In July 2021 the city of Salt in Balqa, Jordan, has been nominated as the 6th UNESCO World Heritage Site succeeding Petra, Wadi Rum, Qasir Amra, Umm Ar-Rasas, and the Baptism Site.
The city of Salt, located just northwest of Amman, has all the time attracted settlers since the Iron Age at least. It is located on the ‘Frontier of Settlement’, namely the line between the desert, the fertile soil, and plentiful water. The city is well-known to have all the time provided security from marauders, perfectly placed on the north-south trade routes, and served as linking the interior with Jerusalem, Nablus, Nazareth and the Mediterranean coast. This city proudly has a mixed Muslim-Christian population who enjoy brotherly relations and thus create an atmosphere of tolerance and common living.
When you walk the streets of Salt today, and take in its aura of timelessness, stop and remember that it has stood the test of time, being continuously inhabited for centuries upon centuries, and served as a city of peace. The first modern Church was built there, along with the first hospital and school. Shops spread, and houses are made from yellow stone.
The city of Salt, located just northwest of Amman, has all the time attracted settlers since the Iron Age at least. It is located on the ‘Frontier of Settlement’, namely the line between the desert, the fertile soil, and plentiful water. The city is well-known to have all the time provided security from marauders, perfectly placed on the north-south trade routes, and served as linking the interior with Jerusalem, Nablus, Nazareth and the Mediterranean coast. This city proudly has a mixed Muslim-Christian population who enjoy brotherly relations and thus create an atmosphere of tolerance and common living.
When you walk the streets of Salt today, and take in its aura of timelessness, stop and remember that it has stood the test of time, being continuously inhabited for centuries upon centuries, and served as a city of peace. The first modern Church was built there, along with the first hospital and school. Shops spread, and houses are made from yellow stone.
