As-Salt

The Place of Tolerance

and Urban Hospitality
Volume II
Conservation Management Plan
As-Salt
The Place of Tolerance
and Urban Hospitality
Volume II
Conservation Management Plan

September 2019
 Working group responsible for the preparation of the nomination dossier

File Coordinator, Author & Preparer:

Dr. Rami Farouk Daher

Members of the World Heritage File Technical Committee

HE Eng. Khaled Al Khshman/Mayor of As-Salt Greater Municipality
Dr. Monther Jamhawi/Former Director of the Department of Antiquities
Mrs. Lina Abu Saleem/Director of As-Salt Development Projects Unit
Mr. Jihad Haroun /Senior Technical Expert

Members from As-Salt City Development Projects Unit

Ms. Bayan F. El Faouri, Ms. Sarah Al Khshman
Ms. Toqa H. Al-Bqour, Ms. Sakha`a Al Jbour

Team Members from TURATH: Architecture & Urban Design Consultants

Ms. Ola Shaker, Ms. Jomana Baddad, Mr. Tamer Al Batran, Mr. Bashar Talib,
Mr. Raja Abdelmalek, Mr. Firas Hamdan, Mr. Fawzi Bata, Mr. Yassin Al Tubor,
Mr. Mazen Al Khoja, Ms. Amira Issa, Mr. Shaher AlHmood.
Interns: Ms. Sura Al Halalsheh, Mr. Mohammad Hayajneh,
Mr. Zaid Issam, Ms. Hala Abu Hamda, Ms. Saja Hamad

Working Group
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 1. Introduction & Background 1

1.a Site Information & Location 2

1.b Purpose & Scope of the Conservation Management Plan 5
1.c Methodology Statement 6
1.d International Conservation Policy Guidance 7
1.e Introduction to Cultural & Conservation Management Planning 8

2. Identification & Description (Site Understanding & Analysis) 11

2.a Urban Social History: As-Salt in Socio-Historical & Cultural Contexts 12

and the Evolution of the Settlement from a Peasant Rural Community to a
Southern Ottoman Frontier in Trans-Jordan
2.b Understanding the City’s Architectural and Urban Context 34

3. Assessment of Significance, Management Context, & Physical Condition 84

3.a The Specificity of the City of Salt: The Place of Tolerance, Symbiosis and 85
Urban Hospitality
3.b As-Salt: An Example of a Living Heritage with its Tangible and Intangible 108
Attributes Continued and Transformed into the Future
3.c Assessment of Values and Significance 109
3.d Assessment of Authenticity & Integrity 116
3.e Physical Condition Assessment for Buildings & Open Spaces (Present State 121
of Conservation)
3.f Assessment of Management Context 191
3.g Assessment of Tourism & Visitor Management Context 212
3.h Analysis of Other Factors Affecting Conservation (Threats) 215

4. Response (Protection, Conservation & Management) 217

Table of Contents 4.a General Conservation Vision 218

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 4.b Current & Future Protection Measures for the Historic City Core of 219
As-Salt
4.c Future Policies Regarding Conservation & Management 232
4.d Future Strategies Regarding Conservation & Management 234
4.e Implementation Plan 240

5. Monitoring Strategy 247

5.a Key indicators for measuring state of conservation 248

5.b Administrative arrangements for monitoring property 252
5.c Results of previous reporting exercises 253

6. Bibliography 257

7. Annexes 267

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Introduction
& Background

1
1.a Site Information & Location

1.b Purpose & Scope of the

Conservation Management Plan

1.c Methodology Statement

1.d International Conservation Policy

Guidance

1.e Introduction to Conservation

Management Planning
As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
1.a
Site Information
& Location
The historic urban core of the city of As-Salt is
located in The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Jordan is administratively divided into 12 districts
or governorates; the city of As-Salt is located in
one of these 12 governorates: Al-Balqa.

The site is located within the city and is part of

Greater As-Salt Municipality (GSM) which is
administratively part of Al-Balqa Governorate. As-
Salt City is considered the capital of the Al-Balqa
Governorate. The total population of the Al-Balqa
Governorate, based on a 2015 census is four hundred Diagram.1
and ninety one thousands and seven hundred and
nine (491,709), while the total population of Jordan
Map of the world
is 9,531,712. The total area of Al-Balqa Governorate Balqa
Irbid

Ajlun
Mafraq showing Jordan
is 1,120 km2; while the total area of Jordan is 89,431
Jarash
Governorate

km2. Al- Balqa Governorate is bounded by Al-Zarqa Zarqa

Madaba

River from the north and Wadi (valley) Al-Mojeb

Amman

from the south. It is also bounded by the River Karak

Jordan from the West. Tafilah

Diagram.2
Map of Jordan
Ma`an

Aqaba
showing all
governertaes

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 Located in Zone: 36 S

The area of the As-Salt historic urban core is of

24.68 hectares.

The point at the approximate center (C) of the

nominated property:
32° 02’ 33.4” N — 35° 43’ 41.9” E.

The limits of As-Salt historic urban core are

identified by the following five points:
As Salt 1. 32° 02’ 33.4” N — 35° 43’ 41.9” E
2. 32° 02’ 10.3” N — 35° 43’ 48.4” E
3. 32° 02’ 05.3” N — 35° 43’ 41.2” E
4. 32° 02’ 16.4” N — 35° 43’ 26.4” E
5. 32° 02’ 25.1” N — 35° 43’ 21.7” E

The area of the proposed buffer zone for the site is

of 71.12 hectares.

Balqa Governorate The limits of the proposed buffer zone are identified
by the following Six points:
Diagram.3 6. 32° 02’ 41.6” N — 35° 43’ 31.1” E
Map of Balqa 7. 32° 02’ 12.5” N — 35° 43’ 52.0” E
8. 32° 01’ 58.4” N — 35° 43’ 59.2” E
Governorate 9. 32° 02’ 15.7” N — 35° 43’ 19.9” E
within Jordan, 10. 32° 02’ 27.2” N — 35° 43’ 11.6” E
11. 32° 02’ 28.7” N— 35° 43’ 26.8” E
identifying the
Greater Salt The total area of As-Salt historic urban core and
buffer zone together is of 95.80 hectares.
Municipality
� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
1.b
Purpose & Scope of the
Conservation Management
Plan
As a historic urban landscape, As-Salt historic
urban core represents an exceptional example of
a living heritage with a strong link between its
intangible attributes (tolerance and cohabitations
among Muslim and Christian communities; urban
hospitality; and socio-urban welfare system); and
tangible attributes (significant architecture and
urban morphology) during a particular period in
the development of the city known as the Golden
Age ranging from the 1860s to the middle of the
1920s. Being an example of a living heritage site;
the conservation management plan objectives
are to: sustain and preserve the quality of the
urban environment; enhancing the continuous
use of the public urban spaces; conserving the
architecture, and supporting & promoting social
and functional diversity within this historic urban
core. Furthermore, the vision thrives to research,
plan, and implement different processes and
levels of interventions leading to the continuity
of traditions and protection and conservation of this
exceptional historic city core of As-Salt for future
generations. Such processes and different levels
of intervention will entail measures and actions
related to protection, conservation, interpretation
and presentation of this most valuable cultural • Evaluate existing visitors’ experience and
heritage site in addition to processes related to
visitor management and creating awareness about
provide recommendations for future heritage
tourism management and tourists’ experiences
the specificity of this historic core in order to convey enhancement.
its important messages to the general public and
to humanity at large.
The main objectives of this Conservation
Management Plan undertaken by As-Salt Greater
Municipality is to:
• Provide a detailed understanding and
assessment of the existing situation through the
mapping of architectural and urban attributes.
• Conduct a “State of Conservation Reporting” by
evaluating previous “conservation works” that
occurred and previous alterations and additions.
• Conduct thorough research on the existing
level of authenticity of both material, form and
feeling in addition to research Site significance.
• Conduct an evaluation of the physical
condition identifying problems and
needed repair and maintenance issues.
• Evaluate existing protection and management
practices and provide recommendations
for future protection, conservation, and
management of the architectural and urban
attributes of the Site.
� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
1.c
Methodology Statement
Our approach is based on considering this cultural
property (historic urban core of As-Salt) as a historic
urban landscape (HUL) which is the result of
historic layering and transformation of cultural,
natural, and social values and attributes that
extended beyond the notion of only buildings or
a historic ensemble to rather include the broader •
urban and natural setting on one hand; and socio-
cultural and architectural attributes on the other.
The wider context includes the site’s topography,
urban morphology, architecture & the built •
environment in addition to the various urban
open spaces, alleyways, steps, and other urban
types and spatial organizations. This approach
of a historic urban landscape (HUL) also includes
social and cultural practices, values, and attributes
(the intangible dimensions of urban heritage that •
is related to diversity and identity).
The research approach and methodology adopted
during the preparation of this managment plan •
file was based on multi-method approach which
included the use of several research methods to
arrive closer at the specificity and nature of this
living heritage of the historic urban core of the
City of As-Salt and contextualize its tangible and
intangible attributes. These methods included:
• Extensive surveys and mapping conducted by Municipality; Library of Congress, Palestinian
the File Coordinator and team in collaboration
with Greater As-Salt Municipality of the
Exploration Fund, California Museum of
Photographs (Riverside), Brooklyn Museum
architectural and urban characteristics in NY City, University of Oxford archives in
of the area under study. This includes a the United Kingdom, and the Australian War
comprehensive survey and mapping of the Memorial. The archival research also addressed
city’s natural, cultural, architectural, and various aerial photographs from different years
urban realities and attributes on one hand during the 20th century.
and its socio-cultural attributes on the other.
Extensive literature review on the
city’s urban social history and on its
architectural, urban, and cultural heritage.
Selective ethnographic encounters and
interviews with elderly (men and women)
of the city. Prior to these meetings, an
interview guide was designed which
helped in directing the discussions.
Meetings and Interviews with key historians
of the city. Prior to these meetings, an
interview guide was designed which
helped in directing the discussions.
An extensive archival research addressing
historic photos of the city from the middle of
the 19th century up to the 1930s and 1940 of the
20th century. Sources for these historic photos
were diverse and included personal collections,
travelers historic documents , and other
sources such as the archives of Greater As-Salt
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1.d concerning the Safeguarding and particular is very much related as it addresses
International Conservation Contemporary Role of Historic Areas; not only General Criteria, but also Research &
Diagnosis, and Remedial Measures and Controls.
Policy Guidance • The 1987 ICOMOS Charter for the
Conservation of Historic Towns and • Proposals Concerning the Desirability of a
Urban Areas (Washington Charter) Standard-Setting Instrument on Historic Urban
All proposed designed and interventions shall
Landsacpes (August 2011, UNESCO).
comply with accepted principles and procedures
• The Nara Document of Authenticity (1994).
embodied in international conventions and charters.
Charters and international conventions represent
• USA Secretary of the Interior’s Standards
the international concern for the conservation,
fo r Hi sto r i c Pre s e r va t i o n ( 1 97 9).
interpretation, and presentation of the cultural
heritage for future generations. Conventions and
• The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS
Charters represent collective thought, they have a
Charter for the Conservation of Places
philosophical background and practical application.
of Cultural Significance (1980, 1999).
It is important to understand the dogma and
practices inspired by these conventions and charters
• Charter for Sustainable Tourism (1995) &
of which some had been important mile stones in
International Cultural Tourism Charter (1999).
the progression of heritage theory and practices
such as:
• The 2005 UNESCO Convention on
the Protection and Promotion of the
• The Venice Charter (UNESCO International Diversity of Cultural Expressions,
Charter for the Conservation and
Restoration of Monuments and Sites) (1964). • ICOMOS Ename Charter for the Interpretation
of Cultural Heritage Sites (2005).
• UNESCO Convention Concerning the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural • Charleston Declaration on
Heritage (World Heritage Convention) (1972). H e r i t a g e I n t e r p r e t a t i o n ( 2 0 0 5 ).

• ICOMOS Cultural Tourism Charter (1972). • ICOMOS Charter (Principles for the Analysis,
Conservation, and Structural Restoration of
• The 1976 UNESCO Recommendation Architectural Heritage (2003), this Charter in

� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

1e contexts; and coming up with responses in the
Introduction to Cultural & form of policies and strategies. The preparation of
management plans for cultural sites could proceed
Conservation Management through a 3 tier process:
Planning
The Conservation Management Plan offers a
collective vision and provides a decision making
tool that would guide future conservation and
intervention within the site. It is value-driven
and through a participatory and interdisciplinary
process will balance conservation needs and
tourism development demands. Being a collective
vision to the management of cultural and natural
sites, the management plan provides an anchor to
accommodate how different stakeholders relate to
the site and to its management.
An effective conservation management plan should
be capable not only of guiding policy makers and
planners involved with the site but should also
engage with the fullest variety of stakeholders in
order to secure a long term and sustainable future
for the Site.
Different researchers have orchestrated and came
up with planning mechanisms for conservation,
interpretation, and management for cultural
sites. Several scholars (Demas 2002; Greene 1999;
Sullivan 1997; de la Torre 1995) developed useful
and insightful frameworks that depended on
Fig.1. Cultural Site
identification of site and its associated stakeholders; and Conservation
Management Planning
assessment of values, significance, and management Process Methodology
Chart

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- Identification & Description: understanding - Response: come up with a vision, establish policies,
of the site, its documentation, and stakeholder and develop strategies for future conservation &
analysis. A through documentation that takes the management of the site. During this stage, we will
form of measured drawings of different nature and establish policies addressing how the values of the
scales are produced of the Site. Furthermore, this Site would be preserved for future generations and
stage would also address researching the various conveyed to the public. Objectives would address
what will be done to translate policies into action.
stakeholder groups associated with the site (which is
a continuous process that continues on during laterFurthermore, strategies would be developed
addressing how the objectives will be put into
stages). Finally, this stage ends with identifying the
main aims behind preparing the management plan. practice. Policies are considered the critical link
between the assessments of values, conditions,
- Assessment: of management context, physical and management context on one hand; and the
condition, and cultural significance values. This objectives and strategies on the other. In general,
important stage (Assessment) is mostly about the policies would address:
following:
• Philosophy and approach for future excavations
• Assessment of Cultural Site Significance (and and research
values) addressing why the site is important • Philosophy and approach for future
and for whom. conservation and maintenance of the site and
• Assessment of the physical condition of the its cultural and natural features and contexts.
site in addition to assessment of potential • Future Sites interpretation and presentation
environmental and physical threats and to the general public
challenges. This also includes an assessment • Future tourism and visitation management
of previous excavations and conservation works • Future policies regarding management context
conducted on the site ending with a state of and staff organization setup.
conservation reporting. • Future policies regarding assets management
• Assessment of the management context • Future policies regarding training and capacity
identifying the ongoing constrains and building.
opportunities that will affect the conservation
and management of the site.

� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Identification &
Description (Site
Understanding &
Analysis)

2.a Understanding the City’s

Architectural and Urban Context

2
2.b Urban Social History: As-Salt in
Socio-Historical & Cultural
Contexts and the Evolution of
the Settlement from a Peasant
Rural Community to a Southern
Ottoman Frontier in Trans-Jordan.

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

2.a
Understanding the City’s
Architectural and Urban
Context
Introduction
Our approach is based on considering this cultural
property (historic urban core of As-Salt) as a historic
urban landscape (HUL) which is the result of
historic layering and transformation of cultural,
natural, and social values and attributes that
extended beyond the notion of only buildings or
a historic ensemble to rather include the broader
urban and natural setting and architecture on one
hand; and socio-cultural practices, and values on
the other.
Urban Social History: Salt in Socio-Historical
& Cultural Contexts and the Evolution of the
Settlement from a Peasant Rural Community to
a Southern Ottoman Frontier in Trans-Jordan.
• Ottoman Reforms and Extending Ottoman
Rule into the Southern Frontiers of the
Empire
The transformation of As-Salt during the 19th
century from a rural village on the eastern part
of River Jordan into a thriving urban southern
frontier during the later Ottoman period could not
which presented As-Salt to these urban bourgeois
merchants as the new southern economic frontier
be comprehended without a clear understanding in the region emerging in what was known then as
of the late Ottoman various reforms during the
second half of the 19th century triggered by
Trans-Jordan. In 1890, Salt was linked to Damascus
by telegraph, and remained the southernmost station
the intensions to extend Ottoman rule into the in the Syrian network until June 1900. Another
southern frontiers of the Arab provinces. This major Ottoman investment in communication and
era known as the Golden Age for the city of As- road networks was the establishment of the Hijaz
Salt; spanning around 7 decades (from the early Railroad Line across Trans-Jordan at the turn of
beginnings of these Ottoman reforms (known as the 20th century. Part of Ottoman reforms was
Tanzimat Othmaniah around the 1860s) until also the building of schools and mosques and the
the beginning of the second decade in the 20th dispatching of religious instructors and teachers to
century (1920s) when the socio-political and urban As-Salt. As-Salt emerged as a new Ottoman urban
focus shifted to Amman: the capital of the newly- frontier in Trans-Jordan. The City demonstrated
established state of Emirate of East Jordan; is the the interconnections between both a tribal and an
focus of our study. emerging urban culture with strong connection to
The extending of Ottoman rule led to a series of
transformations in economic, cultural, and urban
realities of As-Salt addressing administrative,
infrastructure (e.g., public roads, public buildings,
security, and communication systems), educational
Fig.2. Ottoman
and health care reforms and transformations that Saraya Building
worked to transform the tribal individual of the
area into an Ottoman urban subject and encouraged
also the transformation of pastoral tribes into full-
time cultivators; and also triggered the migration
into As-Salt of urban merchants from nearby cities
such as Nablus, Beirut, Damascus, and Jerusalem
Fig.3. Small Mosque
who were drawn to As-Salt due to the advancing of As-Salt
of security in the region and also due to the new
economic opportunities of trade and agriculture
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 Diagram.4
A. Territories
of the Ottoman
Empire in the in the
19th Century
B. Ottoman
Provinces of Bilad
Al Sham (Levant)
A C. Ottoman
Districts of Trans-
Jordan in the
second half of the
19th Century

