Bazaar
June 2016
A very strange set of circumstances led me to As Salt. It all started in Diriyah, Riyadh on a visit with AQ when we were serendipitously invited to lunch by a Jordanian couple [see: Diriyah, Riyadh]. Along with showing us kindness and hospitality they spoke a lot about Jordan and especially their hometown, As Salt. The guy said the bazaar in town was unique in that it was built on a series of stairs through the center of the town. That stuck with me - if I ever made it to Jordan, I had to get to As Salt.
Fast forward a couple of years and I went to Jordan and NH was my guide. On that first visit, we did not have the time to visit As Salt, but the plan did not die. I LOVED Jordan and planned a return trip. On that return trip, meeting NH yet again but having him be far busier due to his impending wedding, I was more on my own. One day in Amman I decided to find a taxi and make a trip to As Salt. It was only a short drive outside of the capital. A driver was recommended to me by a friendly Palestinian guy in a coffee shop near the hotel. He showed up and spoke decent English. We haggled on the price and set a time. I was finally headed to As Salt.
The Romans, Byzantines and Mameluks all contributed to the growth of the city, but it was at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, when the Ottomans established a regional administrative capital in Salt and encouraged settlement from other parts of their empire, that Salt enjoyed its most prosperous period.
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Salt's heyday was in the late 19th century, when traders arrived from Nablus to expand their trading network eastwards beyond the Jordan River. As a result of the influx of newcomers this period saw the rapid expansion of Salt from a simple village into a city 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 as of 2009.
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...the town was the site which Herbert Samuel, British High Commissioner of Palestine, chose to make his announcement that the British favoured a Hejazi Hashemite ruled entity on the East Bank of the Mandatory Palestine (current Jordan). This wish became reality in 1921 when Abdullah I became Emir of Transjordan. Salt seemed to be the city that would be chosen as the capital of the new emirate since most of the industry and commerce flowed through Salt. During this period Salt had no high schools. Even so, Abdullah picked the city as the capital of his emerging emirate but later changed his mind and moved his compound and entourage to Amman when he and the notables of Salt had a disagreement. Amman at that time was a small city of only 20,000 people which experienced rapid growth.
(Wikipedia)
As Salt had almost been the capital of Jordan!
The taxi driver arrived in the old downtown and parked. He reminded me that I was not to get "lost" or "dilly dally" too much as the later afternoon traffic in Amman would be awful (which was true). I wandered the streets of the small historic center and marveled at the old buildings from its 19th century heyday. They were mostly crumbling into ruin, but a few had been restored here and there. As Salt sat on a late Ottoman treasure trove of buildings - it was even a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I found the "bazaar on the stairs", too. It was pretty much like that man in Riyadh had described except far smaller than I had envisioned.
Few tourists go to As Salt, so although the place was full of people, I was the only tourist tramping around. I got more than a few puzzled looks. Jordanians may look dour and often scowling, but they are also incredibly friendly and helpful. I was never worried for my safety. Unfortunately, I was racing against the clock. I should have had someone with me to explain more of the city as I had no idea about what I was seeing as I wandered. The problem with tourist trailblazing is definitely lack of information unless traveling with a local guide. After I finished roaming, I found the taxi driver who smiled and asked if I had taken all the photos I needed. We were soon headed back to traffic-clogged Amman.
During a random art gallery visit in Riyadh, I was invited to lunch where I met some Jordanians who spoke lovingly of their hometown. I eventually checked it out and they were right - it was one of my best finds in Jordan "on my own".
Petra, of course, was beyond my imagination, but those few hours in As Salt are also among my favorite memories of the Hashemite Kingdom.