A Pinch of Salt

Salt, or Es-Salt, is a town 20km (15 miles) northwest of Amman that was a regional capital under the Ottomans. It might have become the capital of Transjordan had the railway from Damascus reached it instead of nearby Amman in the 1920’s. However because of this, Salt did not experience the modernization (i.e. destruction) that has affected the capital. Instead much of the Ottoman architecture, built with limestone in the Nabulsi style (Turkish and Italian influences), remains intact and makes for a wonderful half day trip out of Amman.

Salt is actually not named for the condiment that the title of this entry suggests, but stems rather from the ancient Greek work ‘saltos’, meaning ‘thick forest’. Thetown is not frequented by tourists and we were as much of an attraction to the locals as their beautiful town was to us. I had to remind myself a few times that I was not actually walking through a small

town in Italy, as beautiful pinkish-honey colored limestone buildings with ornate doors and brightly painted shutters wound their way up small alleys and steep staircases. Grape vines draped over balconies and attached themselves to buildings, while the pedestrian only Hammam Street, beautifully tiled and lined with shops and fruit and veg vendors, beckoned us to wander aimlessly.

As the heat was once again a problem we spent some time in the Abu Jaber mansion. Located right in the center of town, this former residence is now the home of a local history museum that highlights the heyday of Salt

when it was a major player in the trading network of the Middle East. In addition, most of the rooms are laid out as they were in the early 1900’s with ornately painted murals on the walls and ceilings, allowing us a glimpse of how it might have been to live in this lavish residence in this quaint, did I already say beautiful?, town.