C
B
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the hinterland around it.
• Urban Bourgeois Merchants Drawn to As-
Salt (The New Economic Frontier)
One very significant group that contributed to
the transformation of As-Salt from a small rural
village in the first half of the 20th century to a
thriving urban center were groups of migrating
urban bourgeois merchants drawn to As-Salt
after extending Ottoman rule, security and
reforms to these southern frontiers of the empire.
Intensified security (due to Ottoman reforms)
and the agricultural production of the region
(including very good quality grains) were the
primary attractions that encouraged these urban
merchants to flock to As-Salt where they diversified
their economic activities to include in addition
to trade and agriculture, the accumulation of
agricultural property. Migrating families came
from Nablus, Jerusalem, and Hebron in Palestine;
from Damascus in Syria; from Lebanon, and from
as far north as Turkey.
Merchants’ activities drew Transjordan into the
regional economy of Ottoman Syria and the
Mediterranean world beyond. They emerged as a
distinct social elite, and this was manifested by the
homes they have commissioned to be built fronting
main public spaces of the city such as Hammam
Street and Al Ain Plaza.
These urban bourgeois houses, as will be explained
later in this document, should be seen as a testimony
to their social position, and to cultural exchange
manifested in the circulation of architectural types
and images within the region producing a unique
and particular urban sophistication in As-Salt
towards the begining of the 20th century. A rich
and distinctive social life was emerging based on
a combination of tribal customs and newly urban
social norms with unique manifestations such as a
special urban hospitality, a distinctive urban setting
and architecture, and a harmonious co-habitation
between Muslims and Christians on one hand, and
different ethnic groups on the other.
Traded products with the region and with
international markets included pastoral and
agricultural products. Pastoral traded goods
included livestock (sheep, horses, camels) and
their sub products (wool, Samn (butter), and dried
yogurt (Gameed); agricultural products included
grains, grapes, raisins and a special plant (Kali or
Qili) whose ashes are an important ingredient in
the production of soap. These traded products
from the Balqa region from As-Salt hinterland
played a key role in the integration of Trans-Jordan
into regional and international markets through
Nablus, Jerusalem, Damascus, Beirut, and Haifa.
Grapes, of different types, were considered one of
the most important types of agricultural produce
in As-Salt and the Balqa’ region. Raisins were sold
primarily through Jerusalem and Nablus, and were
exported from Yaffa (Jaffa) to European markets as
well. Specialty markets in Hammam street and
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Sahet al Ain flourished in the second half of the
19th century selling these various pastoral and
agricultural products. In addition, As-Salt included
a livestock market in the lower parts of Hammam
street.
These bourgeois urban merchants brought with
them images, architectural types, and building
techniques from their homes of origins in Palestine
and Lebanon. They introduced to As-Salt (which
was predominantly composed of peasant (Fallahi)
houses) to new building typologies such as the
Central Hall (3-Bay House) with its triple arch
motif and Bilad al Sham (Levant) Town Houses
with their commercial shops on ground floor and
residential 3-Bay configurations on upper floors.
Fig.4. Hammam
Street
Built by migrating builders and masons from Nablus
and Jerusalem, these urban merchants’ houses
were mostly located overlooking public areas (e.g.,
Hammam Street or Al Ain Plaza), and introduced to
As-Salt a particular urban sophistication producing
an urban bourgeois vernacular architecture.
The circulation of images, architectural types,
building techniques and materials culminated in
a cultural exchange that supported a new urban
lifestyle new to As-Salt fused with local tribal/
urban customs of urban hospitality and support and
symbiosis between Muslim and Christian residents
of the City.
Fig.5. Touqan
House- One of the urban
bourgeois merchants
house
Fig.6. Abu Jaber
House
• European Christian Missionaries & Their Trans-Jordan at that time.
Public Works on Body and Soul
Christian missionaries were another major catalyst
of change in As-Salt. Missionaries were the only
Fig.7. Latin Church
European residents in Transjordan, primarily (Roman Catholic
Church)
Britons of the church Missionary Society and the
French and Italian priests of the Latin patriarchate
of Jerusalem. In addition to building churches,
missionaries introduced modern education and
medicine through the opening of schools, clinics
and hospitals which provided new approaches to
diagnosis. Students for the first time in As-Salt
were exposed to the subjects and pedagogy of
European education: the sciences and humanities.
So, towards the second half of the 19th century, the
people of Salt started to entertain relations with
these European missionaries. French missionaries
built the Roman Catholic Church (Known locally
at Latin Church) in 1869-70 very close to the main
square of the city (Sahet al Ain); the Anglican
Church was built in 1867 also close and overlooking
the square above Al-Khader Street. Prior to the
arrival of these Western missionaries, Christians in
Trans-Jordan were mostly Greek Orthodox. Visitors
to the City talk of an inter-sectarian tolerance that
prevailed between Muslims and Christians residents
of As-Salt to the extent that it was very difficult to
recognize one from the other based on appearance,
dress, and cultural norms. Located on the Haddadin
Fig.8. Anglican
Steps overlooking Al Ain Plaza, the English Hospital Church (Church of the
Good Shepherd) and the
was considered the only hospital in the region of English Hospital
�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
• Every Day Life & An Emerging Distinctive
Local Culture: Tolerance, Symbiosis, Urban
Social Welfare, and the Honor of Urban
Hospitality
The As-Salt Urban community, and by the end of
19th century was a remarkable mix of local tribes
and urban bourgeois merchants from Nablus,
Jerusalem, Hebron, Damascus, Nazareth, Lebanon,
and Turkey. A rich and distinctive social life was
emerging based on a combination of tribal customs
and newly urban social norms with influences from
Ottoman and missionary public works and reform.
There were always new comers to town, peddlers,
merchants, or even merchant migrants. This created
a new As-Salti tradition of urban hospitality where
travelers and visitors were welcomed in the urban
merchants own houses for days and were offered
the best in food, drink, and accommodations. The
religious diversity of the community of As-Salt and
its hinterland (Muslims, Greek Orthodox, Roman
Catholics, and Protestants); and the different
ethnicities (Arabs, Turkmans, Kurds, Chechens) was
a point of strength that enjoyed a harmonious co-
habitation, tolerance, and support between Muslims
and Christians on one hand, and different ethnic
groups on the other. This diverse community is
As-Salt shared a dense urban setting and produced
a distinctive architecture and public spaces that
supported this tolerance and symbioses in addition
to producing a distinctive urban social welfare
between neighbors and residents of the City.
This very important trait of tolerance and co-
habitation between Muslims and Christians that
emerged in As-Salt was unique and resulted in
the shaping of an urban fabric in a way where
no divisions (ethnically or religiously) between
residential quarters existed in the City. Many
cultural traits testified to this co-habitation and
tolerance such as sharing each other’s religious
festivals, sharing responsibilities, brotherhood and
fraternity (e.g., brotherhood through breast feeding,
or Brotherhood in blood: this was a symbolic link
where a Muslim and a Christian would consider
each other as a brother and would help each other
when in need). Muslims and Christians joined
together in the veneration of certain local saints
such as prophet Yoush’a (Joshua), the prophet Al
Khader.
Fig.9. The Great
Mosque and the
Anglican Church
(Church of the Good
Shepherd)
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This unique and peaceful co-habitation is
continued into the present, and in fact, As-Salt,
can demonstrate a lesson in such tolerance that
the can benefit many places of the World today.
In As-Salt, a unique and outstanding form of
urban hospitality was manifested not only through
physical buildings (Madafat or Madafas (singular
Madafa)), but also through a social/financial
support system between families that financed
and supported this unique urban hospitality.
More than 12 madafas existed all over the historic
urban core. Today, this tradition and practice is
continued into the present taking similar but
also transformed forms of urban hospitality and
family social welfare. In certain cases, these family
Madafas where individual buildings, and in other
cases, part of the house was dedicated to serve as a
Madafa. The practice of hospitality in As-Salt was
very much linked to family and clan’s honor, and
usually families competed for it.
As-Salt enjoyed a rich, inclusive, and colorful
public life through its various public spaces such
as Hammam Street, Skafiyia Street, and the City’s
square (Sahet al Ain) and also public buildings, (e.g.,
mosques, churches, clinics, schools, Ottoman Sarai,
Telegraph Office, other). Religious holidays for
both Muslim and Christians were also celebrated
in these public spaces through joint processions
and events. As-Salt was a busy mercantile City,
therefore, its shops and streets were always buzzing
with clientele from all over the region. In general,
residents of the city demonstrated many habits
and customs related to urban social welfare (e.g.,
neighbors helping each other in need, neighbors
offering support for a family with a sick family
member, women of the neighborhood gathered
together to help and offer support for a neighbor
who had given birth, neighbors sharing food and
sweets on a daily basis, other).
It was an exceptional urban reality in Trans-Jordan
at the time and within the region that not only
brought an end to the complete bedouinization
of the trans-Jordan at that time; but also drafted
the outlines for a genuine Jordanian urban culture.

Fig.11. Al Khreisat
(Falah Al Hamad House

The unique urban dense fabric of the City provided

the appropriate context for such urban social
welfare. Many houses shared semi-public spaces,
steps, and alleyways, this strengthened the social
relations between members of the community
Fig.10. people shopping
in general. As-Salt stood as a true example of at Hammam street
human common life and friendship, tolerance and
cohabitation, philanthropy, and urban hospitality.

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Understanding the City’s Architectural and trails between the peasant houses were gradually
Urban Context transformed into the various city steps connecting
the newly built houses on the slopes of the city with
the lower public spaces of Sahet al Ain and Hammam
Prior to understanding the city’s architectural Street and the various public buildings and urban
and urban contexts, it is important to attempt to merchant bourgeois houses and producing a unique
understand the specific natural morphology of dense urban reality.
the city and the relationship between this unique
Fig.13. Historic
natural morphology and the emerging urban Aerial photograph of
As-Salt , Sahet Al Ain is
context. As-Salt is composed of several mountains referenced
(Al Qal’a, Al Jad’a, and Al Salalem) that are separated
by valleys (Wadis). Wadi Al Akrad separates between
Al Qal’a and Al Jad’a mountains; while Al Maydan
separates between Al Qal’a and Al Salalem mountains.
Early settlement of peasant houses climbed up the
Qal’a and Jad’a mountains from the Valley where
a water spring existed and later on the main city
square developed (Sahet al Ain).

Sahet Al Ain

Towards the second half of the 19th century when

As-Salt was gradually transformed into a major
urban center in Trans-Jordan, these natural Fig.12. Fallahi House

��
 Fig.14. Section within
Al Khader Street

Fig.15. Section within

Al Ain Plaza

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• Architectural Typo-morphology: Links Al Ain Plaza), and introduced to As-Salt a particular 3-Bay Houses, Bilad al Sham Town Houses), images,
between the city, Its Architecture; and the urban sophistication producing an urban bourgeois building techniques (e.g., Art Nouveau and Neo-
People that Produced It vernacular architecture. Classical motifs and details); but also the circulation
The circulation of images, architectural types, of Modernity art and images popular during the
Understanding the ity’s architectural context and building techniques and materials culminated in Late Ottoman period such as the circulation of
the emergence of various architectural types need a cultural exchange that supported a new urban Art Nouveau paintings and other late Ottoman
to be understood in terms of the relation between Fig.16. Touqan House paintings showing picturesque scenes, ocean liners
in Hammam Street
these various types on one hand, and the people that and locomotives, symbolizing Ottoman Modernity.
produced them and the city’s urban morphology on The cultural exchange resulted in the circulation
the other. As was explained, As-Salt went through of various architectural types, and construction
a major transformation from being a rural village materials and know-how. The emergence of a
in the first half of the 19th century to a thriving merchant bourgeoisie in As-Salt acting as a regional
urban and commercial center in Trans-Jordan and international intermediary between European
towards the second half of the 19th century. This centers and the city was supported by trade
transformation was due to reforms and public works relations; it resulted also in the import of Western
by the Ottomans and Christian missionaries, and industrial construction materials and know-
with the influence of migrating bourgeois urban how. The new emerging architectural typologies
merchants who were drawn to As-Salt since its represented in certain cases a local vernacular
emergence as the new economic southern frontier. tradition with the influence of master builders who
These bourgeois urban merchants brought with merged regional influences with imported materials
Fig.17. View to
them images, architectural types, and building As-Sukkar House, Al and stylistic trends; and in other cases a high style
Mouasher House in the
techniques from their homes of origin in Palestine bottom left architectural tradition by Western and Western-
and Lebanon. They introduced to As-Salt (which educated professionals (but also with influences by
was predominantly composed of peasant (Fallahi) prominent knowledge of master builders such as
houses) new building typologies such as the 3-Bay ’Abd al Rahman Al ’Akrouq). Examples of the latter
House with its triple arch motif and the Bilad al include urban bourgeois mansions (e.g., Abu Jaber,
Sham (Levant) Townhouses with their commercial Touqan, other) and public institutional buildings
shops on the ground floor and residential 3-Bay lifestyle new to As-Salt fused with local tribal/ (e.g., Latin Church designed by the French priest/
configurations on upper floors. Built by migrating urban customs of urban hospitality and support architect Morétain, The Small Mosque, other).
stone masons from Nablus and Jerusalem, these and symbiosis between Muslim and Christian
urban merchants’ houses were mostly located residents of the city. Diagram.11, Page 53 illustrates
overlooking public areas (e.g., Hammam Street or not only the circulation of architectural types (e.g.,

��
 Map.2
Examples of
Urban Bourgeois
Merchants’
Houses in As-Salt
2

3 4

1 2 4

9
6
5
8
5 10
7
lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm
8

7 8

9
10

The Houses of Urban Merchants

1 Al-Daoud (Saha)
2 Touqan
3 Al Nabulsi
4 Mihyar
5 Al-Khatib
6 Al-Daoud
7 Al-Sukkar
8 Al-Mouasher
9 Abu Jaber
10 Touqan (As-Salt Museum)

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

When understanding the emergence of architectural
types; it is important to understand that places are
socially-produced and in order to arrive closer at
processes of such production one has to eliminate
boundaries between the tangible and intangible
attributes of such a place or heritage. In the case
of the City of As-Salt, such discursive understanding
of the City is based on delving and probing into
its processes of urban transformation and change
from being a small peasants’ community, into an
emergent urban presence at the southern frontiers
of the Ottoman Empire. A typo-morphological
analysis for the architecture within As-Salt historic
core will focus on the relationship between the
emergent types and the urban morphology of the
place on one hand and the actors and patrons linked
to the emergence of a particular architectural type
on the other (Moudon 1994: 289).
Based on fieldwork and literature review, and on
previous research on typo-morphology, it has been
inferred that As-Salt’s emergent architectural types
can be divided into two main categories based on
time frame in general:
— Historic architectural types during the
Golden Age ranging from the 1860s and up
to the late 1920s: this period is the focus of this
nomination; it commences with the consolidation
of Ottoman rule and reforms and the arrival of
urban bourgeois merchants from nearby cities of
Palestine, Lebanon and Syria; until the shift of
economic and political power from As-Salt to the
new emerging capital of Trans-Jordan at that time,
Amman in the 1920s.
— Contemporary architectural types from
right before the middle of the 20th century up
to the present. Here, architecture in As-Salt was
influenced by emerging types and trends from
Fig.18. Interior of a
Amman, the emergent capital. Fallahi (Peasant) House
in As-Salt
Fig.19. Examples
of Fallahi (Peasant)
Houses in As-Salt
Historic Architectural Types from the
Golden Age (1860s - Late 1920s)
Fallahi (Peasant) Houses
A view of the City during the first half of the
19th century shows that As-Salt was composed of
mainly Fallahi (Peasant) Houses spread on the two
mountains (Qal’a and Jad’a) and were connected by
dirt roads doing up and downhill. Fallahi (Peasant)
Houses were characterized by a single space roofed by
17
arches or cross vaults. Within this single space, the
elevated platform insured a clean space “Taher” for
prayer. The Fallahi (Peasant) House had few smaller
windows and mostly one door. Only very few of the
Fallahi (Peasant) Houses are remaining in As-Salt
today. It is also important to mention that early
Fallahi (Peasant) Houses in As-Salt were actually
extensions of existing caves.
18
��
 Fig.20. Mashini House;
As-Salt (Central Hallway) 3-Bay Houses An example of 3-bay • 3-Bay Houses with Inner Foyers Adapting to As-
houses on upper slopes
This particular building typology was popular within Salt’s Urban Morphology:
Bilad al Sham (Levant) in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Another model of the 3-Bay typology emerged
and Jordan. The emergence of this 3-Bay (Central adapting to a unique morphology shaped by
Hallway Dwelling) in As-Salt in the second half of natural topography and steps of the City. The
the 19th century was linked to the arrival of urban model demonstrated variations on the 3-Bay
bourgeois migrants from Lebanon, Damascus, and House typology with inner foyers (rather
Palestine including master builders who brought a than a full-fledged central hallway) or in other
certain tradition of building which was moulded in occasions without even a complete 3-Bay spatial
the local context (simplicity, economic humility, configuration due to this specific morphology.
type of stone). In the urban morphological context
of the City, this particular type oscillated between a
simpler local vernacular tradition merging regional
influences and imported materials and images; and
• 3-Bay (Central Hallway) Urban Bourgeois
a higher style architecture involving prominent
Houses on Lower Slopes: This model of the 3-Bay
master builders; producing different models for
typology can be found mainly on lower slopes of
the same type:
the mountains fronting or overlooking public
spaces and commercial streets. Most of these
• 3-Bay (Central Hallway) Houses on Upper Slopes
houses belonged to migrating urban merchants
with Orchards: Several 3-Bay (Central Hallway)
and accommodated higher architectural style
Houses can still be found on the upper slopes of
features and motifs. Several included a portico
the mountains (e.g., Qal’a), with olive orchards.
in front of the central hallway.
In this particular model, the 3-Bay House is
strongly tied to the orchards and is found on Fig.21. 3-Bay with
adaptations to As-Salt’s
higher slopes with several traditional rubble slopes and urban
morphology (Inner
stone retaining walls (Sanasel). Foyer) plan

Fig.22. Example of Fig.23. Touqan House

3-bay houses on upper (As-Salt Archeological
slopes behind Al Qal’a Museum) on Al Maydan
Street

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• 3-Bay Houses on Upper Slopes with Courtyards
Adapting to As-Salt’s Urban Morphology:
Adapting to a unique morphology shaped by
severe slope and steps; this model represents
another variation on the 3-Bay typology; with a
distinct feature which is the “courtyard” which
in certain cases could have a central location,
or is located to the side, or (and due to the
morphology) is situated on an upper level. This
particular model is prominent on upper slopes
of the City. It is also important to mention that
in certain cases, even Bilad al Sham Townhouses
do enjoy courtyards on upper levels.
locate their townhouses fronting main commercial
areas (e.g., Sahet Al Ain, Hammam Street, and Al
Maydan Street). It is important to mention that
while commercial activities flourished on the
ground floor; residential use dominated upper floors
with a 3-Bay plan spatial confirmation. Examples
are multiple such as Abu Jaber, Daoud on Sahet al
Ain, Touqan and Mihyar on Hammam Street, to
mention a few.
Fig.25. Abu Jaber
House (Historic old
As-Salt Museum), an
example of Bilad al
Sham Townhouses
ground floor supports a residential function and
upper floors enjoy protruded verandas on I-beams
with commanding views of what is below. Examples
are multiple including Sukkar House, several houses
on Haddadin Stairway, Jaghbeer, Fakhouri, Saket,
Khatib, Hattar in Al Jad’a, and many others.
Fig.26. As-Sukkar
House, example of Local
Salti (Multi-storey)
Residential on City
Slopes

Fig.24. Example of
3-bay houses on upper
slopes adapting to As-
Salt’s urban morphology

Local Salti (Multi-Storey) Residential on City

Slopes (with 3-Bay Variations)
Bilad al Sham (Levant) Townhouses Most probably, this is the most dominating type
The emergence to the Bilad al Sham Townhouses within the historic city core, it demonstrates several
was linked also with the arrival of urban bourgeois local characteristics that are specific to As-Salt’s
merchants and with the flourishing of commercial morphology (multi-storey buildings on slopes with
activity in the City. These merchants preferred to commanding views). In this particular case, the

��
As-Salt Ottoman/Missionary Public Architecture
The emergence of this particular building typology
is associated with both Ottoman reforms (e.g.,
educational, religious, municipal, health) or
Missionary public works (e.g., religious, educational).
It is true that buildings were commissioned by
Ottoman officials and missionary priests who
brought with them their own traditions, but these
traditions were also domesticated through the
use of a subtle monumentality, the influence and
contribution of an emerging urban presence in the
City and the use of the local sand-yellow stone. This
typology in particular still represented a high style
architectural tradition by Western and Western-
educated professionals (but also with influences by
the knowledge of prominent master builders such
as ’Abd Al Rahman Al ’Akrouq). Examples include
public institutional buildings (e.g., Latin Church
designed by the French priest/architect Morétain,
The Ottoman Small Mosque, other).
Fig.27. Example of
Missionary Public
Architecture
Contemporary Architectural Types
Modern Public Architecture (1940s-60s)
In the 1920s, Amman rose in political and economic
importance and became the new capital of Trans-
Jordan. Therefore, this particular building typology
was influenced by Ammani architecture. The
middle of the 20th century was a time of major
political and cultural transformations at a national
Jordanian level; the State of Jordan was growing
and needed to express its legitimacy and existence
(institutional presence) through different public
buildings with a more formal style and presence,
hence the emergence of what is termed the Modern
Public type which appeared also in As-Salt in state
public projects (e.g., schools, hospitals, other).
These followed a modernist logic, but with a twist
of subtle monumentality and humble grandeur.
It is important to notice that the historic yellow
sand stone is now being replaced with white stone
symbolizing a shift and accidentally also creating
a distinction from existing historic building fabric.
Fig.29. Example
of Modern Public
Architecture
��
Mid-20th Century Urban Commercial
Towards the middle of the 20th century and with
the influx of massive populations into different
Jordanian cities (bringing with them more
commercial activity and businesses); and together
with the popularity and experimentation with
reinforced concrete (e.g., reinforced slabs with
ribs, popularity of drop beams, other); one notices
the emergence of the Mid-20th Century Urban
Commercial type with its modern lines of design
and adaptability to new materials. This is evident in
many cities of Jordan including As-Salt. This type
predominantly appeared fronting main commercial
streets and public areas as it catered for commercial
activities on ground level and residential and offices
on the upper floors.
Fig.28. Example of
Mid-20th Century Urban
Commercial
As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
Reinforced Concrete Post & Beam Frame House
Towards the second half of the 20th century, and
with population increase and urban expansions on
the upper slopes of the city (away from the historic
core), this type of buildings becomes evident and
frequent. The logic is based on a reinforced concrete
frame (post and beam) and usually on smaller plots
and parcels. Stone was minimally used (to make the
dwelling more affordable) and most façades were
made of concrete blocks with a more vernacular
approach to massing and vertical circulation which
adapts to the existing topography and morphology.
Fig.30. Example of
Reinforced Concrete
Post and Beam Frame
Houses
As-Salt Contemporary Public Architecture
This contemporary and newly-emergent type
is represented through larger projects (e.g.,
Municipality building, cultural centers, other)
with trends of reminiscing the historic architectural
heritage of the city, thus, sometimes ending in the
proliferation of kitsch.
The following map identifies the location of
examples of the historic architectural types from the
Golden Age period and also identifies the location
of examples of contemporary architectural types as
well. Even though the contemporary architectural
types are not considered in this nomination as they
represent building typologies that are beyond the
Golden Age; yet, they are presented in order to
provide a bigger picture and ample information
on the evolution of architectural typology into the
present.
Fig.31. Example of
As-Salt Contemporary
Public Architecture
��
 Map.3
Distribution of
Architectural Types
(Selected Examples)
Historic Architectural
Types During the Golden
Age (1860s - 1920s)
Fallahi (Peasant Houses)
As-Salt Central Hallway
(3-Bay Houses)
3-Bay (Central Hallway)
Houses on Upper Slopes
with Orchards
3-Bay (Central Hallway)
Urban Bourgeois Houses on
Lower Slopes
3-Bay Houses with Inner
Foyers Adapting to As-Salt’s
Urban Morphology
lk,v
lk,v
lk,v

3-Bay Houses on Upper

Slopes with Courtyards
Adapting to As-Salt’s Urban
ovHfm
Morphology
Bilad al Sham (Levant)
Townhouses
Local Salti (Multi-Story)
Residential on City Slopes
(with 3-Bay Variations)
As-Salt Ottoman /
Missionary Public
Architecture

Contemporary
Architectural Types
Modern Public Architecture
(1940s-60s)
Mid-20th Century Urban
Commercial
Reinforced Concrete Post &
Beam Frame House
As-Salt Contemporary
Public Architecture

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Map.3 Image collection

Historic Architectural Types During

the Golden Age (1860s - 1920s)

Fallahi (Peasant House) 3-Bay (Central Hallway)Urban Bourgeois Houses on Lower

Slopes

As-Salt Central Hallway (3-Bay Houses) 3-Bay Houses with Inner Foyers Adapting to As-Salt’s Urban
Morphology

3-Bay (Central Hallway) Houses on Upper Slopes with 3-Bay Houses on Upper Slopes with Courtyards Adapting to
Orchards As-Salt’s Urban Morphology
��
Map.3 Image collection

Historic Architectural Types During

the Golden Age (1860s - 1920s)

Bilad al Sham Townhouse As-Salt Ottoman / Missionary Public Architecture

Local Salti (Multi-Story) Residential on City Slopes

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Map.3 Image collection

Contemorary Architectural Types

As-Salt Modern Public Architecture As-Salt Contemporary Public Architecture

Mid - 20th Century Urban Commercial

Reinforced Concrete Post & Beam Frame House

��
 Fig.33. Al Khader
• Urban Typologies and commercial streets of this historic urban core; Street
unique urban nodes; streets, and public plazas
It is interesting to observe the urban transformation (Sahat) with potentials for outstanding panoramic
of the city of As-Salt from a small village composed lookouts providing chances to contemplate and
of peasant houses into a thriving urban economic understand this unique morphology. The following
center and Ottoman southern frontier with public map (Map.11, Page 99), represents a spatial mapping
spaces, bourgeois merchants’ houses and vibrant of the various urban typologies within the historic
markets. A view of the city during the first half of city core of As-Salt.
the 19th century shows that As-Salt was composed Fig.32. Al Jad’a Stairs Fig.34. Stairway
linking Hammam Street
of mainly Fallahi (Peasant) Houses spread on the to Al Khader Street
two mountains (Al Qal’a and Al Jad’a) and were
connected by dirt roads going up and downhill.
While a view of the city towards the second half
of the 20th century shows a completely different
urban reality. Towards the second half of the 19th
century when As-Salt was gradually transformed
into a major urban center in Trans-Jordan, these
natural trails between the peasant houses were
gradually transformed into the various city steps
connecting the newly built houses on the slopes
of the city with the lower public spaces of Sahet Fig.35. End of Al
Khader Street towards
al Ain and Hammam Street and the various public Sahet Al Ain
buildings and urban bourgeois merchants’ houses
and producing a unique dense urban reality.

