Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
distract you too much from the enticing menu, which highlights regional cuisine including
fresh St Peter's fish from the Jordan River.
Information
The
site
( 8am-6pm)
can be entered free at several points, including via the Pella Rest
House on the hill.
Anyone with a specific interest should buy
Pella
(JD3), published by Al-Kutba and
available in major bookshops around Jordan.
Getting There & Away
From Irbid's West bus station, minibuses go to Al-Mashari'a (800 fils, 45 minutes),
though be sure to get off before Al-Mashari'a at the junction. Pella is a steep 2km walk
uphill from the signposted turn-off but occasional minibuses ascend to the rest house if
they see visitors heading for the ruins. Minibuses and service taxis travel regularly from
Amman's North Bus Station to Deir Alla (800 fils, one hour) close to the Pella junction.
With your own car, the ruins are an easy day trip from Irbid, Jerash or Amman. Explor-
ing the scenic back roads to Ajloun (25km) takes a bit of a nose for navigation but is
worthwhile for the insights into rural life among the olive groves that it affords.
Salt
05 / POP 70,000 / ELEV 814M
Progressing along the Jordan Valley in either direction, it is worth taking a 30-minute de-
tour into the hills to visit the characterful old town of Salt. Part of the fun of the visit is
climbing to a viewpoint and marker, 10 minutes from the valley floor, which indicates sea
level (
Click here
for an account of the route). If you were just about anywhere else on the
planet, you'd be surfacing for air at this point.
The town itself is set in a steep-sided, narrow valley. During Ottoman rule, Salt was the
region's administrative centre, but was passed over as the new capital of Trans-Jordan in
favour of Amman. Consequently, Salt never experienced the intense wave of modernisa-
tion that swept across the capital, and as a result has retained much of its historic charm.
Today, much of Salt's downtown is a living museum of Ottoman-period architecture.
