Salt, Jordan
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Salt (Arabic: السلط As-Salt — pronounced As-Sult or As-Sàlt) is an ancient agricultural town and administrative centre in west-central Jordan. It is on the old main highway leading from Amman to Jerusalem. Situated in the Balqa highland, about 790-1100 metres above sea level, the town is built in the crook of three hills, close to the Jordan River valley. One of the three hills (Jebal Al Qal'a) is the site of a 13th century ruined fortress.
The city has 330,570 inhabitants (2000), 6.5% percent of Jordan's total population.
[edit] History
This ancient town was once the capital of Jordan. A half-hour drive northwest from Amman transports you back in time to a town of picturesque streets and dazzing houses from the late Ottoman period, with their characteristic long-arched windows.
The town was known as Saltus in Byzantine times and was the seat of a bishopric. At this time the town was considered to be the principal settlement on the East Bank, of the Jordan River. The settlement was destroyed by the Mongols and then rebuilt during the reign of the Mamluk sultan Baybars I (1260-1277) and became a regional capital once more during the time of the Ottoman Empire. In the early 1830s, Salt was again attacked, this time being blown up during a raid by the Egyptian viceroy Ibrahim Pasha in his campaigns against Palestine.
Salt's heyday was in the late 19th century when traders arrived from Nablus to expand their trading network eastwards beyond the River Jordan. As a result of the influx of newcomers this period saw the rapid expansion of Salt from a simple peasant village into a town with many architecturally elegant buildings, many built in the Nablusi style from the attractive honey-coloured local stone. A large number of buildings from this era survive to the present day making the modern town a popular tourist location for those seeking a few hours away from the hustle and bustle of nearby Amman.
After World War I, the town was the site which Herbert Samuel, British high commissioner for Palestine and Transjordan, chose to make his announcement that the British favoured self-government for Jordan (which was finally granted in 1921).
When King Abdullah I rose to power, As-Salt seemed to be the city that would be chosen as the capital of the new kingdom since most of the industry and commerce flowed through here. When King Abdullah I visited the city, he was met with hostility from its residents so he moved the capital to present-day Amman which was a small city of only 20,000 people and the city experienced rapid growth.
Great cities are built with strength, plentiful water supplies, and great natural beauty. Al Salt is definitely one of these great cities.it has not changed with time for it remains young and vibrant over the years.
[edit] Agriculture
Salt is famed in Jordan for its fertile soils and the quality of its fruit & vegetable harvest, particularly Olives, Tomato Grapes & Peaches. Indeed, it is speculated that the town's name provided the root for Sultana, a certain type of raisin.
Wadi Shu'aib (Valley of Jethro) is one of the largest agricultural sites in Salt city, it's a large valley with large agricultural areas. It is named after one of the prophets in Islam (as well as Christianity and Judaism), prophet Shoaib (Jethro), who was the father in law of Moses and one of the descendants of Ibrahim (Abraham). Most private owned farms are located there, where they grow Grapes, Olive Trees and more of fruit trees. It is of interest to note that around 1920, Salt was the largest city in TransJordan and had the only high school. The present King great grandfather Prince Abdullah picked the city as the capital of his emerging emirate but changed his mind and moved his compound and entrourage to the small village of Amman when he and the notables of Salt had a disagreement.