As-Salt’s urban typologies testify to a unique urban

morphology that supports cohabitation between
Muslims and Christians and also a unique urban
social welfare through a socially-mixed urban
environment producing a web of stairs and alleyways
that link the 3 mountains (Al Qal’a, Al Jad’a, and
Salalem) to the valleys (wadis) and public square

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

It is very interesting to see the continuity of urban
practices today including a vibrant use of Sahet Al
Ain and Hammam Street in addition to the city’s
urban nodes and web of steps. In fact, part of
As-Salt’s contemporary political discourse is the
emerging importance of Sahet Al Ain again as a
place of political demonstrations even today. Today,
political marches start from Maidan Café (one of
the early political salons of the city), and ends at
Sahet al Ain.

Fig.37. People shopping

Fig.36. Men playing in Hammam Street
Manqala at Sahet Al
Ain

��
 Map.4
Urban Typology
Sense of Urban
Space Morphology
4

Nodes: Alleways:
1. Old Bakery 1. Aqabet al Saket
5
2. Al Khader Street 2. Al Khatib
3. Lower Khader 3. Al Jad’a
4. Maqam Al 4.Al Jad’a
4 Khader 5. Lower Jada’a
5. Haddadin 6. Lower Jada’a
Stairway 7. Qaqish
5 15
3 3

4 6. Aqabet Al Khatib 8. Fakhoury

7. Al Jad’a Staiway 9. Al Khader
14

8. Al Jad’a Mosque 10. Abu Hamour

6
9
2

9. Abu Talib 11. Dababneh

1 11

11 12
7
10. Latin Church 12. Al Abdallat
11. Al Jad’a 13. Al Shaikh
3 14
2 10
2 7 1
5 2 9
13
2 14. AlMefleh
2 1 8

1
10
13
2
1 12
6
lk,v
lk,v
lk,v 6
3 Squares (Sahat)
1. Sahet Al Ain
11 6

5
3
7
2. Al Maydan
10
ovHfm

16
4
9
17
Stairs: Streets:
1. Skafeah 1. Hammam
9 5 2. English Hospital 2. Al Khader
4 3. Qubain 3. Said Abu Jaber
4. Al Abdallat 4. Maydan
7 5. Haddadin 5. Al Qal’a
6
6. Al Khalili 6. Said Al Bahra
7. Rummanat 7. Farah Abu Jaber
8. Nabulsi
9. Al Far
10. Al Jad’a
11. Faouri Panoramic
12. Aqabet Al Lookouts:
Khatib 1. Lower Qal’a
13. Abu Sarhad 2. Haddadin
7 14. Fakhoury 3. Said Al Bahra
15. Maqam Al 4. Al Jad’a Moaque
Khader 5. Upper Jada’a
16. Al Mouasher 6. Al Salalem
17. Hammad 7. As-Salt
Secondary School
For Boys

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

2.b and the first Ottoman Expedition to As-Salt in 1867
until the beginning of the second decade in the 20th
Urban Social History: As- century when the socio-political and urban focus
Salt in Socio-Historical & shifted to Amman when it was selected to become
the capital of the newly-established state of the
Cultural Contexts and the Emirate of East Jordan); is the focus of our study.
Evolution of the Settlement During that Golden Age, As-Salt was swiftly
transformed from a dormant rural village to a
from a Peasant Rural remarkable urban center of trade, migration,
Community to a Southern settlement, and cultural exchange within the region
of Bilad Al-Sham (Levant). Ottoman presence in the
Ottoman Frontier in Arab Provinces is divided into two main periods of
Trans-Jordan influence: the first period before the Tanzimat (1517
– 1847); and the second period after the Tanzimat
(1847 – 1918) when the Ottomans consolidated their
rule in the Arab southern frontiers.
• Ottoman Reforms and Extending Ottoman
Rule into the Southern Frontiers of the The extending of Ottoman rule led to a series of
Empire transformations in economic, cultural, and urban
realities of As-Salt supported for administrative,
The transformation of As-Salt during the 19 th
infrastructure (e.g., public roads, public buildings,
century from a rural village on the eastern part of security, and communication systems), educational
the River Jordan into a thriving urban southern and health care reforms and transformations that
frontier during the later Ottoman period could not worked to transform the tribal individual of the area
be comprehended without a clear understanding into an Ottoman urban subject and also encouraged
of the late Ottoman various reforms during the the transformation of pastoral tribes into full-time
second half of the 19th century triggered by the cultivators; and also triggered the migration into
intentions to extend Ottoman rule into the southern As-Salt of urban merchants from nearby cities
frontiers of the Arab provinces. This era known as such as Nablus, Beirut, Damascus, and Jerusalem
the Golden Age for the city of As-Salt; spanning who were drawn to As-Salt due to the advancing
around 7 decades (from the early beginnings of these of security in the region and also due to the new
Ottoman reforms (known as Tanzimat Othmaniah) economic opportunities of trade and agriculture

��
which presented As-Salt to these urban bourgeois village-dwelling farmers who practiced intensive drawing on new Tanzimat legislation, developed the
merchants as the new southern economic frontier agriculture in hillside terraced plots and extensive state’s infrastructural power to create an enduring
in the region emerging in what was known then grain cultivation in the surrounding plains. At the administrative apparatus at the periphery. The new
as Trans-Jordan. other end of the spectrum were camel herding administrative structure of the 1864 Provincial
pastoral nomads who traveled great distances Reform Law was introduced in Syria in 1866. These
Until the Late Ottoman period, As-Salt was known between summer and winter pastures. Between reforms reflected prevailing European norms of
to be a small rural village with a citadel, locally these two groups were farmers who kept small modern statecraft which sought to establish a clear
called as Al Qal’a; built at the time of the Ayyubid herds, semi-sedentary pastoralists, and villagers who hierarchy of authority and accountability which
dynasty in the 13th century. This citadel formed an encamped in distant fields during the cultivation could be reproduced and applied consistently across
important link in the chain of citadels, incuding season. Culturally, the gap between Bedouin and the Empire. Rather than a wholesale importation of
Ajloun and Karak leading to Syria, Egypt and the peasants in a given district was often quite small. European modes of political and social organization,
Arab Peninsula, that maintained the security of Ottoman modernity involved a process of mediation
trade and pilgrimage routes. In the first half of the This frontier order of tribes and chiefdoms was the and translation to adapt new ideas from the West to
19th century, As-Salt, which had always been subject single greatest barrier to direct Ottoman rule. In radically different settings across the Empire (Rogan
to the authority of the Bedouin tribes, suffered effect, tribes performed many of the same functions 1999, 12). In order to consolidate Ottoman presence
from unrest and lack of security and stability. The which the state claimed as its prerogative. Foremost in these southern frontiers, Mehmed Rashid Pasha
Adwan tribe was stationed to the west of the city, was taxation. The Ottomans frequently sought to (governor of Damascus 1866-71) led two military
the Abbadi tribe to the South and Southwest, the extract taxes from agriculture communities only expeditionary forces through Jabal Ajloun and into
Beni Hasan tribe to the North, and the Beni Sakhr to find that the cultivators had already paid a large the Balqa against the Bedouin tribes of the area in
to the east. As these tribes fought over pasture, part of their surplus to the dominant tribe in the 1866 and 1869 and created an administrative and
water and pilgrimage and trade routes, they used to region. Such double taxation frequently provoked military post in As-Salt. According to Owen (1981,
launch raids into farmers’ villages, since the Turkish peasant flight and village abandonment. Therefore, 57-64), the extension and consolidation of Ottoman
government was unable to subject the region of As- the Ottoman Empire faced a real need to extend rule and presence into these southern frontiers was
Salt to its authority. These tribes often asked for its sovereignty to these southern limits of its Arab also driven by the conviction that Trans-Jordan was
monetary compensation (known locally as Khuwa) Provinces (Rogan 1999: 9). a strategic link between Damascus and the Arabian
in return for the security they provided for villagers, province of the Hijaz and the Holy Cities of Mecca
pilgrimage caravans, and travelers (Rogan 1999: 1-2).The British occupation of Egypt in 1882 had raised and Medina, and as the Ottomans were retreating
Ottoman fears for the security of Syria, Palestine, from their Balkan provinces, they started to adopt a
In the first half of the 20 century, As-Salt and and Jordan; hence, starting in 1867, the Ottoman
th
more expansionist policy in the Arabian provinces.
the surrounding areas witnessed a wide range of government decided to extend the instruments of
lifestyles, combining varying amounts of agriculture the Tanzimat State to the periphery and undertook An integral part of the Ottoman reforms was the
and pastoralism. At one end of the spectrum were several initiatives in its frontier zones which, 1858 Land Law which encouraged cultivation in

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.38. Houses on the
the region by granting ownership deeds to lands hillside of As-Salt which
are mostly flat roofed or
registered with the cadastral authorities that roofed with cross vaults
Fig.39. Street in As-Salt
were cultivated for a period of time and whose (As-Salt in Trans-
jordan, 1918)
titleholders regularly paid their taxes (Sluglett & Fig.40. The Great
Mosque minaret and
Sluglett 1984, 414). The Vilayet (province) Law of Abu Jaber house in the
backgound
1864 was another important segment of Ottoman Fig.41. The old Saraya
building
reforms, it provided a blueprint for bringing the
state to the periphery and was to prove one of
the most effective pieces of Tanzimat legislation.
The law established a hierarchy of rule, a pyramid 38
of authority in which the district (kaza) was the
standard unit of administration.

The district brought together three essential

functionaries – a district governor, a mufti to
oversee religious affairs, and a judge. The law also
called for the creation of administrative councils
(municipal councils) composed of locally elected
representatives for the governor to consult and
involve in the administrative decisions affecting
the district. Historic records show that in 1910, 39 40
municipal elections were held in As-Salt, and
resulted in the formation of a municipal council
composed of 7 members (5 Muslims and 2
Christians) (Tarif, 1997). Each district was then
divided into several Nahiyas (group of villages),
and each Nahiya was composed of several villages.
The Tanzimat led to the rise of economic, social
and health institutions, as well as schools, public
buildings, mosques, and many shops.

41

��
Diagram.5
Role of Public Buildings & Spaces
in Contributing to an Active and
Inclusive Public Life:
Hammam(Public Bath), Church, Mosque,
Sahet Al Ain, Hammam Street, Telegraph &
Hammam Street (in the back)
Post Office

Anglican Church

The Great Mosque Al-Skafiyia Alleyway

The Old Saraya Building Latin Church

(Roman Catholic Church)

Wakalet al-Sukkar
(Post & Telegraph Building)

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Diagram.6
TURKEY
Mapping Security
& Ottoman
Reforms
LEBANON
Damascus (Communication,
Mapping
Road & Rail Security &
Ottoman Reforms
Acre
Networks)
(Communication, Road,
& Rail Networks)
Haifa
Daraa

Bosra
King’s Highway
Nablus Hejaz Railway
As-Salt Amman Telegraph Line
Regional Cities
Jerusalem
End Station on Hejaz Railway
Hebron

Kerak

Petra
Ma’an

Communication,
Road, & Rail
Networks
Aqaba
King’s Highway
Madina Hijaz Railway
Telegraph Line
Regional Cities
End Station on
Hijaz Railway

��
 Map.5
Mapping Security
& Ottoman
Reforms
(Public Works &
Buildings)

4
1
3
2
1

3
lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

6
2

ovHfm

7 5

Public Works & Buildings

5 1 The Great Mosque of As-Salt
2 Ottoman Saraya Building
3 Wakalet As-Sukkar (Post & Telegraph
Building)
4 Small Mosque of As-Salt
5 As-Salt Secondary School (Initiated
During Ottoman Period)
6 Said Al-Bahra School
7 Citadel

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

The various Ottoman reforms and the intensified crossing the vast Wadi Mujib and crossing via Karak Part of Ottoman reforms was also the building
security presence brought in economic prosperity. and Petra down to Aqaba; and the second is The of schools and mosques and the dispatching of
The extension of direct Ottoman rule also led to Pilgrimage Road (known as Darb Al-Hajj Al-Shami), religious instructors and teachers to As-Salt. It is
a series of transformations in the economic life of which was supported by pilgrimage forts that were very important to understand, that contrary to
frontier districts. Enhanced security, regulation of created by the Ottoman government in the 16th and common belief, Ottoman genuine reform methods
weights and measures and growing monetization 17th centuries. Part of the Ottoman reforms was the in the region were significant, especially in the way
encouraged the development of markets which, investment in extending urban roads and in cutting the Ottoman state was linked to a serious agenda of
in turn, attracted merchant participation in the new routes suitable for wheeled traffic connecting public works and was building in the more marginal
state’s project of direct rule. It also encouraged As-Salt to nearby towns and villages in Trans-Jordan southern reaches of Trans-Jordan even in areas of
urban merchants from nearby cities to migrate and across the River into Palestinian towns as well low population densities. In As-Salt, one prominent
and open businesses in As-Salt. This culminated serving Nablus and Jerusalem. The extension of example which demonstrates the Ottoman diligence
in changes in agricultural production away from communications westwards to the Palestinian and interest in building mosques in the region is
subsistence and barter exchange in local markets districts opened Jordan to regional markets. Ferries the building of the Small Mosque (Al-Jami’ Al-Saghir)
to cash crops destined for external markets. were installed on the Jordan River servicing both which was completed in 1907. It was built by the
the Nablus and Jerusalem roads shortly after 1867 famous Nabulsi master builder ’Abd al Rahman Al-
By 1874, a Committee for State Constructions and a bridge replaced the by 1890. ’Aqruq and was located in the middle of the Suq
had been created in As-Salt to build a governor’s in Hammam Street very close to the main Sahet
residence, and a Saray, or government office was The most innovative lines of communication Al Ain at the center of the town. In As-Salt, such
were the telegraph and the railway links between
erected in the town’s central square (Sahet Al-Ain) in socio-urban and economic changes contributed
Damascus and Medina. Both represented costly
1876, and the Saray was completed in 1889; it housed to the transformation of tribal individuals into
new forms of technology imported from industrial
the governor’s offices, the court for the district, and urban Ottoman subjects. As-Salt emerged as a new
meeting spaces for the municipal council. HistoricEurope. For most natives of the frontier districts, Ottoman urban frontier in Trans-Jordan. The city
telegraph wires and railway lines were their first
records first mention the Municipality of As-Salt in demonstrated the interconnections between both
encounter with the instruments of Ottoman
1888; yet the Municipality was established in 1887, a tribal and an emerging urban culture with strong
modernity. In 1890, As-Salt was linked to Damascus
making it the first to be established in Trans-Jordan connections to the hinterland around it.
(Rogan 1999: 61). by telegraph, and remained the southernmost
station in the Syrian network until June 1900 Based on an extensive interview of a prominent
Prior to the Tanzimat period, two main routes (Rogan 1999: 63). Another major Ottoman city historian, he elaborated how by the second
existed: The Kings’ Way (known as Darb Al-Sultan) investment in communication and road networks half of the 19th century, one notices that Bedouin-
which followed the Roman emperor Trajan’s was the establishment of the Hijaz Railroad Line ism’s influence started receding and instead, the
ancient roads across the highlands and extended across Trans-Jordan at the turn of the 19th century. spread of a settled and secured urban culture
from Amman through Hisban and Madaba, before and environment emerged in As-Salt due to the

��
Ottoman reforms1. Tarif, a well-reputed historian
of the city elaborated how As-Salt, and towards the
turn of the 20th century became what he termed
Haderat Al-Urdun: Jordan’s most acclaimed urban
presence. Also, and based on another interview
with another of the city’s prominent historians2,
he elaborated on the nature of the relationship
between the various tribes residing around As-
Salt and the urban residents of the city (mainly the
urban merchants) and added that the relationship
was transforming and was becoming very amicable
and was based on mutual interests and not on fear.
Mutual interests now were based on protection of
travelers and traders by the tribes (representing a
shift from the normal practices of raiding caravans);
and dependency where these Bedouins were
gradually becoming dependent on and accustomed
to the City’s urban traded products.
Prior to the Ottoman reforms, illiteracy was
wide-spread in Trans-Jordan during the first
decades of the 19th century. Educational reform
and the inception of schools in Trans-Jordan
had to accommodate rapid social change in the
region at the turn of the 20th century. All state
schools in the province of Syria followed the same
curriculum and regulations as schools in the other
provinces of the Empire. Consequently, successful
graduates were eligible to pursue higher education Several public and private schools were established
in the different provincial regional capitals such in As-Salt as part of Ottoman efforts for educational
1 Meeting with historian George Tareef (May 9, 2018)
2 Meeting with historian Mohammad Khraisat (May, 2 2018)
as Damascus and even Istanbul. Schooling was
considered a means to transform young villagers
and Bedouins into “modern” Ottoman citizens;
more or less, into “Efendis.” Therefore, schooling
was considered a means for fashioning, disciplining,
and manufacturing the contemporary individual
at the time.
Earlier, and during the Ottoman Tanzimat period,
and as part of educational reforms, a new public
schooling law was enforced in 1869 (Nizam Ma’aref
Omomiah) which had divided the administration
of schools into public and private schools, both
supervised by the State; but in the case of private
ones, their inception and management was left
over to religious or other entities that established
the school in the first place. These private schools
included the missionary schools and the Katateeb
(singular is Kuttab). The Katateeb were private
religious schools where children learned the Arabic
language, mathematics, and the Islamic religion
from a Sheikh/teacher. These were held either inside
or next to mosques or in the house of the Sheikh
himself. No degrees were given at the Katateeb, but
once a child memorized the Holy Quran, a major
celebration, called Al-Zaffah, was held to celebrate
the occasion.
��
reforms towards the second half of the 20th century.
A primary public school for boys was established in
As-Salt as early as 1870, the first in Trans-Jordan.
Furthermore, state schools for girls were opened
in As-Salt as well. According to Rogan (1999,
156), and in c. 1890, the city of As-Salt had 1,460
students distributed over 42 primary schools and
1 secondary school. Curriculum included religion,
Arabic (dictation, comprehension, and grammar),
mathematics, book keeping, engineering principles,
general history, Ottoman history, geography, and
gymnastics. It is very interesting to look into one
of the diplomas of a resident from As-Salt (Muteeh
Afendi Mihyar Zadeh) dating to June 20th of 1910
which stated that the topics of learning in the
elementary schools included: The Holy Quran,
morals, Ottoman grammar, Arabic grammar,
reading and dictation; mathematics, Ottoman
history and geography (Tarif 1997).
One of the, if not the most, prominent educational
centers in the early 20th Century in Trans-Jordan was
As-Salt High School which had played a significant
role in the political, cultural and scientific life of
Jordan. Several prominent Jordanian public figures
already graduated from there (5 prime ministers,
more than 40 ministers, university presidents and
deans of colleges in Jordan). It was, for many years,
the only high-school in the country at least in the
1920s era. The idea of constructing the School
As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
started during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II
during the Ottoman period at the turn of the 20th
century, and was part of the plans for educational
reform in the Empire at the time. But the actual
construction which was supposed to take place
between 1916-8 was delayed because of the First
World War. Nevertheless, classes started in 1919
in some of As-Salt’s urban houses. Later on,
the late King Abduallah of Jordan had laid out
the foundation stone of the School in 1923 and
construction lasted until 1925, which was when the
first floor was completed.
By the turn of the 20 century, the urban reality of north as Turkey. Diagram.7, Page 44 elaborates on
th
urban bourgeois merchants drawn to As-Salt
after extending Ottoman rule, security and
reforms to these southern frontiers of the Empire.
Intensified security (due to Ottoman reforms)
and the agricultural production of the region
(including very good quality grains) were the
primary attractions that encouraged these urban
merchants to flock to As-Salt where they diversified
their economic activities to include in addition
to trade and agriculture, the accumulation of
agricultural property. Migrating families came from
Nablus, Jerusalem, and Hebron in Palestine; from
Damascus in Syria; from Lebanon, and from as far
to settle in As-Salt included mainly the security
systems, flourishing of agriculture (wheat, other),
abundance of water and fertile land, and the
introduction of the Hijaz Railroad Line and other
infrastructure linked to communications (e.g.,
Telegraph Line). He also elaborated that the main
transformation in As-Salt is from village to an
urban society linked to trade and capital was the
influence of urban merchants. In addition to trade,
cultural exchange included also inter marriages and
the circulation of not only goods but also ideas,
images, art forms, and architectural types.

