crossfire. London: Zed Books. p. 155. ISBN 978-1-84277-471-7. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  3. ↑ "Abu Dhabi claims world's tallest flagpole". BBC News. 26 November 2001. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  4. ↑ Matthew Fadden; Jill Rajek (July 2007). "There's a Flagpole Spec?" (PDF). Modern Steel Construction. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  5. ↑ Daniel Bardsley (7 August 2008). "Dubai wants tallest flagpole". The National (Abu Dhabi). Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010.

External links

Coordinates: 31°58′8.15″N 35°56′8.18″E / 31.9689306°N 35.9356056°E / 31.9689306; 35.9356056

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