Things to see and do As-Salt

The Touquan House is a beautiful building dating from the beginning of the 20th century. The entrance is located on the first floor while the first floor was used as storage space. The reception rooms encircled the entrance hall, and the kitchen and bathrooms were located at the back of the house. The Touqan family occupied the house until the 1950s, when it became a school. Abandoned in the 1980s, the As-Salt town council decided to restore it in 1990 and turn it into a Museum of Archaeology. Artifacts dating back to the Neolithic period are on display.

The Abu Jaber House is one of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture in Jordan in the late 19th century. This beautiful residence with its dozens of arches on the façade stands in the main square of As-Salt and surpasses all others in its finesse and elegance. It contributes greatly to the inscription of the city on the Unesco World Heritage List. It was built in several stages between 1887 and 1905 for a wealthy merchant in the city, Saleh Abu Jaber. The first floor dates from 1887 and housed the family and the store. In 1896, a second floor was added where the family moved in. The first floor was used for storage and as a residence for visiting guests. In 1905, Saleh Abu Jaber had a third floor added. The family gained more height, while the second floor was allocated to guests and the first floor was used for meetings, trading and horse stables. The building is the first in As-Salt to be equipped with a plumbing system. The roof tiles were imported from Marseille. King Abdullah I resided here in 1922. After the death of Abu Jaber, the upper floors were divided into three separate apartments, one for each of his sons. The first floor has retained its commercial vocation with the installation of stalls. On the^first floor, you will notice that the arched windows have colored stained glass. The house of Abu Jaber was transformed into a museum in 2010. It presents the history of the city and its rich heritage.

This handicraft production centre, established under the auspices of the Noor Al-Hussein Foundation, works in pottery, mosaics and weaving, among other things. Traditional embroidery is one of the arts applied here. The centre provides training for future craftsmen in order to preserve know-how and provide a job for people who are far from the cities and from employment. The creations, sometimes original, are sold in the showroom. The workshops can be visited freely.

At the top of the city you will find the ruins of an ancient Ayyubid fortress dating from the 13th century. It was probably built in 1220 by King al-Ma'azzam Isa bin Ayoub, the nephew of Saladin. The small barracks that can be seen around it date from 1870. They are reached by an imposing staircase that seems to never end. The interior of the fort is completely gutted and left to nature. Only the external walls remain, which were 6 meters high. There is still a beautiful view of the city.