As-Salt became unique, it demonstrated a unique the names of these families and where they migrated
urbanity which was an outcome of extending to As-Salt from.
Ottoman rule to this southern periphery of the
Empire, Ottoman reforms and transformed tribal Merchants’ activities drew Trans-Jordan into
individuals, migrating urban bourgeois merchants the regional economy of Ottoman Syria and the
(with their businesses and trade networks) drawn Mediterranean world beyond. They emerged as a
to As-Salt as the new economic southern frontier, distinct social elite, and this was manifested by the
and missionary reforms as we will elaborate in the homes they have commissioned to be built fronting
next sections of this File. As-Salt emerged as a new main public spaces of the city such as Hammam Street
center for commerce in Trans-Jordan. and Sahet Al Ain. These urban bourgeois houses, as
will be explained later in this document, should be
seen as a testimony to their social position, cultural
• Urban Bourgeois Merchants Drawn to As- exchange, and the circulation of architectural types
Salt (The New Economic Frontier) and images within the region producing a unique
One very significant group that contributed to and particular urban sophistication in As-Salt
the transformation of As-Salt from a small rural towards the second half of the 19th century.
village in the first half of the 20th century to a Based on an extensive interview with one of the
thriving urban center were groups of migrating city’s historians, some of the prominent reasons

��
 Diagram.7
TURKEY
Travel, Migration
Migrating Families to As-Salt
and Inter-
from Neighboring Areas
Migration Routes Marriage,
LEBANON
Pilgrimage Route
& Pilgrimage
Routes
Damascus Regional Cities
Areas from which Families Migrated
Nablus
Toukan, Amad, Bilbisi, Sharabi,

Nazareth Khayyat, Mango, Bakeer, Asfour,

Khirfan, Malhas, Nabulsi, Al Qurra
(later named Bisharat), Al Akrouq,

Nablus Others...
Jerusalem Migration To As-Salt From Nearby
As-Salt Bashiti, Halabi, AlCities
Nasser, Others...

Amman Hebron Migration Routes

Jerusalem
Khalili, Al Azzeh, Others...
Pilgrimage Route
Damascus Regional Cities
Hebron
Homsi, Hasbani, Othman Abuwhich
Areas from Al Families Migrated
Dahab, Al Antaki, Attar, Sabbagh,
Nablus
Touqan,
Al Khatib, Al Kuwatli, Amad, Bilbisi, Sharabi, Khayyat,
Abu Laghad,
Kerak Mango, Bakeer, Asfour, Khirfan, Malhas,
Abu Al Ragheb, Katbi, Oshruq
Nabulsi, Al Qurra (later named Bisharat),
Al-‘Aqrouq, Others...
Laban, Tabba’, Halawani, Others...
Lebanon Jerusalem
Bashiti, Halabi, Al Nasser, Others...
Shalhoub, Al Majthoob, Nicola,
Hebron
Khalili,
Fakhoury, Saidawi, Basila,AlHaddad,
Azzeh, Others...
Others... Damascus
Turkey
Homsi, Hasbani, Othman Abu Al Dahab,
Al Antaki, Attar, Sabbagh, Khatib, Al
Kuwatli,
Orfalie, Turk, Kurdi, Abu Laghad, Abu Al Ragheb,
Others...
Katbi, Oshruq Laban, Tabba’, Halawani,
Others...
Lebanon
Shalhoub, Al Majthoob, Nicola, Fakhoury,
Saidawi, Basila, Haddad, Others...

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

A rich and distinctive social life was emerging based included livestock (sheep, horses, camels) and
on a combination of tribal customs and new urban their sub products (wool, Samn (butter), and dried
social norms with unique manifestations such as a yogurt (Gameed); agricultural products included
special urban hospitality, a distinctive urban setting grains, grapes, raisins and a special plant (Kali or
and architecture, and a harmonious co-habitation Qili) whose ashes are an important ingredient in the
between Muslims and Christians on one hand, production of soap. Traded products also included
and different ethnic groups on the other as will special dyes extracted from local plants such as
be elaborated further. The urban merchants that indigo Neilleh (dark blue), Summaq (maroon), and
migrated to As-Salt had played a significant role in Fowwah (Red). These traded products from the Balqa
the expansion of agricultural land in As-Salt and region from As-Salt hinterland played a key role in
Trans-Jordan. Merchants began to accumulate the integration of Trans-Jordan into regional and
agricultural properties by foreclosure on bad international markets through Nablus, Jerusalem,
loans. Most probably, the former holders of these Damascus, Beirut, and Haifa (Daher 2009).
properties (mostly local Bedouins) were invited to
continue farming the lands as sharecroppers. The
Ottoman government encouraged land registration
and opened a land registration office in As-Salt in
1891-92. The concentration of sedentary life in
As-Salt gave farmers a secure base from which to
negotiate relations with the dominant tribes of the
region. The tribesmen needed access to As-Salt to
market their goods and to buy town products,
while the people from As-Salt needed access to
their wheat fields in the plains. The acquisition of
agricultural lands completed a process by which
urban merchants from As-Salt came to dominate
the economic life of Trans-Jordan from the field
to the market.

Traded products with the region and with

international markets included pastoral and
agricultural products. Pastoral traded goods

��
 Diagram.8
Europe &
Mediterranean
Beirut
Trade Networks
Trade Networ
Ports Damascus

Local & Regional Roads

Acre
Hejaz Railroad
Haifa Daraa
Bosra Regional Cities

Nablus Jerash Mafraq End Station on Hejaz R

Jaffa As-Salt
Amman
Jerusalem
Madaba

Kerak

Ma’an

Cairo

Aqaba

Road Networks

Medina
Local & Regional
Roads
Hijaz Railway
Regional Cities
End Station on
Hijaz Railway

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Mecca
 SYRIA
Wool, Sumac, Ghee
Diagram.9
FRANCE, EUROPE
& MEDITERRA-
Wheat, Milk Products
Circulation of
Traded Goods Trade Networ
NEAN PORTS
Wool
Grains Local & Regional Roads
Wood Dyes of Soap Raw Agricultural

from As-Salt to
Raisins Livestock &
Grapes Local Plants Materials Pastoral Products Products Hejaz Railroad
Haifa
Regional Cities

Syria, Palestine, End Station on Hejaz R

Al Hijaz, Egypt,
Jaffa As-Salt
Oak Indigo "Neilleh" Oil Sheep Wheat
PALESTINE
Sumac
Ghee
Milk Products France, Europe,
Summaq Ashes Horses Barley
& Mediterranean
EGYPT
Horses
Ports
Sheep Fawwah Lime Camels Lentils
TRADED GOODS Trade Networks
Wood Dyes of Soap Raw Agricultural Local & Regional Roads
Livestock
Local Plants Materials Products Hejaz Railroad

Regional Cities

Beirut Salsola Kali Ghee Raisins End Station on Hejaz Railway

Oak Indigo Oil Sheep Wheat

Damascus
Wool “Jameed” Sesame Seeds
Wheat Sumac Ashes Horses Barley

Acre
Haifa Daraa Fawwah Lime Camels Lentils
Wool & Goat Hair Chickpeas
HEJAZ
Nablus Bosra Grain
Grains Jerash Milk Products
Mafraq Salsola Kali Ghee Raisins

Raisins
Jaffa As-Salt Milk Products Grapes

Grains Amman “Jameed” Sesame Seeds

Grapes
Jerusalem Madaba
Grains Wool & Goat Hair Chickpeas
Raisins
Wood
Kerak Trade Relations
Milk Products Grapes
Regional Cities

��

Ma’an

The livestock of Trans-Jordan provided milk, butter,
and meat for local, Palestinian, and Syrian markets.
But most important of all was the local wool from
Balqa which was exported abroad through Damascus
and Haifa. Samn, or clarified butter, was the
shortening of preference in Syrian and Palestinian
cuisine and frequently appeared in the Islamic court
registers as the object of advance purchase contracts
between merchants and Bedouins. Wool was the
only pastoral product to be traded internationally
as a consequence of the integration of Trans-
Jordan to regional markets, mostly via Damascus.
In Damascus, part of the wool would be washed,
reducing its weight by half, and the rest was packed
unwashed. France was the primary customer for
washed wool, while most of the unwashed wool was
exported to the United States. Italy, Austria and
Britain bought the remainder of the wool exported
from Damascus, much of it from the Balqa region.
Damascene traders graded the wool by province,
with the wool of the Golan considered of the best
quality, followed by the wool from the Balqa region
(As-Salt hinterland).
The region of Balqa was famous for local production
of grains (mainly wheat and barley) since ancient
times to the extent that it was nicknamed: The Mine
of Grains by Yagout al Hamawi (an Arab geographer
from the 12th century). The bulk of the grain of the
Balqa was exported to the markets of Jerusalem
and Nablus, and, in years of surplus, trans-shipped
through the port of Yaffa to Mediterranean ports.
Grain was also planted in plantations owned by
families from As-Salt outside the Balqa region
such as the Abu Jabers who traded grain from their
Yaduda plantation primarily on Jerusalem markets.
The city of As-Salt and its hinterland was rich with
water springs that the residents used for drinking
water and for domestic uses in addition to irrigation
of their agricultural lands. Two significant springs
come to mind; the first is Ain Al Siqaya which is
located in the main square and was used mainly for
supplying the houses with water and also supplying
the main public path (Hammam) with water as well.
The second one is Ain al Jadur located in Wadi al
Jadur at the south west edge of the City; its water Grapes, of different types, were considered one of
was mainly used to irrigate agricultural land (Tarif the most important types of agricultural produce
1994).
Fig.43. Ain Al Jadur As-Salt used to practice the planting of grapes and
��
Fig.42. Wadi Shuaib
looking up the valley
showing road & bridge,
1920
in As-Salt and the Balqa region. Most residents of
vines even in urban areas in front of their houses,
in the courtyards, and in local urban gardens
called (Hawakeer: plural of Hakoura). This added a
beautiful and unique character to the urban setting
which is combined with vines and gardens. Other
agricultural products found markets in neighboring
cities such as raisins which were As-Salt’s most
famous export. Raisins were sold primarily through
Jerusalem and Nablus, and were exported from Yaffa
(Jaffa) to European markets as well (Abu Jaber 1989).
Specialty markets in Hammam street and Sahet al
Ain flourished in the second half of the 19th century
selling these various pastoral and agricultural
products in addition to a livestock market in the
lower parts of Hammam Street.
As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
 As-Salt contributed significantly to the network of
soap production within Bilad al Sham (Levant). In
Bilad al Sham, Arabs made soap from olive oil and
a caustic solution derived from the ashes of a local
Fig.44. Hammam street plant found in the Trans-Jordanian steppe near As-
Salt. Large cities, towns (like Nablus, Tripoli, Sidon,
and Damascus) were able to produce their own soap
using As-Salt’s plant Salsole or Kali (locally known
as Dardar or Shieh or Qili) which was considered
essential for the production of soap in the region
as these ashes represented the alkaline agent that
was needed for soap production and the ones that
came from the Balqa area (around As-Salt) were
considered the best in the lands south of Damascus.
Historic documents indicate that the Qili or Qilu
plant was gathered by the Bedouins of the Jordanian
steppe such as the Bani Sakher, the Adwan, or the
Abbad and the ashes of the plant were sold in
certain markets or trade fairs “souqs” organized
by merchants from As-Salt. Al Balqa region was
the place of gathering of the Qili plant, and the
trade fair usually took place at the mausoleum of
Fig.45. Commercial
shops in As-Salt the Prophet Yousha’ (Biblical Joshua) (Maqam “Al
Nabi Yousha’”). It is noted that both Muslims and
Christians from As-Salt share the veneration of this
prophet together.

Fig.46. Maqam
of Prophet Yousha’
(biblical Joshoa)

��
 Distribution of Salsolah Kali

Regional Cities

Soap Production Cities

Tripoli

Aleppo
Diagram.10
Distribution of the Slasola Kali Plant
Network of
Beirut
Saida Damascus
(Qili) Within Bilad Al-Sham

Circulation of
Distribution of Salsolah Kali

Regional Cities
Acre

the Kali Plant &

Haifa Soap Production Cities
Daraa
Bosra Tripoli Materials Used
in Soap Making

Ashes from As-

Nablus Mafraq
Jerash
As-Salt Amman Beirut

Salt to Centers of
Jerusalem
Madaba Saida Damascus

Kerak
Acre
Haifa
Daraa
Bosra Materials Used
Soap Production
in Soap Making
Nablus Mafraq
Jerash Olive Oil
As-Salt Amman from Olive Trees
Jerusalem
Madaba

Kerak

Olive Oil
from Olive Trees

Salsola Kali
Ashes

Salsola Kali
Ashes

Salsola Kali
Plant

Medina Distribution of
Salsolah Kali
Hijaz Railway
Salsola Kali
Plant Regional Cities

Medina Soap Production

Cities

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

These bourgeois urban merchants brought with
them images, architectural types, and building
techniques from their homes of origin in Palestine
and Lebanon. They introduced to As-Salt (which
was predominantly composed of peasant Fallahi
houses to new building typologies such as the
3-Bay House with its triple arch motif and Bilad al
Sham (Levant) Townhouses with their commercial
shops on the ground floor and residential 3-Bay
configurations on upper floors. Built by migrating
builders and masons from Nablus and Jerusalem,
these urban merchants’ houses were mostly located
overlooking public areas (e.g., Hammam Street or
Sahet Al Ain), and introduced to As-Salt a particular
urban sophistication producing an urban bourgeois
vernacular architecture.

Fig.47. Touqan House

in Hammam Street with
shops on the ground level
and residential 3-bay
configurations on upper
floors

��
 Map.6
Examples of
Urban Bourgeois
Merchants’
Houses in As-Salt
2

3 4

1 2 4

9
6
5
8
5 10
7
lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm
8

7 8

9
10

The Houses of Urban Merchants

1 Daoud (Saha)
2 Touqan
3 Al Nabulsi
4 Mihyar
5 Khatib
6 Daoud
7 As-Sukkar
8 Al Mouasher
9 Abu Jaber (Historic ld Salt Museum)
10 Touqan (As-Salt Museum)

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Diagram.11
Cultural Exchange & the
Circulation of Images,
Architectural Types,
Building Technologies &
Materials

Open for Enlargement ��

The circulation of images, architectural types,
building techniques and materials culminated in
a cultural exchange that supported a new urban
lifestyle new to As-Salt fused with local tribal/
urban customs of urban hospitality and support and
symbiosis between Muslim and Christian residents
of the city. Diagram.11, Page 53 illustrates not only
the circulation of architectural types (e.g., 3-Bay
Houses, Bilad al Sham Townhouses), images, building
techniques (e.g., Art Nouveau and Neo-Classical
motifs and details); but also the circulation of
Modernity art and images popular during the
Late Ottoman period such as the circulation of
Art Nouveau paintings and other late Ottoman
paintings showing picturesque scenes, ocean liners
and locomotives, symbolizing Ottoman Modernity.
An example of these urban bourgeois merchants is
Dawud Ejendi Tuqan, a scion of one of the most
prominent families of Nablus, who had settled
in As-Salt in the last quarter of the nineteenth
century. He came to As-Salt as a merchant, one
of many traders who took advantage of the newly
established Ottoman presence to enter the Trans-
Jordan market. He bought and built shops and
warehouses for the storage and sale of commercial
goods: manufactured products from Palestine for
the local market, pastoral and agricultural products
from Trans-Jordan for resale in Palestinian towns.
Dawud Efendi commissioned an architect from
Nablus, ’Abd al Rahman al ’Aqruq, to design a
magnificent home in the heart of the commercial
area (Hammam Street). In terms of its type, the
building was a Bilad al Sham Townhouse, it (the
Touqan Building) communicated a new level of
architectural sophistication to the town of As-Salt
(Rogan 1999: 95).
Fig.48. Elevation
of Touqan House on
Hammam Street
Fig.49. Touqan House
48
49
Other prominent urban merchants of the city
were the Abu Jabers, a Christian family who owned
land not only in and around As-Salt but also in Al
Yadouda Plantation and who were also active in the
political and social public life of the city. The Abu
Jabers were traders and agricultural entrepreneurs.
��
Between 1896 and 1905, they commissioned the
master builder ’Abd al Rahman Al-’Aqruq to build
what turned out to be one of the finest town houses
in As-Salt. Situated prominently on the main square
(Sahet Al Ain), the Abu Jaber House remains one
of the most sophisticated architectural dwellings
from the 19th century in As-Salt and in Jordan today.
It is important that when we think of these urban
bourgeois merchants’ houses that we position them
and their architecture as a product of not only the
skilful masons who produced them, but also as a
product of their elite patrons who commissioned
them in the first place with their special taste and
orientation.
Fig.50. Elevation of
Abu Jaber House
Fig.51. Abu Jaber
House
50
51
As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

It is very important to acknowledge the role of
the mou’alimeen (stone masons and builders), the
majority of whom came from Nablus, who were
credited with the production of these urban
bourgeois merchants’ houses. ’Abd al Rahman al
’Aqruq (1851-1943) is considered the most influential.
He became a respected figure not only by the
citizens of As-Salt and Nablus, but also by the
local Ottoman government. He ended up residing
between As-Salt and Nablus. Other mason builders
included Ghanma, Abu Ghazzaleh, Jarrar, Duwani,
At-Tabanjah and Siryani. Another success key of
the rapid urban and architectural development of
As-Salt is found in the availability and workability
of the raw material, especially the yellow stone,
directly cut from the neighboring quarries, such
as the quarries of Wadi Shuaib and the quarries
of Al Maydan.
Fig.52. ’Abd Al Rahman
Al ’Aqruq, prominent
master builder of As-
Salt during the Golden
Age
In April 1903, the Damascene religious scholar and
traveler Jamal al Din Qasimi (1866-1914) visited
As-Salt and commented on its urban architecture.
Qasimi was very much impressed by the rapid
urbanization of the city where he commented that:
The urbanization of As-Salt is now beginning to
get out of control. High rise houses are beginning to be
Fig.53. Panoramic view
constructed in an astonishing boom (Rogan 1999: 1961). of the town of As-Salt
1918
Qasimi’s description of Trans-Jordan reflects some
of the important social changes which had taken
place since the advent of direct Ottoman rule. The
rural village of As-Salt had evolved into a small city
where government offices, urban bourgeois town
houses, minarets and churches were new features
to the urban landscape. Historic records show that
the population of the city rose from 29,700 in 1890 Diagram.12, Page 68 illustrates different
to 39,995 in 1914 (Karapat 1985). views of the city, and represents this dramatic
Fig.55. Town of As-Salt urban transformation from a rural place with
1920
predominantly peasant houses into a thriving urban
southern frontier center of vibrant public spaces,
Ottoman and missionary public works, commercial
streets, and urban bourgeois town houses.
Fig.54. Transformation of the Urban Context
and the Introduction of Merchants’ Houses
and Ottoman and Missionary Public Works
1880
��
 Diagram.12
Mapping Urban
Transformations

1870 1890 1910 1930 1950

1880 1900 1920 1940

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• European Christian Missionaries & Their So, towards the second half of the 19th century, the Prior to the arrival of these Western missionaries,
Public Works on Body and Soul people of As-Salt started to entertain relations with Christians in Trans-Jordan were mostly Greek
these European missionaries. French missionaries Orthodox. Visitors to the city talk of an inter-
Christian missionaries were another major catalyst built the Roman Catholic Church (known locally sectarian tolerance that prevailed between Muslim
of change in As-Salt. Missionaries were the only as the Latin Church) in 1869-70 very close to the and Christian residents of As-Salt to the extent
European residents in Trans-Jordan, primarily main square of the city (Sahet Al-Ain); the Anglican that it was very difficult to distinguish one from
Britons of the Church Missionary Society and the Church was built in 1867 also close and overlooking the other based on appearance, dress, and cultural
French and Italian priests of the Latin Patriarchate the square above Al-Khader Street. norms. Western missionaries, who had developed
of Jerusalem. Missionary activities worked on the Fig.56. Latin Church an extensive network in Mount Lebanon, the
(Roman Catholic
minds and bodies of the local inhabitants as well Church) Syrian coastal plain, and the Palestinian highlands,
as their souls. In addition to building churches, came to view Trans-Jordan as a particularly fertile
missionaries introduced modern education and field for their activities. The relative neglect of
medicine through the opening of schools, clinics social services by the Ottoman authorities and
and hospitals which provided new approaches to the Greek Orthodox church alike provided the
diagnosis (Rogan 1999: 20). For the first time in missionary societies with a means to reach out to
As-Salt, students were exposed to the subjects and local communities by methods perfected elsewhere
pedagogy of European education: the sciences and among the Syrian missions: education and health
humanities. care. The Roman Catholics and the Protestants
Fig.57. Anglican were received with cooperation and good will
Church (Church of the
Yet, it is important to understand that the main Good Shepherd) and the by the townspeople and, after 1867, by Ottoman
English Hospital
agents of transformation in As-Salt: Ottoman officialdom (Rogan 1999: 123).
reforms, bourgeois urban merchants, and European
missionaries; did not work in isolation from One of the early Roman Orthodox priests to visit
one another. The Ottoman government sought As-Salt was Don Augste de Actis, who initially was
to encourage the presence of merchants and posted in Nablus and started to extend his efforts
merchants sought positions in local government. across the River Jordan. He made his first visit to As-
Missionaries provoked a defensive reaction from the Salt in 1866 where he rented a facility from a local
government, which sought to regain the initiative in Christian family (Al-Zu’mut, who later became his
providing education, health care and even religious first local converts) to set up a mission in the city.
instruction; therefore, the Ottoman government The Patriarchate dates the founding of its Trans-
was also keen on building schools and mosques in Jordan mission to this visit (Rogan 1999: 125).
the city.

