...I found myself in the ancient town of Salt ( السلط As-Salt — pronounced As-Sult or As-Sàlt).Salt was the regional capital of Transjordan during the Ottoman period, and the only town of any size in this region on the east bank of the Jordan River. The town took its current form in the late 19th century when merchants from Nablus arrived to expand their trading base to both sides of the river. These merchants brought along with them skilled craftsman and architects who constructed the beautiful Ottoman-style buildings that remain in the town today. Emir Abdullah considered making Salt his capital, but it is rumored that he was not well received there so he chose Amman to stake his claim instead.
After the 1948 war, Salt was cut off from its original trade routes and it began to decline, while Amman began to grow. Therefore, the town has seen none of the modernization that Amman has. This is not necessarily a bad thing as Salt remains quiet and clean compared to its big brother to the southeast.
Ottoman architecture in this region is defined by the long arched doorways and windows:
The old market street:
The town is known for its friendliness. This was demonstrated to us first-hand when a nice man on the street invited us to his home for tea. He wanted to tell us about the town, his family history, and he wanted to find out why the heck we were walking around there. The town was so friendly, in fact, that the cats and dogs got along nicely:
The blogger in the old Ottoman town square:
So if you are in Jordan with time on your hands... don't pass the Salt.
1 comment:
Just couldn't leave the pun out of it, could you? :P
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