��
In 1869, De Actis was removed from his position basic attachment of local Christians to the ancient mufti from Nablus, as well as the district governor,
and was succeeded by the priest of Bayt Sahur in Orthodox Church was striking, it was a part of their military commander and judge of As-Salt. According
Palestine, the French Jean Morétean (1816-1883). A culture, it was religion as they understood it, replete to the chronicles of Khalil Al-Jamal, the exam began
zealous missionary, Morétean was also a qualified with icons, and tolerant of local practices such as at 8:40 a.m. and lasted three hours and twenty
architect who was involved in building projects in saint-worship. minutes, during which the candidates were tested
the city of which the design of the Roman Catholic in geography, history, arithmetic, grammatical
(Latin) Church in the middle of the city was his reading of texts in Arabic, and an essay on wealth
most significant (Morétean 1871). Father Morétean and poverty. As the School expanded, more teachers
started the construction works, which were then were hired and a girls’ school was opened in As-Salt
completed by his successor Father Gatti. The first in 1883 (Daher 2009).
Protestant mission, headed by Bahnam Hasuna,
came to As-Salt in 1866 and won over the loyalty
of the small Protestant community through his
efforts to teach their children and to minister to
their needs (Moretain 1871). Furthermore, shortly
after the Ottoman government established its
presence in As-Salt, the Church Missionary Society
Fig.58. General View of
(CMS) began to explore the possibility of extending As-Salt 1900
According to Tarif (1997), the Protestants
its activities to the east of the Jordan. In the early
1870s, the CMS began operations in As-Salt; and established their first school in As-Salt in 1867 with
in 1878, Khalil Al-Jamal arrived in As-Salt and the 2 teachers and 95 students (males and females).
Protestant community began to enjoy a measure The Roman Catholics (Latin) established their
of stability. first school for boys in 1870 with 2 teachers and
62 students, and also another school for girls in 1871
As-Salt was also considered a base from which with 1 teacher and 20 students. By 1879, the CMS
missionaries spread their teachings and works to (Protestant) School in As-Salt began to distinguish
the nearby Christian satellite villages of Fuhays, itself from its rivals by building an extensive facility
Rumaymin, and later, Madaba. They also crossed and by hiring distinguished teachers such as Khalil
the Zarqa’ to reach the numerous Christian Al-Jamal. At the end of the academic year in August
communities in the villages of Jabal ‘Ajloun (Rogan 1879 the School held its first public examination,
1999: 130). Yet, while villagers used the missionary an unprecedented event attended by numerous
presence to improve their standard of living, the Ottoman officials: the regional governor and the

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Map.7
Mapping Public
Works by Christian
Missionaries
1
7

1 6

10
2

3
2

lk,v
lk,v
lk,v

ovHfm

4
5

Churches & Public Works

1 Protestant Church (American Church-
Assemblies of God)
2 English Hospital in As-Salt
3 Anglican Church (Church of the Good
Shepherd)
4 Latin Church (Roman Catholic Church)
5 Latin Monastery School
6 Latin Monastery
Existing Churches
7 Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Our
Lady of the Annunciation Church)
8 Greek Orthodox Church (St. George’s
Church-Al Khader Church)
11
9 Orthodox School for Boys
10 Greek Orthodox Church (Church of the
Dormition of the Virgin Mary)
11 Greek Orthodox Church (Church of the
Saviour-Church of the Lady Sarah)

��
The first Protestant missionary clinic was established
in As-Salt in 1872, the Protestants were the first to
use medical services as a means to draw all ages to
their premises. In 1883, a physician was appointed to
the mission’s clinic: Dr. Ibrahim Zou’rab; a graduate of
the Beirut Medical School. His practice was located
in a small shop in As-Salt. Other physicians who
served in As-Salt included Dr. Elias Saba (1885-9),
Dr. Ibrahim Salibi (1889-1905), and pharmacist Nimr
Al-Qbaisi. The clinic received many patients from
As-Salt and its hinterland villages; patients came
even from different parts of Bilad Al-Sham and the
Hijaz. The clinic evolved to become a full-fledged
hospital of 2 floors above the Church of the Good
Shepherd in As-Salt in 1904 (Tarif 1997).
Fig.59. The English
Located on the Haddadin Steps overlooking Sahet Hospital in As-Salt
Al Ain, the English Hospital was considered the
only hospital in the region of Trans-Jordan at that
time. The first floor of the Hospital was built in
1904 and then the upper floor was added in 1923.
The English Hospital and its pharmacy together
with the Doctor’s Residence, Church of the Good
Shepherd (built on the ruins of a Roman temple) and
Sunday School near Al Khader Street represented
a pioneer public medical service in As-Salt at the
turn of the 20th Century. The Hospital played a very
Fig.60. Staff and
important role in elevating the adverse effects of helpers of the English
Hospital in As-Salt 1923
the 1927 earthquake in Trans-Jordan (Daher 2009).

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• Every Day Life & An Emerging Distinctive
Local Culture: Tolerance, Symbiosis, Urban
Social Welfare, and the Honor of Urban
Hospitality
The As-Salt urban community, and by the end of
19th century was a remarkable mix of local tribes
and urban bourgeois merchants from Nablus,
Jerusalem, Hebron, Damascus, Nazareth, Lebanon,
and Turkey. A rich and distinctive social life was
emerging based on a combination of tribal customs
and new urban social norms with influences from
Ottoman and missionary public works and reforms.
There were always newcomers to town, peddlers,
merchants, or even merchant migrants. This created
a new Salti tradition of urban hospitality where
travelers and visitors were welcomed in the urban
merchants’ own houses for days and were offered
the best in food, drink, and accommodations.
The religious diversity of the community of As-
Salt and its hinterland (Muslim, Greek Orthodox,
Roman Catholic, and Protestant); and its different
ethnicities (Arab, Turkmen, Kurdish, Chechen)
were points of strength that fostered harmonious co-
habitation, tolerance, and support between Muslims
and Christians on one hand, and different ethnic
groups on the other. This diverse community in
As-Salt shared a dense urban setting and produced
a distinctive architecture and public spaces that
supported this tolerance and symbioses in addition
to producing a distinctive urban social welfare
between neighbors and residents of the city.
This very important trait of tolerance and co-
habitation between Muslims and Christians that
emerged in As-Salt was unique and resulted in
the shaping of an urban fabric in a way where
no divisions (ethnically or religiously) between
residential quarters existed in the city. Many
cultural traits testified to this co-habitation and
tolerance such as sharing each other’s religious
festivals, sharing responsibilities, brotherhood and
fraternity (e.g., brotherhood through breast feeding,
or brotherhood in blood: this was a symbolic link
where a Muslim and a Christian would consider
each other as a brother and would help each other Fig.61. Map illustrating Muslim
Muslim and Christian Ownerships
when in need). Muslims and Christians joined Ownerships
Christian
together in the veneration of certain local saints Ownerships
such as the prophet Yoush’a (biblical Joshua) and the
prophet Al Khader. It was impossible to distinguish
between Muslims and Christians (men and women)
on the street for example, this was a time when dress
code carried cultural symbolism rather than only a
religious one. This blurring of distinction resulted in
a lack of sectarian divisions within the urban setting
which is unique to As-Salt and maybe Trans-Jordan
that did not exist in other places in Bilad Al-Sham
(Levant). This unique and peaceful co-habitation
is continued into the present, and in fact, As-Salt
can demonstrate a lesson in such tolerance that can
benefit many places of the world today. Fig.62. Wadi Shuaib in
As-Salt. Exterior view of
Prophet Yousha’ Tomb
(biblical Joshoa)
��
 Map.8
ProphetYousha’
Co-habitation,
Symbiosis &
Support between
Muslims and
Christians
Urban Proximity Between Various
Functions (Mosque - Church)

Selected Examples of Shared Urban

Entrances or Stairs

Church - (Public)

Mosque - (Public)

lk,v
lk,v
lk,v

Selected Examples of General Support

System & Brotherhood:
1. Visitng & venerating holy shrines
together (Al Khader, Prophet Yousha’,..).
ovHfm

2. The former English Hospital now is

School of the deaf and blind for both
Muslim & Christian children & youth.
3. (Not on the map) Other Indivisuals
& Families examples of Brotherhood &
Support System:
Financing the pilgrimage of other
religion:
Remon Al Jada’
Breastfeeding brothers:

Families Families
Khreisat Gammoh
Awamleh Dababneh
Faouri Qaqish & Tadrus
Daoud Mouasher
Khatib Abu Jaber

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.63. The Great
Mosque and the Anglican
Church (Church of the
Good Shepherd)
Fig.64. Al Khader
Shrine & Church
Fig.65. Rimon al Jada’’s
shop, a coffee maker and
example of the muslim
and christians support
system in As-Salt
Fig.66. Protestant
Church (American
Church-Assemblies of
God) and Omar bin Al
Khatab Mosque

62

63 64 65

��
 Fig.67. Urban Proximity
between the Great
Mosque and the Anglican
Church (Church of the
Good Shepherd)
Fig.68. Urban Proximity
near Al Khader Church
Fig.69. Urban
Proximity near
Haddadin Stairway

68

67 69

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

According to Tarif (1997), Muslims and Christians
in As-Salt lived in very close proximity to each
other, and especially where the urban fabric in the
city was extremely dense. In addition, the Madafat
(special places of urban hospitality where families
hosted guests) were also close to each other. As-
Salt demonstrated a unique example in Bilad Al-
Sham (the Levant) where there were no delineated
residential neighborhoods by religious sects (similar
to what had existed in cities like Damascus, Beirut,
or Jerusalem). Muslims and Christians borrowed
money from each other and very often had joint
businesses in trade and agriculture. Christians
participated often in public office and formed,
during many years, a considerable percentage of
the city’s elected municipal council. In fact many
of them became mayor of the city on more than
one occasion. Population censuses, based on historic
records, for the year 1868 showed a 2:1 population
ratio between Muslims and Christians (2800
Muslims and 1400 Christians); and the year 1875
showed a 3:1 population ratio (6000 Muslims and
3000 Christians).
Local customs resulted from a fusion between tribal
traditions and emerging urban social norms. In
As-Salt, a unique and outstanding form of urban
hospitality was manifested not only through physical
buildings (Madafat or Madafas (singular Madafa)),
but also through a social/financial support system
between families that financed and supported this
1 A meeting with Mr. Ibrahim Attour (May 5, 2006)
unique urban hospitality. At the beginning, and
from the early 19th century, there existed 3 Madafas
(Awamleh, Akrad, and Masiheiah). But by the
second half of the 20th century, multiple family
Madafas emerged (more than 12 all over the historic
urban core). Today, this tradition and practice is
continued into the present taking similar but also
transformed forms of urban hospitality and family
social welfare. In certain cases, these family Madafas
were individual buildings, and in other cases, part
of the house was dedicated to serve as a Madafa.
The Madafa was given the best location in the
house, usually overlooking the town plaza or was
oriented towards the valley to adorn it with the
best views and vistas. Almost all families had their
own Madafas such as Madafet Abu Jaber, Madafet
Al-Khreisat, Madafet Al-Hadidi, and Madafet Al-
Khalaileh. Today these Madafas are developing into
separate buildings and their role has shifted a bit but
in the beginning, they were part of the house and
the guests interacted with their hosts and learned
from each other.
A well-known Jordanian historian1 narrates an
anecdote about the late educator Mr. Suleiman
Attour who came to Jordan from Syria after the
inception of the Emirate of East Jordan (similar
to several Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian
administrators and teachers) and served as the
headmaster of the Asbaliah School in Amman.
��
As-Salt was the first city he visited when he first
came to Trans-Jordan in the late 1910s. He arrived
at Sahet Al-Ain and was looking for a hotel or a
khan to sleep in. One Salti boy directed him to this
place which Mr. Attour thought was some kind of
an inn or khan. He stayed there for 2 days and it
was only when he asked to pay for the room and
board that he realized that in fact he was a guest
of one of the prominent Salti families.
A thorough investigation into this intangible aspect
of this urban culture is important. There were always
newcomers to town including merchants, peddlers,
or even merchant-migrants. These travelers and
visitors were welcomed in the urban merchants’
own houses for days and weeks and were offered the
best of drink, food, and accommodations. Today’s
version of the Madafat is a continuation of this
Salti tradition into the second half of the 20th and
21st centuries. This unique urban hospitality was
influenced by this fusion between tribal traditions
on one hand and emerging urban merchants’
cultural traits on the other.
 Map.9
Early (First)
Madafas (Urban
Hospitality)

02
03
01

Anticipated Historical Madafas

1 Al Awamleh Mafada
lk,v
lk,v
lk,v

2 Al Akrad Madafa
3 Christian Madafa (Al Masiheiah)
ovHfm

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Map.10
Proliferation of
Madafat (Urban
Hospitality
Buildings) From
the Turn of the
20th Century
12

11
06

05

10

01 03 20th Century Madafas

04

02 1 Daoud House Madafa

lk,v
lk,v
lk,v

2 Abu Jaber House Madafa

3 Toqan House Madafa
07 4 Wakalat As-Sukkar Madafa (Commercial
Hub)
5 Qaqesh House Madafa
ovHfm

6 Al Khreisat Madafa (Falah Al Hamad

08 House)
7 Al Dabbas House Madafa
8 Abu Talib House Madafa
9 Al Mismar House Madafa
09 10 Al Basheer House Madafa
11 Al Khalili Madafa
12 Al Jaghbeer Hosue Madafa

��
 Fig.70. Daoud House
Madafa
Fig.71. Abu Jaber House
Madafa
Fig.72. Touqan House
Madafa
Fig.73. Touqan House
Madafa
Fig.74. Al Qaqish House
(1) Madafa
Fig.75. Al Khreisat
(Falah Al Hamad House
Fig.76. Al Dabbas
House Madafa
Fig.77. Abu Talib House
Madafa
Fig.78. Mismar House
Madafa
Fig.79. Al Basheer
House Madafa
70 71 72 73

74 75 76

77 78 79

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.80. Al Khalili
Madafa
Fig.81. Al Jaghbeer
Hosue Madafa
Fig.82. Al Jaghbeer
Hosue Madafa

80 81 82

��
 Map.11
Continuation
of Urban
Hospitality
6 Traditions
“Dawaween”
19
9
17 8 10

16

15 13

Dawaween / Madafas of the 21st Century

5
12

11 1 Al Arabiyat
2 Al Hiyarat
3 Al Ghnimat
4 Al Dabbas (2)
4

5 Al Khreisat
6 Al Qitishat
7 Al Khlifat
8 Al Fauri
9 Al Tadros
10 Al Dabbas (3)
11 Al Jazazeyeh
12 Al Jaghbeer (2)
13 Al Dababneh
14 Al Kloub
1
15 Al Atiyat
16 Al Fakhoury
7 17 Al Ramamneh and Al Dahabi
18 Al Hadidi
19 Al Qaqish (2)
20 Al Rahahla
20 2 18 14
21 Al Daradkeh
21
3

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.83. Al Arabiyat
Madafa
Fig.84. Al Hiyarat
Madafa
Fig.85. Al Ghnimat
Madafa
Fig.86. Al Dabbas (2)
Madafa
Fig.87. Al Khreisat
Madafa
Fig.88. Al Qitishat
Madafa
Fig.89. Al Khlifat
Madafa
Fig.90. Al Fauri Madafa
Fig.91. Al Tadros
Madafa

83 84 85

86 87 88

89 90 91

��
 Fig.92. Al Dabbas (3)
Madafet
Fig.93. Al Jazazeyeh
Madafet
Fig.94. Al Jaghbeer (2)
Madafa
Fig.95. Al Dababneh
Madafa
Fig.96. Al Kloub
Madafa
Fig.97. Al Atiyat
Madafa
Fig.98. Al Fakhoury
Madafa
Fig.99. Al Ramamneh
and Al Dahabi Madafa
Fig.100. Al Hadidi
Madafa

92 93 94

95 96 97

98 99 100

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.101. Al Qaqish (2)
Madafa
Fig.102. Al Rahahla
Madafa
Fig.103. Al Daradkeh
Madafa

101 102 103

��
The practice of hospitality in As-Salt was very
much linked to the honor of family and clan. In
the Balqa region, visitors had to pay nothing for
their stay and food. Accounts differ on the length
of time that a visitor could reasonably stay in a
guest house. Travelers to the region claimed that
certain Madafas provided free food and shelter for
all visitors for one night only, while Burckhardt, a
traveler to the region in the 19th century, maintained
that no time limit was imposed, as long as a guest
did not stay for an unreasonable length without
good cause (Burkhardt 1822). Urban hospitality
in As-Salt was considered an honor, and usually
families competed for it.
Guests were provided with coffee and the three
meals of the day in addition to accommodation.
During certain occasions and depending on the type
of guests, a sheep or goat would be slaughtered in
their honor and other residents of the town were
invited to share the meal. This urban hospitality
culture was expensive to maintain. Each family
Madafa had a manager who kept the accounts
and also raised funds from the family members
or different residents of a certain quarter or
neighborhood. Other forms of funding to support
this urban hospitality trait came from local taxes
in the amount of 1 piaster/one camel load imposed
on the trade of ashes of the Qali plant which was
exported to Syria, Palestine and Lebanon. This As-Salt enjoyed a rich, inclusive, and colorful
taxation amounted to around 3000 piasters public life through its various public spaces such
1 Meeting with Historian Mohammad Khraisat (May, 2 2018)
annually during certain years. This urban hospitality as Hammam Street, Al-Skafiyia Street, and the city’s
manifested by the Madafat can thus be interpreted square (Sahet Al-Ain) and also public buildings (e.g.,
functionally as a public service which was partially mosques, churches, clinics, schools, Ottoman Sarai,
supported by a form of taxation (Daher 2009). Telegraph Office, other). Religious holidays for
both Muslims and Christians were also celebrated
This cultural trait of urban hospitality and support in these public spaces through joint processions
continued into the middle of the 20th century and and events. As-Salt was a busy mercantile city,
even beyond as explained earlier. After the Israeli therefore, its shops and streets were always buzzing
occupation of Palestine in 1948, many Palestinian with clientele from all over the region.
refugees fled their homes and towns and headed
east. Many of them stayed with families from As-
Salt for weeks and even months without paying
any rent or compensation1. One local anecdote
narrated how many chose to come to As-Salt and
arrived in Sahet Al-Ain (city square). One particular
family (the Khamees Family from Jerusalem)
arriving to As-Salt in an old Buick car, attracted
the attention of a Salti woman from the Abu Jaber
Family who was watching from her home window
overlooking the Saha with her friends and relatives.
She immediately summoned her son to talk to the
head of the family and to invite them to stay in
the Abu Jaber guest house (Madafa). They stayed
as guests in the Madafa for months and later they
returned to their hometown Jerusalem. Two years
later, the Abu Jaber Family went to Jerusalem to
ask for the hand of Audete Khamis (the daughter)
in marriage for their son Kahlil Fraih Abu Jaber.
�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
 Fig.107. Merchants and
pedestrians in Al Ain
Plaza with parts of the
Sunday School & the
Church of the Good
Fig.104. Troops waiting their turn to water their Fig.105. Australian Light Horse and British troops in Shepard
horses in March 1918 the town of As-Salt, showing the post office on the left.
Bisharat House is showing on the right in 1918

Fig.108. A view of
As-Salt showing C.M.S
Hospital

Fig.106. Al Ain Bridge,

Two light horsemen,
one is carrying a bag
over his shoulder, and
local people standing in
front of an archway of
an old building which
was the watering place
where Australians
watered their horses. A
water trough is in the
right hand corner of the
building, March 1918

��
Even today, residents of the city still do their daily
shopping from these old historic places and shops
in Al-Khader and Hammam Streets and in Sahet Al-
Ain. Families very often paid social visits between
them. The ladies of a particular neighborhood held
social gatherings in the mornings and families took
turns in hosting these gatherings, which were called
Istiqbal1. Older men spent part of their leisure time
in Sahet Al-Ain (city square) playing an ancient board
game called Al-Manqala. Today, and in 2018, elderly
men from As-Salt continue to play Al-Manqala in
its city square; and the historic commercial streets Fig.110. People Playing Manqala in Hammam Street
and shops are still used and frequented not only by
visitors and tourists, but also by the city residents
alike. Many of these traditions are continued into
the present. As-Salt historic core is an example of
a living historic urban center in the region.

Fig.109. People shopping in Hammam Street

1 Meeting with Maysoon Khatib and Amira Dawoud (April 29, 2018)

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Richness of Public Life
and Continuity of
Traditions in Sahet Al
Ain & Hammam Street:
Fig.111. Traditional spice
shop at Hammam street
Fig.112. Man cleaning
in front of his shop in
Hammam Street
Fig.113. Men playing
Manqala at Sahet Al Ain
Fig.114. Shops near
the Small Mosque in
Hammam Street
Fig.115. Traffic & people
at Sahet Al Ain
Fig.116. People shopping
at Hammam street
Fig.117. Vibrant
vegetable market at
112
110 111 Hamman Street

114 115

Sahet
Al Ain lk,v
lk,v
lk,v

ovHfm

Hammam
Street

113 116

��
 Richness of Public
Life and Continuity
of Traditions in Al
Maydan & Al Khader
Church & Shrine:
Fig.118. Al Maydan shops
and carts
Fig.119. Sales banner at
Al Meydan shops
Fig.120. School Kids at
Al Khader Alleyway
Fig.121. Woman visiting
Al Khader
Fig.122. Prayers at Al
Khader Church Cave

118 119

122

Al Khader Street

Maydan Square
lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

120 121

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

As-Salt and its residents demonstrated many cases
of philanthropy and support. It is known in the
memory of the city that each year in the holy month
of Ramadan, Abdullah Daoud Al-Jazzazi practiced a
certain tradition around the time of Iftar, by putting
large plates of food outside of his house, and would
not eat until all of these plates were taken by the
residents of the city. In addition, it was known that
one of the shops in the Daoud building fronting
Sahet Al-Ain was open after the Maghreb prayer to
receive travelers or visitors to the city. 1
Fig.123. Al Daoud
House at Sahet Al Ain

1 Meeting with Ahmad Al Hmoud (May 3, 2018).

��
In general, residents of the city demonstrated many
habits and customs related to urban social welfare
(e.g., neighbors helping each other when in need,
neighbors offering support for a family with a sick
member, women of the neighborhood gathered
together to help and offer support for a neighbor
who had given birth, neighbors sharing food and
sweets on a daily basis, other). The unique and dense
urban fabric of the City provided the appropriate
context for such urban social welfare. Many houses
shared semi-public spaces, steps, and alleyways, this
strengthened the social relations between members
of the community in general. As-Salt stood as a true
example of human common life and friendship,
tolerance and cohabitation, philanthropy, and urban
hospitality. It was an exceptional urban reality in
Trans-Jordan at the time and within the region 100
that not only brought an end to the complete
bedouinization of the Trans-Jordan at that time;
but also drafted the outlines for a genuine Jordanian
urban culture
English
50 Hospital

50 100

Fig.124. Map & enlarged persective view; illustrating

urban social welfare facilitated by the dense urban
fabric around Al Haddadin Stairway

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.125. Overview
showing urban social
welfare facilitated by
the dense urban fabric
around Al Haddadin
Stairway

Examples on Urban
Social Welfare
ecosystems in As-Salt

Al Haddadin
Steps

��
 Saket
Houses

Khatib
Houses

Daoud
House

Sukkar
Main Building

100
Mouasher
House

50
lk,v

Sukkar
Supplementary
Building

50 100 150
Fig.126. Urban Fabric & Density at As-Sukkar House,
Khatib House and Daoud House Urban Complex

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Mutual Public
Spaces/ Shared
Entrances

Fig.127. Overview
showing dense urban
fabric at As -Sukkar
House, Khatib House
and Daoud House urban
complexes

As-Sukkar
House Daoud Khatib
House House
Saket
Al Mouashir House
House As-Sukkar
supplementary
House

��
�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
Assessment of Significance,
Management Context, & Physical
Condition

3.a The Specificity of the City of Salt: 3.f Assessment of Management

The Place of Tolerance, Symbiosis
and Urban Hospitality (As-Salt
Tangible and Intangible Attributes) 3.g
3.b As-Salt: An Example of a Living
Heritage with its Tangible and
Context
Assessment of Tourism & Visitor
Management Context
Rationale for Comparative Analysis

3
Intangible Attributes Continued 3.h Analysis of Other Factors Affecting
and Transformed into the Future Conservation (Threats)

3.c Assessment of Values and

Significance

3.d Assessment of Authenticity &

Integrity

3.e Physical Condition Assessment for

Buildings & Open Spaces (Present
State of Conservation)

��
3.a A rich and distinctive social life was emerging based builders and masons from Nablus and Jerusalem,
The Specificity of the on a combination of tribal customs and newly urban
social norms with unique manifestations such as a
these urban merchants’ houses were mostly located
overlooking public areas (e.g., Hammam Street or
City of Salt: The Place of special urban hospitality, a distinctive urban setting Sahet Al Ain), and introduced to As-Salt a particular
Tolerance, Symbiosis and and architecture, and a harmonious co-habitation
between Muslims and Christians on one hand, and
urban sophistication producing an urban bourgeois
vernacular architecture.
Urban Hospitality (As-Salt different ethnic groups on the other. This fusion
Tangible and Intangible was also facilitated by the Ottomans extending their
rule to these southern fronteirs and implementing
The circulation of images, architectural types,
building techniques and materials culminated
Attributes) various municipal, infrastructural, and educational in a cultural exchange that supported an urban
reforms. Furthermore, this was also facilitated by lifestyle new to As-Salt fused with local tribal/
Christian missionary public works on body and soul. urban customs of urban hospitality and support and
The unique socio-cultural architectural and urban
symbiosis between Muslim and Christian residents
attributes of the city of As-Salt render it unique
• Significant Architecture as a Result of of the city. (Diagram.9, Page 33) This doesn’t only
demonstrating a living heritage with a strong
Cultural Exchange and Circulation of illustrate the circulation of architectural types (e.g.,
link between its intangible attributes (tolerance
Building Types and Technical Know- 3-Bay Houses, Bilad al Sham Town Houses), images,
and co-habitation; urban hospitality and urban
How Producing a Mix of Vernacular building techniques (e.g., Art Nouveau and Neo-
social welfare) and tangible attributes (significant
Regional and High-Class Architecture Classical motifs and details); but also the circulation
architecture and an urban setting) during the city’s
with Patrons including Migrating of Modernity art and images popular during the
Golden Age ranging from the 1860s to the middle
Urban Bourgeois Merchants; Educated Late Ottoman period such as the circulation of
of the 1920s. The following is a summary of these
Professionals, and Regional Master Builders Art Nouveau paintings and other late Ottoman
tangible and intangible attributes.
paintings showing picturesque scenes, ocean liners
These bourgeois urban merchants brought with and locomotives, symbolizing Ottoman Modernity.
• A Unique Fusion between Tribal-Rural
them images, architectural types, and building
and Migrating Bourgeois Merchants
techniques from their homes of origins in Palestine
that Resulted in an Integration Fig.128. Art Nouveau
and Lebanon. They introduced to As-Salt (which influence in Abu Jaber
Between the City and its Hinterland House
was predominantly composed of peasant Fallahi
houses) to new building typologies such as the
As-Salt Urban community, and by the end of 19th
3-Bay House with its triple arch motif and Bilad al
century was a remarkable mix of local tribes and
Sham (Levant) Town Houses with their commercial
urban bourgeois merchants from Nablus, Jerusalem,
shops on the ground floor and residential 3-Bay
Hebron, Damascus, Nazareth, Lebanon, and Turkey.
configurations on upper floors. Built by migrating

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

The cultural exchange resulted in the circulation
of various architectural types, and construction
materials and know-how. The emergence of a
merchant bourgeoisie in As-Salt acting as a regional
and international intermediary between European
centers and the city was supported by trade
relations; it resulted also in the import of Western
industrial construction materials and know-
how. The new emerging architectural typologies
represented in certain cases a local vernacular
tradition with the influence of master builders
who merged regional influences with imported
material and stylistic trends; and in other cases a
high style architectural tradition by Western and
Western-educated professionals (but also influenced
by the knowledge of prominent master builders
such as ’Abd al Rahman al ’Akrouq). Examples of
the latter include urban bourgeois mansions (e.g.,
the Abu Jabers, the Touqans, other) and public
institutional buildings (e.g., Latin Church designed
by the French priest/architect Morétain, The Small
Mosque, other).
In summary, the first phase of early modernization
in As-Salt produced a new vernacular model, the
central-hall house, that possessed the intrinsic
qualities of a traditional type, while showing
enough flexibility to adapt to the different social
classes, and various regional, urban and suburban
settings. It shaped itself to urbanization constraints
without losing its inner cohesiveness, and
incorporated stylistic impositions without losing
its distinguishing visual character.
It is noted that As-Salt enjoyed several architectural
typologies within this unique Salti context; prior
to the 19th century, As-Salt was dominated by
the Peasant (Fallahi) Houses type before the
introduction of new emerging types. Some were
well-known architectural typologies in the Levant
(e.g., that existed in cities like Beirut, Nablus, Haifa,
and other) such as the 3-Bay Houses or Bilad Al Sham Fig.129. Art Nouveau influence in As-Salt
Townhouses that were domesticated in the local
context of As-Salt. And at the same time produced
“local” types such as the Local Salti Multi-Story
Residential on city slopes. So, As-Salt produced over
the years an architectural typo-morphology that
is transformative, thus contributing to a unique
humble yet elegant architectural/urban reality that
is dense supporting local social norms such as urban
hospitality, social urban welfare, and co-habitation.
(See Table on Page 87 and Map 12 on Page 86)
Fig.131. Art Nouveau influence in As-Salt Fig.130. Art Nouveau influence in As-Salt
��
 Fig.132. A collection
of decorative stone
architectural details in
As-Salt

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.133. A collection
of decorative stone
architectural details in
As-Salt

��
 Map.12
Significant
Attributes
of A physical
37
36
7 Nature (Public
& Residential
35

Buildings)
28 11 Public Buildings
10
14 5 1 Latin Monastery
16 27 2 Anglican Church (Church of the Good
23 Shepherd)
30 31 3 Great Mosque of As-Salt
13 17 4 Small Mosque of As-Salt
6 32 5 Greek Orthodox Church (Church of the
21 2 12 Dormition of the Virgin Mary)
3 9
29
8 10 4 22 6 English Hospital
1 11 7 Melkite Greek Catholic Church (Our Lady
of the Annunciation Church)
24 4 26 1 20 8 Salt Secondary School
33 34 2lk,v
lk,v

3
lk,v

4 25 5 9 Said Al Bahra School

9 10 Citadel Mosque
11 Greek Orthodox Church (St. George’s
15 19 Church - Al-Khader Church)
12 Greek Orthodox (Church of the Savior-
ovHfm

6
Church of the lady Sarah)
18

Residential Buildings
7
1 Abu Jaber House 22 Bashir House
2 Khatib House 23 Dababneh House
3 Daoud Building 24 Saket House
4 Sukkar Building 25 Mouasher House
5 Touqan House 26 Mouasher House
6 Mouasher House 27 Zu’bi House
7 Musmar House 28 Mill
38 8 Touqan/Abu Alouf 29 Mill
9 Daoud House 30 Falah Al-Hamad
10 Muhyar Building House
11 Muhyar House 31 Madafet AL-
12 Nabulsi House Khalili
8 13 Qaqish House 32 Bakery
14 Jaghbeer House 33 Grouping of
15 Hattar House Peasant Houses
12 16 Fakhoury Building 34 Peasant House
17 Nabulsi House 35 3-bay House
18 Abu Talib House 36 3-bay House
19 Hmoud House 37 Peasant (Fallahi)
20 Dair House House
21 Haddadin House 38 Mashini House

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Building Name Image Illustration

Abu Jaber House

Al-Khatib House

Daoud Building

Sukkar Building

Touqan House

��
Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Mouasher House

Musmar House

Touqan House/ Abu Alouf

Daoud House

Muhyar Building

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Muhyar House

Nabulsi House

Qaqish House

Jaghbeer House

Hattar House

��
Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Fakhoury Building

Nabulsi House

Abu Talib House

Hmoud House

Dair House

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Haddadin House

Bashir House

Dababneh House

Saket House

Bakery

��
Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Mouasher House 1

Mouasher House 2

Zu’bi House

Mill 1

Mill 2

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Falah Al-Hamad House

Madafet Al- Khalili

3-bay House

3-bay House

Sukkar House

��
Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Peasant (Fallahi) House

Mashini House

Latin Church

Anglican Church (Church

of the Good Shepherd)

Melkite Greek Catholic

Church (Our Lady of the
Annunciation Church)

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Greek Orthodox (Church

of the Savior- Church of the
Lady Sarah)

Small Mosque of Salt

Greek Orthodox Church

(Church of the Dormition
of the Virgin Mary)

English Hospital

Greek Orthodox Church

(St. George’s Church -
Al-Khader Church)

��
Map.12 Tables of Significant Buildings

Salt Secondary School

Said Al Bahra School

�� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• Tolerance, Co-Habitation, Symbiosis, and to producing a distinctive urban social welfare of sectarian divisions within the urban setting
Support between Muslim and Christian between neighbors and residents of the city. This which is unique to As-Salt and maybe Trans-Jordan
Communities in the City Transcending very important trait of tolerance and co-habitation that did not exist in other places in Bilad Al Sham
Religions and Ethnicities and Producing between Muslims and Christians that emerged in (Levant). This unique and peaceful co-habitation
a Sense of Community and Belonging to a As-Salt was unique and resulted in the shaping of an is continued into the present, and in fact, As-Salt
Shared Space urban fabric in a way where no divisions (ethnically can demonstrate a lesson in such tolerance that
or religiously) between residential quarters existed can benefit many places of the world today. It is
As-Salt’s urban social reality is a testimony to a in the city, in fact families of different religions interesting that historians have asserted that Trans-
unique system of co-habitation and support that lived in close proximity to each other. Jordan was marked by a greater degree of religious
transcends religions and ethnicities and produces toleration than any other part of the Levant, and
a sense of community and a sense of belonging Many cultural traits testified to this co-habitation the casual intermixing of Muslims and Christians
to a shared space. This is manifested through and tolerance such as the sharing of religious resulted in a convergence in religious practice
brotherhood and support between families; festivals, sharing responsibilities, brotherhood and between the two faiths. This blurring of distinctions
sharing each other’s celebrations and events, fraternity (e.g., brotherhood through breast feeding, resulted in a lack of sectarian divisions unique to
mutual veneration of certain saints, spatial urban or Brotherhood in Blood: this was a symbolic link the area (Rogan 1999; Tarif 1997).
proximities between houses and mosques and where a Muslim and a Christian would consider
churches including shared urban entrances; joint each other as a brother and would help each other The essence of the argument for tolerance,
business deals and trade, and much more. These when in need). Muslims and Christians joined symbiosis, and support between Muslim and
intangible attributes are still part of everyday life together in the veneration of certain local saints Christian communities in the city of As-Salt is not
and practices in the city today. such as the mausoleum (Maqam) of prophet Yousha’ based on the fact that such tolerance existed only in
(biblical Joshua), mausoleum of prophet Shua’ib As-Salt; but while this tolerance might have existed
The religious diversity of the community of As- located in the Valley (Wadi) with the same name 12 in other Levantine cities such as Damascus, Aleppo,
Salt and its hinterland (Muslims, Greek Orthodox, km south of As-Salt, mausoleum of prophet Jadur Jerusalem, and Nablus; in As-Salt it was different
Roman Catholics, and Protestants); and the (Jad son of Jacob) located south east of As-Salt, and and unique in terms of its:
different ethnicities (Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds) was the church of Al Khader, located at the end of Al
a point of strength that enjoyed a harmonious co- Khader Street in As-Salt. a) Intensity and various forms of manifestation:
habitation, tolerance, and support between Muslims Many cultural traits testified to this co-habitation
and Christians on one hand, and different ethnic It was impossible to distinguish between Muslims and tolerance such as the sharing of religious
groups on the other. This diverse community in and Christians (men and women) on the street for festivals, sharing responsibilities, brotherhood
As-Salt shared a dense urban setting and produced example, this was a time when dress code carried and fraternity (e.g., brotherhood between Muslim
a distinctive architecture and public spaces that cultural symbolism rather than only a religious and Christian families through breast feeding, or
supported this tolerance and symbioses in addition one. This blurring of distinction resulted in a lack Brotherhood in Blood: this was a symbolic link

���
where a Muslim and a Christian would consider
each other as a brother and would help each other
when in need); shared businesses; and the joining
together in the veneration and visitation of certain
local saints such as the mausoleum (Maqam) of
prophet Yousha’ (biblical Joshua), mausoleum of
prophet Shua’ib located in the Valley (Wadi).

b) Continuity of such traditions into the present:

this tradition of unique and peaceful co-habitation
and support is continued into the present and is
still part of everyday life practices, and

c) Absence of segregated neighborhoods by sect:

furthermore, this unique tradition of tolerance
resulted in As-Salt in the absence of segregated or
designated neighborhoods per sect which existed
in other Levantine cities such as Jerusalem and
Damascus; on the contrary, families of different
religions lived in close proximity to each other
resulting in a lack of sectarian divisions within the
urban setting and in the proliferation of urban social
welfare systems amongst the community at large.

Fig.134. Churches &

mosques shaping the
skyline of As-Salt and
embracing co-habitation
in the urban setting

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Map.13
ProphetYousha’
Co-habitation,
Symbiosis &
Support between
Muslims and
Christians
Urban Proximity Between Various
Functions (Mosque - Church)

Selected Examples of Shared Urban

Entrances or Stairs

Church - (Public)

Mosque - (Public)

lk,v
lk,v
lk,v

Selected Examples of General Support

System & Brotherhood:
1. Visiting & venerating holy shrines
together (Al Khader, Prophet Yousha’,..).
ovHfm

2. Christians voluntarily paying for

Muslims’ Pilgrimage (Remon Al Jada’).
3. The former English Hospital now is
School of the Deaf and Blind for both
Muslim & Christian children & youth.
4. (Not on the map) Other Individuals
& Families - examples of Brotherhood &
Support Systems:
Financing the pilgrimage of other
religion:
Remon Al Jada’
Breastfeeding brothers:
Families Families
Khreisat Gammoh
Awamleh Dababneh
Faouri Qaqish & Tadrus
Daoud Mouasher
Khatib Abu Jaber

Open for Enlargement ���

 Fig.135. Al Jad’a
• A Unique Urban Typology & Morphology Stairway
Fig.136. Hammam
that Links the Residential Neighborhoods Street
Fig.137. Sahet Al Ain
on the City’s Various Slopes with the Public and entrance to Al
Khader Street
Spaces & Streets on the Lower Parts in the Fig.138. Panoramic
Lookout to Al Jad’a
Wadis through a Web of Stairs, Alleyways,
and Nodes

As-Salt’s urban typologies testify to a unique urban

morphology that supports co-habitation between
Muslims and Christians and also a unique urban
social welfare through a socially-mixed urban
environment producing a web of stairs and alleyways
that link the 3 mountains (Al Qal’a, Al Jad’a, and Al
Salalem) to the Valleys (Wadis) and public square
and commercial streets of this historic urban core;
unique urban nodes; streets, and public plazas
(Sahat) with potentials for outstanding panoramic
lookouts providing chances to contemplate and
understand this unique morphology.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• The Honour of Urban Hospitality Taking time that a visitor could reasonably stay in a guest other) and various extended family events are held.
the Form of Madafas Resulting from a Fusion house. Urban hospitality in As-Salt was considered Today’s version of the Madafat is a continuation of
between Tribal Traditions and Emerging an honour, and usually families competed for it. this tradition into the second half of the 20th and
Urban Merchants’ Social Norms So, this urban hospitality was a reflection of honor, 21st centuries. (Refer to Map.7, Page 47).
pride, and also power. In certain cases, these family
Local customs resulted from a fusion between tribal Madafas were individual buildings, and in other
traditions and emerging urban social norms. In cases, part of the house was dedicated to serve as
As-Salt, a unique and outstanding form of urban a Madafa. New arrivals to the city did not feel like
hospitality was manifested not only through physical foreigners, they were immediately welcomed and
buildings (Madafat or Madafas (singular Madafa)), assimilated. This urban hospitality played a major
but also through a social/financial support system role in the nature of this welcoming, which lasted
between families that financed and supported this at least 3 and 1/3 days (influence of tribal customs).
unique urban hospitality. Guests, travelers, and Fig.139. Daoud House
Madafa
visitors to the city were received in these Madafas This urban hospitality culture was expensive to
(which in many cases were part of the home itself, maintain. Each quarter or Madafa had a manager
and were given the best in food and drink for at who kept the accounts. Therefore, this urban
least 3 days, and in many cases the stay extended hospitality cultural trait was institutionalized,
to weeks and months). At the beginning, and from and was financed by either families who paid a
early 19th century, there existed 3 Madafas (Awamleh,certain amount of piasters/family to support the
Akrad, and Christian). But by the second half of system, or 5 piasters were dedicated to the system of
the 20th century, multiple family Madafas emerged hospitality paid on each camel load of the Qili plant.
Fig.140. Abu Jaber
(more than 12 all over the historic urban core). A The Madafa can thus be interpreted functionally as House Madafa
thorough investigation into this intangible aspect a public service which was provided through a form
of this urban culture is important. of taxation and family support system. Today, this
tradition and practice is continued into the present
This unique urban hospitality was influenced by taking similar but also transformed forms of urban
this fusion between tribal traditions on one hand hospitality and family social welfare. New forms of
and emerging urban merchants’ cultural traits on Madafas (locally called Dawaween (singular is Diwan)
the other. The practice of hospitality in As-Salt or Madafat) emerged also all around the historic core
was very much linked to family and clan honor. as the city expanded. Each family in As-Salt today Fig.141. Al Qaqish
House Madafa
In the Balqa region, visitors had to pay nothing for has a Diwan where guests are well-received during
their stay and food. Accounts differ on the length of public events (e.g., paying condolences, weddings,

���
• A Unique Socio-Urban Welfare System
(Takaful Ijtimai’) Supported by a Dense Urban
Morphology and a Distinctive Vernacular
Architectural and Urban Typology Resulting
in Relations of Proximity and Support
between Neighbours
exceptional urban reality in Trans-Jordan at the
time and within the region that not only brought
an end to the complete bedouinization of the rans-
Jordan at that time; but also drafted the outlines
for a genuine Jordanian urban culture.

A unique socio-urban welfare system supported

by a dense urban morphology and distinctive
architectural and urban vocabularies such as
verandas, semi-private spaces and urban nodes
in front of buildings and along stairs; and also
supported by socially-minded neighborhoods (e.g.
lack of social segregation and close urban proximity
between residents of different economic means).

In general, residents of the city demonstrated

many habits and customs related to urban social
welfare (e.g., neighbors helping each other in
need, neighbors offering support for a family with
a sick family member, women of the neighborhood
gathered together to help and offer support for a
neighbor who had given birth, neighbors sharing
food and sweets on a daily bases, other). The
unique urban dense fabric of the city provided the
appropriate context for such urban social welfare.
Many houses shared semi-public spaces, steps, and
alleyways; this strengthened the social relations
between members of the community in general.
As-Salt stood as a true example of human common
life and friendship, tolerance and co-habitation,
philanthropy, and urban hospitality. It was an

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Map.14
Tangible &
Intangible Attributes
of the Property
36
37 7

35 Tangible Attributes Of The Property

Urban Significant
Typology Buildings
Significant Buildings
28 11

10
5
Nodes
14 Singificant Buildings
16
27 Squares (Sahat) (Public)
23 -Mosque
30 31 Stairs
13
17
Singificant Buildings
6 32 Alleyways (Public)
21 2 29
12
-Church
3 9 8 10
4
22
Streets
1 11 Singificant
Panoramic Buildings (Public)
24 4 26 1 20 Lookout -School
34 2 3 25 5
4
lk,v

33
lk,v

lk,v

9 Singificant
Buildings (Public)
ovHfm
15 19 -Hospital
6

18
Intangible Attributes (the ones that
can be spatially represented)
7

A System Tolerance
of Urban Co-habitation
Hospitality Between Muslim
and Christians
Communities
38 Urban Proximity
Madafat From Between Various
The Golden Functions (Mosque
Age - Church)
8 Shared Urban
Entrances or Stairs
General Support
System &
Brotherhood
Madafat From The
Golden Age

���
Diagram.13
The Tangible and Intangible Attributes of As-Salt Historic Core
��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
3.b
As-Salt: An Example of a
Living Heritage with its
Tangible and Intangible
Attributes Continued
and Transformed into the
Future
It is very interesting to notice the continuity of
cultural traits and traditions in As-Salt today; the
tolerance, co-habitation and symbiosis between
Muslim and Christian families still continues
today. The tradition and practice of hospitality
is continued into the present taking similar but
also transformed forms of urban hospitality and
family social welfare, new forms of Madafas (locally
called Dawaween (singular is Diwan) emerged also
all around the historic core as the city expanded.
Each family in As-Salt today has a Diwan where
guests are well-received during public events (e.g.,
paying condolences, weddings, other) and various
extended family events are held. Today’s version
of the Madafas is a continuation of this tradition
into the second half of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Even today, residents of the City still do their daily
shopping from the old historic places and shops
in Al Khader and Hammam Streets and in Sahet
al Ain. Today, and in 2018, elderly men from As-
Salt continue to play Manqala in its city square; The architecture and the urban environment of
and the historic commercial streets and shops are
still used and frequented not only by visitors and
the city not only represent a physical reminder
of collective memory, but also an evidence of
tourists, but also by city residents alike. Many of how these cultural traits are even continued and
these traditions are continued into the present. As-
Salt historic core is an example of a living historic
practiced into the present. Furthermore, the
numerous adaptive reuse projects in As-Salt add
urban center in the region. to this linking between the tangible and intangible
attributes, some of these projects include: the
The urban practices today continue to vibrantly use adaptation of Abu Jaber House into the Historic
Sahet Al Ain and Hammam Street in addition to old Salt Museum; the adaptation of the English
the city’s urban nodes and web of steps all over the Hospital into a center for the rehabilitation of the
city. In fact, part of As-Salt’s contemporary political deaf and the blind; The adaptive reuse of Touqan
discourse is the emerging importance of Sahet al House into the As-Salt Archaeological Museum;
Ain again as a place of political demonstrations. The adaptive reuse of Qaqish House which is now
Today, political marches start from Al Maydan Café reused by the As-Salt City Development Projects
(one of the early political salons of the city), and Unit (ASCSP) and the adaptation of Beit Aziz into a
end at Sahet al Ain. restaurant and Bed and Breakfast to mention a few.
Fig.142. People playing
Manqala in Sahet Al
Ain
Fig.143. Adaptation of
Fig.144. People shopping Abu Jaber House into
at Hammam Street the Historic old Salt
Museum HOSM
���
3.c
Assessment of Values and
Significance
Our approach is based on considering this and environmental diversity.
cultural property (historic urban core of As-Salt)
as a historic urban landscape (HUL) which is the
result of historic layering and the transformation
of cultural, natural, and social values and attributes
that extended beyond the notion of only buildings
or a historic ensemble to rather include the
broader urban and natural setting on one hand;
and socio-cultural and architectural attributes on
the other. The wider context includes the site’s
topography, urban morphology, architecture &
the built environment in addition to the various
urban open spaces, alleyways, steps, and other urban
types and spatial organizations. This approach of a
historic urban landscape (HUL) also includes social
and cultural practices, values, and attributes (the
intangible dimensions of urban heritage that is
related to diversity and identity).
values would differ from an approach that is adopted • The Historic Urban Core of the City
when the property is a single architectural building
or a serial number of buildings. Here, and with the
consideration of a heritage urban area, one considers
the “ensembles” values such as functional diversity
Fig.146. Urban
ensembles: the value of
functional diversity and also the circulation of Modernity art and images
the urban fabric
Possesses Architectural Values Represented
Through the Diverse Historic Residential
and Public Buildings From the Golden Age
Unique for their Yellow Limestone Material
Bestowing a Shared Unity Throughout Most
of the Historic Urban Setting
Assessment of the Value in Context:
The circulation of images, architectural types,
building techniques and materials culminated in
a cultural exchange that supported a new urban
lifestyle new to As-Salt. This cultural exchange was
not only limited to the circulation of architectural
types (e.g., 3-Bay Houses, Bilad al Sham Town
Houses), images, building techniques (e.g., Art
Nouveau and Neo-Classical motifs and details); but
popular during the Late Ottoman period such as
the circulation of Art Nouveau paintings and other
late Ottoman paintings showing picturesque scenes,
ocean liners and locomotives, symbolizing Ottoman
Modernity.

Based on the research conducted, the fieldwork,
the documentation of the Site at various levels,
and the stakeholder meetings, the following is a
brief discussion of the potential values related to
As-Salt Historic City Core. Before the identification
of the values, it is important to understand that the
property under consideration is a historic urban
city core; so the approach to the identification of
Fig.145. Urban ensembles: mixed use strip illustrating
the value of functional diversity (public space,
commercial and housing) and the urban fabric
The new emerging architectural typologies
represented in certain cases a local vernacular
tradition with the influence of master builders who
merged regional influences with imported materials
and stylistic trends; and in other cases a high style
architectural tradition by Western and Western-
educated professionals (but also with influences
by the knowledge of prominent master builders

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

such as ’Abd al Rahman al ’Aqruq). Examples of Fig.147. Architectural
facade details at the
the latter include urban bourgeois mansions (e.g., entrance of Abu Jaber
House
the Abu Jabers’, the Touqan’s, other) and public
institutional buildings (e.g., Latin Church, The
Small Mosque, other).

These buildings were strongly linked to the

social/urban history of the city and to its society’s
intangible heritage and attributes such as co-
habitation between Muslims and Christians, and
a strong urban social welfare between residents.
Furthermore, these different emerging types
signified the transition from Salt being composed
of mainly peasant Fallahi houses to a new urban
frontier presence in Trans-Jordan with diverse
public and residential buildings occupying the
city’s multiple hills and mountains.

Fig.148. Madafa
room in Abu Jaber
House

���
• The Historic Urban Core of the City of
As-Salt Enjoys a Particular Sense of Place
that Links the Valleys & Lower Slopes of
the Mountains (where the City Square and
Commercial Streets are Situated) to Other
Urban Nodes on the Flanking Hills through a
Web of Steps, Alleyways and Nodes Between
Houses; and Producing an Urban Reality
with a High Level of Functional Diversity
and Social Inclusion
Named after a Turkish Bath, the street was
founded and dates back to 1881 – 1918, many shops
on Hammam Street still embrace their original
function for decades now, which has been inherited
through generations. Many residents of the city still
conduct their daily shopping at Hammam Street
and other historic commercial areas within the
historic urban core.

Assessment of the Value in Context:

It is interesting to note that this special historic
urban setting in As-Salt supports a rich functional Fig.151. The English
Hospital
diversity of residential, commercial, religious, and
other public buildings that is still active and plays a
major role in their contemporary everyday practices.
Fig.150. The Church of
The rich diverse urban typologies of As-Salt with the Dormition of the
Virgin Mary
its steps, alleyways, and urban nodes testify to
a unique urban morphology that supports co-
Fig.152. Touqan House
habitation between Muslims and Christians and
also a unique urban social welfare through a socially-
mixed urban environment producing a web of stairs
and alleyways that link the 3 mountains (Al Qal’a
(citadel), Al Jad’a, and Al Salalem) to the valleys
(Wadis) and public plazas of this historic urban
core; unique urban nodes; streets, and public plazas
Fig.153. The Anglican
(Sahat) with potentials for outstanding panoramic Church (Church of the
Good Shepherd)
lookouts providing chances to view and understand
this unique morphology. Fig.149. An aerial view of
the Latin Church with
Abu Jaber House

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• The Historic Urban Core of the City of As-
Salt is an Exceptional Example of a Living
Heritage With Cultural Traits and Practices
and Messages to Disseminate to the World
and the Rest of Humanity. These Include
Tolerance and Co-Habitation, Urban
Hospitality, and Urban Social Welfare that
are Continued into the Present and are Part
of Everyday Life
to the shaping of the urban fabric in a way where
no divisions (ethnically or religiously) between
residential quarters existed in the city. Members
of different clans and families could live within
the same residential quarter.
Fig.155. Minaret of the
great mosque and Abu
Jaber House Madafa

Assessment of the Value in Context:

As-Salt’s urban social reality is a testimony to a
unique system of co-habitation and support that
transcends religions and ethnicities and produces
a sense of community and a sense of belonging Fig.156. Daoud House
Fig.154. Co-habitation Madafa
to a shared space between both Muslims and & urban proximity
between muslims and
Christians. This is manifested through brotherhood christians in As-Salt
and support between families; sharing each other’s A distinctive urban hospitality in As-Salt is
celebrations and events, mutual veneration of considered as the outcome of this tribal/urban
certain saints, spatial urban proximities between merchants’/hinterland merger in the city. This
houses and mosques and churches including shared unique and outstanding form of “Salti” urban
urban entrances; joint business deals and trade, and hospitality was manifested not only through
much more. This is an intangible attribute, that physical buildings (Madafat, singular Madafa), but Fig.157. Qaqish House
Madafa
is one of As-Salt’s most notable qualities sending also through a social/financial support system
needed messages to the rest of the world today. between families. At the beginning, and from the As-Salt supported a unique socio-urban welfare
These intangible attributes are still part of everyday early 19th century, there existed 3 Madafas (Awamleh, system (Takaful Ijtimai’). It is manifested in this dense
life and practices in the city today. Akrad, and Christian). But by the second half of urban environment supporting strong relations and
the 20th century, multiple family Madafas emerged practices of support between neighbors (facilitated
The diversity of the community was seen as a point (more than 15 all over the historic core). Today, this by the unique architecture with various vocabularies
of strength, tolerance (ethnic and religious) and tradition and practice is continued into the present such as verandas and semi-private spaces in front
co-habitation was a unique cultural trait within the taking similar but also transformed forms of urban of buildings and along stairs for example), and
city. This important intangible trait contributed also hospitality and family social welfare. socially-mixed neighborhoods. There are no

���
particular neighbourhoods for Muslims and others
for Christians, but they are intermingled and mixed.
The clustered houses of As-Salt enabled them to
share walls, thus reducing cost and resembling the
closeness and strong relationships between the
neighbours, furthermore the neighbours would help
each other during construction of houses; this was
known as “Al Faza’a” or “Al Onah” when neighbours
and relatives gather to help in the building of the
house.

Fig.158. Co-habitation
and urban proximity in
As-Salt

Fig.160. Co-habitation Fig.159. Co-habitation

and urban proximity in and urban proximity in
As-Salt As-Salt

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Statement of Significance
As-Salt historic urban core represents an
exceptional example of a living heritage and of
a historic urban landscape with a strong link
between its intangible attributes (tolerance
and cohabitations among Muslim and
Christian communities; urban hospitality;
and socio-urban welfare system); and tangible
attributes (significant architecture and urban
morphology) during a particular period in
the development of the city known as the
Golden Age ranging from the 1860s to the
middle of the 1920s. The local cultural
traits and practices represent a way of life
that emerged out of a fusion between tribal/
rural and migrating bourgeois merchants
drawn to As-Salt from nearby Levantine
cities of Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon after
the Ottomans extended their rule, insured
security, and implemented municipal and
constitutional reforms in this Ottoman
southern frontier city.
The significant architecture within the
historic city core emerged as a result of
cultural exchange and circulation, by
migrating urban bourgeois merchants, of
building types of early-modern vernacular
architecture (Central Hallway 3-Bay House)
and its skillful adaptation to local contexts
and urban morphology by exceptional
skillful local and migrating master builders
producing a mix of vernacular regional
and high-class architecture. As-Salt is
instrumental to our understanding of the
regional networks within Bilad Al Sham
(Levant) that linked the Levantine coast
to its hinterland. Exhibiting a significant
interchange of human values; the city, and
through socio-urban transformations on its
way to modernization during the Golden
Age (1860s to 1920s); demonstrated an
exceptional example of the circulation of
an architectural typology of early-modern
vernacular architecture (Central Hallway (3-
Bay) House); and its skillful adaptation to the
city’s local contexts and urban morphology.
Another significant attribute of the city is
its unique urban typology and morphology
with its steep folded topography producing
a dense urban fabric where residential
neighbourhoods on the city’s slopes are
connected to the public spaces and streets
on the lower slopes through a web of stairs,
alleyways and nodes. This urban reality
supports an exceptional socio-urban welfare
system facilitated by the dense urban
morphology resulting in a high degree of
social and religious spatial integration and
support between neighbors of different
ethnicities and sects. The city of As-Salt
most significant attribute is the prevailing of
���
tolerance, cohabitation and support between
Muslim and Christian communities of the
city transcending religions and ethnicities
and producing a sense of community and
belonging to a shared space. In addition, the
city is unique for offering to the rest of the
world a unique system of urban hospitality
taking the form of Madafas (places where each
family hosts guests and visitors) resulting
from the fusion between tribal traditions
and urban merchants’ social norms. The
tradition and practice of hospitality is
continued into the future taking similar but
also transformed forms of urban hospitality
and family social welfare where new forms of
Madafas (locally called Diwans) emerged all
around the historic core as the city expanded.
Residents of the city are still strongly engaged
with the city’s historic public spaces (Sahet al
Ain) and its commercial arteries (Hammam
and Khader).
As-Salt represents an exceptional example
of cultural exchange with cities within the
Levant through the circulation of urban
bourgeois migrants, ideas and acts of
reform by Ottoman officials and Christian
missionaries, architectural types, images,
and building techniques. As a living heritage,
the historic core of As-Salt continues to
demonstrate an exceptional example of
a continuation of traditions and cultural
traits that constitute, still, a way of life for future generations as they are important and
the local residents of the city. The tolerance, even crucial today to the whole of humanity.
co-habitation and symbiosis between Muslim
and Christian families still continue into the
present. The essence of the argument for
tolerance, symbiosis, and support between
Muslim and Christian communities in the
city of As-Salt is not based on the fact that
such tolerance existed only in As-Salt; but
while this tolerance might have existed in
other Levantine cities such as Damascus,
Aleppo, Jerusalem, and Nablus; in As-Salt
it was different and unique in terms of its
intensity and various forms of manifestation;
continuity of such traditions into the
present; and the absence of segregated
neighbourhoods by sect (which existed in
other Levantine cities such as Jerusalem
and Damascus); on the contrary, families of
different religions lived in close proximity to
each other resulting also in the proliferation
of urban social welfare systems amongst the
community at large.

Finally, these valuable messages to the world

of tolerance, co-habitation and support
between Muslims and Christians; together
with this urban hospitality facilitated
through this specific urban morphology are
unique to As-Salt within this region of the
Levant and to the world at large. They deserve
conservation, protection, and transmission to

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

3.d
Assessment of Authenticity
& Integrity
• Statement of Authenticity
Authenticity is a measure of how well attributes
convey potential outstanding universal value.
In the case of the historic core of As-Salt; we are
addressing different forms of authenticity taking
into consideration the need to consider a site within
the cultural context to which it belongs (Jokilehto
2006); therefore, not only issues of authenticity
of form, setting, and materials are addressed; but
also issues of continuity of traditions, techniques,
language, spirit and feeling as well.
In the case of the historic city core of As-Salt, it is
very evident that authenticity of form and design
is very high, the historic buildings have maintained
their character; and changes through the years have
been very minimal. The various contemporary
projects of adaptive reuse add a positive value to
the buildings and have mainly sustained original
materials and design. Furthermore, and at the scale
of urban public spaces, steps, and alleyways; they
also maintain a high level of form authenticity. The
various place enhancement projects that took place
within the public domain only worked to maintain
these various urban spaces and to enhance them
without any changes to their form or design.
Fig.161. An aerial view
of the Latin Church and
Abu Jaber House
Furthermore, the original material has been
sustained as much as possible at both levels
(buildings and public spaces (e.g., the web of steps
within the city core)) with the exception of losing
over the years some of the historic buildings, but
not to the extent of inducing adverse effects on the
overall character of the historic core as the buildings
that were lost are very few (e.g., Ottoman Saraya, Fig.162. The English
Hospital
Wakalet al Sukkar, Bisharat House). The rest of the
historic buildings still exist within the historic city
core, and still the original yellow stone that As-Salt Many of the historic uses of buildings and functions
is famous for adorns the historic core and gives it a have been sustained (e.g., residential use for most
special character while also creating a distinction of the buildings has been sustained, in addition to
between these historic houses from the Golden Age the fact that many shops in Hammam Street still
between the 1860s and the 1920s and the rest of the sell similar products with some minor variations).
newer buildings. Repairs and maintenance works The usage of the buildings (mosques, churches,
for the historic buildings that have been carried out schools) has been sustained as well. In fact, there
where under the supervision of the Municipality is a strong continuity of use and function and in
and used traditional and compatible materials as how even the public places (e.g., Sahet Al Ain) are
well. being transformed within As-Salt historic core (e.g.,
the elderly playing Manqala in Sahet Al Ain, the
ordinary citizens of As-Salt are still buying their
���
daily needs from the shops on Hammam or around
Sahet al Ain, Maqam Al Khader is still visited by
Christians and Muslims, many of the schools (e.g.,
Latin School; As-Salt Secondary school) are still
maintaining their same functions). Having said
that, certain adaptations have taken place, only
to add value to historic functions and uses (Abu
Jaber, English Hospital, Touqan House, Beit Aziz,
Qaqish House, others).
In As-Salt, it is obvious that the average “Salti”
citizen is still practicing and relates still to many
of the traditions and cultural traits that existed
(e.g., co-habitation and tolerance, urban hospitality
and social welfare). Many societal management
systems have been kept into the present (e.g.,
relating to urban social welfare and support between
neighbors).
The custodians of the city’s intangible attributes are
still the “Salti” society at large manifested with the
continued traditions of co-habitation, hospitality,
social welfare, and also the details of everyday
practice. The Greater As-Salt Municipality also
plays a significant role in this custodianship through
its role in providing an umbrella of protection and
management of the urban fabric and the various
buildings.

The spirit and feeling of the place resides in the

Fig.164. Shop keepers
cleaning the right of way
Fig.163. The elderly in Hammam Street
playing Maqala in Sahet
al Ain
The setting authenticity within the core area is
very strong; due to sustaining the relationship
between the lower slopes of the residential areas
and the valleys where the public spaces and streets
Fig.169. Shops at Al are located; both are still connected through a web
Hammam Street
of steps and urban nodes which the various place
enhancement projects did not change and have only
enhanced. (Refer to panoramic views on Page 115
and the cross section on Page 116)
fusion between the tangible (buildings, houses,
churches, mosques, Madafas, urban nodes, steps)
and the intangible (e.g., co-habitation, visiting a
Maqam, shopping at Hammam Street, spending
leisure time at Sahet al Ain, supporting urban
social welfare between neighbours) attributes of
the city. The people of As-Salt, value significantly
their heritage and traditions. There is a strong sense
of belonging to a shared space and to convictions
of solidarity, tolerance, and co-habitation amongst
the community of diverse religions and ethnicities.

Fig.167. Beit Aziz

Restaurant

Fig.168. Al Khader Fig.166. Overview of Al Fig.165. Overview of Al

Church Jad’a cliff in 1918 Jad’a cliff now

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.170. Panoramic view
at Al Salalem
Fig.171. Panoramic view
at Al Qal’a
Fig.172. Panoramic view
at Al Jad’a

170

171

172

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 Fig.173. Cross section
of As-Salt through
topography and building
typology

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• Statement of Integrity large and by GSM to mitigate any potential threats.

Integrity is about the level and intensity of how

the values and significance of a particular place
are conveyed to the general public. The integrity
of a particular site must be considered from various
points of view that creates links with that site’s
historic context. In other words, integrity reflects
a measure of the wholeness and intactness of the
cultural heritage and its attributes (Jokilehto 2006).

At the level of Wholeness; the core property

includes the main elements and most of the
attributes to express the historic core’s outstanding
universal value (e.g., many significant historic
buildings from the Golden Age (1860s-1920s) with
the web of stairs and other urban public spaces Fig.174. Overview of Al Fig.175. Overview of Al
Qala’a Jad’a
forming this unique morphology). The relationships
between lower slopes of the residential hills and
the valleys where these public spaces are located
are visible and represent a holistic ensemble. Also,
in the case of As-Salt, the core property is of an
adequate size to represent the property’s different
values and significance.

At the level of Intactness; tangible and intangible

attributes are still present and are a reflection of the
values of the property. Greater As-Salt Municipality
is excersicing control over future development and
alternations to the architectural and urban heritage
of the historic core and are mitigating any potential
Fig.176. Overview of
threats. There is a level of control by people at As-Salt city

���
3.e
Physical Condition Furthermore, general notes on the physical
Assessment for Buildings & condition of these buildings addressed wall
condition, roofing, balconies, and interiors. The
Open Spaces (Present State physical condition assessment will be helpful when
of Conservation) deciding on future policies and strategies related
to protection, conservation, and maintenance of
the historic buildings within Property boarders. 1
The property is an urban historic core of the city of
As-Salt, therefore, physical condition assessment
Wall condition: Balconies:
will address both the assessment of physical
condition of buildings, and also of public spaces - Material Loss
- Humidity
- Material loss
- Humidity
(e.g., steps, streets, public squares, other). Therefore, - Cracks
- Biological growth
- Cracks
- Biological growth
physical assessment will be at both building and - Plants
- Fire
- Plants
- Fire
urban levels. - Windows and doors
- Plaster flaking and peeling
- Windows and doors
- Plaster flaking and peeling
Roofing: Interior:

• Physical Condition Assessment Addressing - Material loss

- Humidity
- Material loss
- Humidity
Buildings - Cracks
- Biological growth
- Cracks
- Biological growth
- Plants - Plants
- Fire - Fire
A field reconnaissance-level survey was conducted - Windows and doors
- Plaster flaking and peeling
- Windows and doors
- Plaster flaking and peeling
where the unit of analysis was heritage buildings and
Fig.177. Architeture
the area covered was mainly the boundary defining details that were assessed
Stairs: Sidewalks pavement:
the property. The field reconnaissance-level survey
did not cover all the historic buildings within the -- Lack of proper drainage
Excavation work for infrastructure
- Lack of proper drainage
- Excavation work for infrastructure
property, but approximately around 20% of them -- Cracks Cleanness
- Cracks
- Cleanness
were surveyed and categorized in terms of their -- GeneralPlants
condition - General condition
- Plants
physical condition into: very good, good, poor, and Streets: - Damaged sidewalk parts
lack of urban furniture:
neglected. This field reconnaissance-level survey - Lack of proper drainage - Lighting poles
- Excavation work for infrastructure - Panels and signs
attempted to address the most significant of the - Cracks - Other..

historic buildings, and only gives a general idea -- Cleanness

General condition
Neglected open spaces

of the overall physical condition of all buildings 1- The Plantstotal number of historic buildings in the city of As-Salt

is approximately 650. Around 60% of them are located in the

within the property boundary.
property core area.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Map.15
Locations of Physical
Assessment Buildings
08
Assessment of Buildings

07
Very Good
Good
17 40
17 41 Poor
14
27 05 43 Neglected
16
42 23

44 12
21 38
39 37 00 10
17 22
36 35 09 08 04
11 45
36
24 02 04 26 01 20 05
28
lk,v

lk,v

33
lk,v

10 31
30 30 29 19
15
ovHfm

46
47 06
18

���
Building By Building Physical Codation Assessment
Building (01) - Private Building
(Abu Jaber House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

Generally, the building is in a very good state of

conservation. However, it needs some maintenance
work, where plants are growing in between
elevation stones; other than that there are no
cracks, the stone condition is good, and there are
no structural problems.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (01) - Public Building
(Latin Church)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The Latin church is in an excellent state of

conservation due to daily use. The stone condition
is good, and there are no structural problems. Only
minor cracks can be seen observing facades. Other
Problems include vegetation growth and dampness.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (02) - Private Building
(Alkhatib House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

Alkhatib house is in a good condition but it lacks

maintenance due to being uninhabited. However,
minor cracks are seen on the building`s interior
walls. Stone facades have several problems such
as dampness and discoloring. Broken windows
and graffiti are affecting the general image of the
building.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (04) - Private Building
(Al Sukkar House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In General, the structural integrity of the walls is

good. Stone facades have several problems including
vegetation growth, dampness and peeling due to
being uninhabited. Steel canopies and bars are
corroded. The interior suffers from deterioration
of all timber works.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (04) - Public Building
(The Small Mosque)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building of the Small Mosque is in a very good

condition; there are no cracks, the stone condition
is good, and there are no structural problems.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (05) - Private Building
(Touqan House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

Touqan house is in a very good condition; there are

no cracks, the stone condition is good, and there
are no structural problems.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (05) - Public Building
(The Orthodox Church)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

Touqan house is in a very good condition; there are

no cracks, the stone condition is good, and there
are no structural problems.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (06) - Private Building
(Mouasher House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a very good condition;

there are no cracks and stone condition is good.
There are no structural problems.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (08) - Private Building
(Touqan (Abu Alouf ))

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

This building is in a very good condition; there are

no cracks and the stone condition is good. There are
no missing/broken Windows or doors, and there are
no structural problems. However, electrical cables
need to be re-arranged as they are affecting the
general image of the building.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (09) - Private Building
(Daoud Building)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, Daoud House is in a good condition.

However, plants are growing in between elevation
stones, minor cracks can be seen, and there are
some additions to the elevation that need to be
removed. The second floor ceiling has fallen of
and the windows and doors of the second floor are
broken and some are missing.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (10) - Private Building
(Muhyar House 1)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a very good condition.

However, stone facades have several problems
including vegetation growth and dampness. Wiring
on the exterior walls is affecting the general image
of the building.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (10) - Public Building
(Sa`id Al-Bahra School)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a good condition. However, it

needs maintenance where some of the original
stones on the elevation are missing, plants are
growing in between elevation stones, most of the
windows are missing and window steel bars are
corroded. Some hair cracks are seen on the interior
and exterior walls of the building.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (11) - Private Building
(Muhyar House 1)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a very good condition due to

being inhabited and used. There are no cracks,
windows are in very condition as well.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (12) - Private Building
(Nabulsi House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

Concrete staircase needs serious maintenance work.

Windows are broken and there are many cracks
in the slabs.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (14) - Private Building
(Jaghbeer House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The structural integrity of the building is very high.

Minor cracks are seen in the facade though, and
plants are growing in between elevation stones.
Some windows and doors are missing.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (15) - Private
Building (Hattar House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The structural condition of the building is poor.

Exterior walls suffer from detachment and cracks
are seen. Stone facades also suffer severely from
vegetation growth, dampness, discoloring and
paint. The balconies need restoration and repair
of handrails. Doors and windows require extensive
maintenance as well.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (16) - Private
Building (Al Fakhouri House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition.

However, the stone facade has several problems
including vegetation growth, dampness and
minor cracks. Some openings have been filled with
concrete. The I-beams of the upper balconies are
rusted and steel bars are exposed. All doors and
windows need repair.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (17) - Private
Building (Al Nabulsi House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a very good condition. However,

plants are growing in between elevation stones.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (17) - Public Building
(Khader Church)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a very good condition due to

its daily use.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (18) - Private
Building (Abu Talib House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition.

However, The I-beams of the upper balconies
are rusted and the steel bars are exposed. Some
openings have been filled with cement blocks.
Windows and doors are broken and some of them
are missing.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (19) - Private
Building (Al-Hmoud House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition but

some windows are broken. Graffiti and wiring on
the exterior walls are affecting the image of the
building.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (20) - Private
Building (Al-Dair House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition but

by observing facades it looks like some stones are
missing and some of the exterior walls were spoiled
by fire. Facades also suffer from vegetation growth
and painting.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (21) - Private
Building (Haddadin House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a bad condition.

Facades have many problems including cracks,
addition of random cement between stones,
vegetation growth and writings on the walls.
Some elements needs repair such as windows,
doors, I-beams, and handrail of the balcony on
the upper floor.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (23) - Private
Building (Dababneh House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a very good condition, However,

it only needs some minor repair.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (24) - Private
Building (Al-Saket House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a good condition. However, part

of the facade was ruined by fire and other parts
suffer from painting and writings. Some windows
and doors are missing/broken.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (25) - Private
Building (Mouasher House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition.

However, stone facades have several problems
including dampness, discoloring and paint. Some
elements need repair such as windows and steel
bars.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (26) - Private
Building (Mouasher House 2)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition.

However, stone facades have several problems
including vegetation growth, dampness, paint and
writings on the walls. Some elements need repair
such as windows and steel bars and beams. Some
stones are covered with cement.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (27) - Private
Building (Al-Zu`bi House)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a very good condition. However,

it has graffiti on some of the walls.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (28) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a good condition. However, some

stones are missing from the facade. Other elements
need repair such as windows and handrails.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (29) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a good condition. Minor cracks

and graffiti can be seen on the exterior walls. In
general, the building needs some maintenance
work.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (30) - Private
Building (Aziz House 1)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a very good condition. However,

Problems related to humidity can be seen in several
areas inside the building.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (30) - Private
Building (Aziz House 2)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a bad condition. Some of the

walls are burnt and many elements need extensive
repair work and maintenace.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (31) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a bad condition. The stone facades

have many problems including cracks, vegetation
growth, addition of cement between stones. Most
of the building`s elements such as windows and
steel bars need repair and maintenance.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (32) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is an a very good condition.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (35) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a bad condition. The stone facade

has major problems including cracks, vegetation
growth and missing stones. Elements such as steel
bars need extensive repair works. Windows and
doors are missing/broken.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (36) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a bad condition. The stone

facades have many problems including major
cracks, vegetation growth, addition of cement
between stones. Most of the building`s elements
such as windows and steel bars need repair and
maintenance. Some walls suffer from stone
detachment.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (37) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is neglected and mostly destroyed.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (38) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a bad condition. Stone facades

have many problems including major cracks,
vegetation growth, and addition of cement
between stones. Most of the building`s elements
such as windows and steel bars need repair and
maintenance. Some walls suffer from stone
detachment.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (39) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

It is obvious that the building has been vacant

and neglected for a very long time.The current
condition of the building shows that it has been
destroyed by fire. All winodws and doors are
missing.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (40) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition.

However, Stone facades have some discoloring
problems.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (41) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a very good condition. However,

Minor cracks are seen on the facades.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (42) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a very good condition. However,

The stone facades have some dampness and
discoloring problems.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (44) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a good condition, some walls

suffer from stone detachment though.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (45) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition.

However, some windows and doors are missing.
Facades have some problems including vegetation
growth and discoloring.

���
BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (46) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

In general, the building is in a good condition.

However, some windows and doors are missing.
There are some concrete additions to the facade.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

BUILDING PHYSICAL
ASSESSMENT
Building (47) - Private
Building (-)

Very Good

Good

Poor

Neglected

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

The building is in a bad condition. The stone

facades have many problems including major
cracks, vegetation growth, and addition of cement
between stones. Most of the building`s elements
such as windows and steel bars need repair and
maintenance. Some walls suffer from stone
detachment.

���
 - Cracks - Cracks
- Biological growth - Biological growth
- Plants - Plants
- Fire - Fire
- Windows and doors - Windows and doors
- Plaster flaking and peeling - Plaster flaking and peeling

• Physical Condition Assessment Addressing Stairs: Sidewalks pavement:

Public Urban Space - Lack of proper drainage - Lack of proper drainage

- Excavation work for infrastructure - Excavation work for infrastructure
- Cracks - Cracks
- Cleanness - Cleanness
A field reconnaissance-level survey was conducted - General condition - General condition

where the unit of analysis were public spaces - Plants - Plants

- Damaged sidewalk parts
(streets, sidewalks, plazas, public steps, other) and Streets: lack of urban furniture:
- Lack of proper drainage - Lighting poles
the area covered was mainly all of property within - Excavation work for infrastructure - Panels and signs
- Cracks - Other..
the boundary. The field reconnaissance-level - Cleanness Neglected open spaces
- General condition
survey also addressed neglected open spaces and lack - Plants

of urban furniture and in general, the public spaces

were categorized in terms of their physical condition
into: very good, good, poor, and neglected. The
physical condition assessment will be helpful when
deciding on future policies and strategies related
to public space enhancement, promotion of the
historic core for heritage tourism, other; within
Property boarders. The following are the results
of the Survey.
Fig.178. details that were
assessed for the urban
public spaces
• Physical Condition Assessment for Streets
and Sidewalks
The main problems encountered within the streets
include lack of proper drainage, lack of cleanness,
intrusive plants on sidewalk and edges of walls,
cracks in sidewalks, exposed piping, exposed
electrical wires, lack of urban street lighting,
construction site obscuring walkability, damaged
sidewalk parts, and lack of sidewalks.

• Physical Condition Assessment of Stairs and

Urban Nodes
The main problems encountered within public stairs
and urban nodes include lack of proper drainage,
lack of cleanness, intrusive plants on steps and
edges of walls, cracks, exposed piping, exposed
electrical wires, lack of urban lighting, construction
site obscuring walkability, damaged parts, graffiti,
and lack of sidewalks.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT MAIDAN ST.

Problems:
- - Exposed Pipes
Lack of proper drainage - Exposed Electrical Wires
- Lack of Cleanness - Lack of Street lights
- Unwanted Plant - Work Of Infrastructure
- Cracks - Lack of Sidewalks

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT KHADER ST.

Problems:
- - Exposed Pipes
Lack of proper drainage - Exposed Electrical Wires
- Lack of Cleanness - Lack of Street lights
- Unwanted Plant - Work Of Infrastructure
- Cracks - Lack of Sidewalks

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT SHABATA ST.

Problems:
- - Exposed Pipes
Lack of proper drainage - Exposed Electrical Wires
- Lack of Cleanness - Lack of Street lights
- Unwanted Plant - Work Of Infrastructure
- Cracks - Lack of Sidewalks

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT PRINCE HUSSEIN BIN TALAL ST.

Problems:
- - Exposed Pipes
Lack of proper drainage - Exposed Electrical Wires
- Lack of Cleanness - Lack of Street lights
- Unwanted Plant - Work Of Infrastructure
- Cracks - Lack of Sidewalks

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT FARAH ABU JABER ST.

Problems:
- - Exposed Pipes
Lack of proper drainage - Exposed Electrical Wires
- Lack of Cleanness - Lack of Street lights
- Unwanted Plant - Work Of Infrastructure
- Cracks - Lack of Sidewalks

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT SAEED AL BAHRA ST.

Problems:
- - Exposed Pipes
Lack of proper drainage - Exposed Electrical Wires
- Lack of Cleanness - Lack of Street lights
- Unwanted Plant - Work Of Infrastructure
- Cracks - Lack of Sidewalks

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT JADA STAIRS
01 UPPER JADA’A
02 UPPER JADA’A

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

01

02
ovHfm

03 UPPER JADA’A
05 03

04 UPPER JADA’A

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

05 04
Bad
UPPER JADA’A UPPER JADA’A
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/ ovHfm

Exposed Pipes

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

���
NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT NODE SAED AL BAHRA STAIRS
01 NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD
02 NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD

01

03
02
04

03 NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD

05

NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good
Bad
Neglected

05 NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD 04 NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD PROBLEMS:

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT HADADIN STAIRS
01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

06

05
04

03
03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS
02

HADDADIN STAIRS

01

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good
Bad
05 HADDADIN STAIRS 06 HADDADIN STAIRS
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT AL AIN SAHA

01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

06
03 04
03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 05

SAHET AL AIN
01

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good
Bad
05 HADDADIN STAIRS 06 NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT AL KHADER STAIRS
01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

05
06

04

02 03

03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS

01

AL-KHADER STAIRS

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

05 06
Bad
HADDADIN STAIRS NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT ISKAFEYEH STAIRS

01 HADDADIN STAIRS
01 HADDADIN STAIRS

01

01 HADDADIN STAIRS

ISKAFEYEH STAIRS

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good
Bad
01 HADDADIN STAIRS
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT DEIR LATIN SAHA
01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

01

02

03

SAHET DEIR AL LATIN

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

03
Bad
HADDADIN STAIRS
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT AL MAIDAN SAHA

01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

05

03 06
04
03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS

01 02

SAHET AL MAIDAN

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

05 06
Bad
HADDADIN STAIRS NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT QAQISH STAIRS
01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

06

05

04
03

02

03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS

01

QAQISH STAIRS

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

05 HADDADIN STAIRS 06 NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD

Bad
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT AL NABULSI STAIRS

01 HADDADIN STAIRS

03

02

01

AL NABULSI STAIRS

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

02 03
Bad
HADDADIN STAIRS NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT AL RUMMANAT STAIRS
01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

05

06 04
03

02
01

03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS

AL RUMMANAT STAIRS

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

05 06
Bad
HADDADIN STAIRS NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT ENGLISH HOSPITAL STAIRS

01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

06
05

03
04
02

03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS

01

ENGLISH HOSPITAL STAIRS

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

05 06
Bad
HADDADIN STAIRS NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT ENGLISH HOSPITAL STAIRS
01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

06
05

03
04
02

03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS

01

ENGLISH HOSPITAL STAIRS

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

05 06
Bad
HADDADIN STAIRS NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

���
STREETS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT AL FAR STAIRS

01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

06

05 02
03 01

04

03 HADDADIN STAIRS 04 HADDADIN STAIRS

AL FAR STAIRS

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

05 06
Bad
HADDADIN STAIRS NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

NODES & STAIRS PHYSICAL CONDITION ASSESSMENT AL SHEKIH ALLEWAY
01 HADDADIN STAIRS
02 HADDADIN STAIRS

02

01

03 HADDADIN STAIRS 03

04

AL SHEIKH ALLEWAY

COLOR CODE

Very Good
Good

04 NODE SAE’D AL BAHRAD

Bad
Neglected

PROBLEMS:

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

- Lack of Proper Drainage/

Exposed Pipes
ovHfm

- Work of Infrastructure

- Cracks

- Lack of Cleanness

- Unwatned Plants

-Exposed Electrical Wires

- Graffiti

-Lack of Street Light

���
3.f gatherings that are usually owned by several not exist in other places in Bilad Al-Sham (Levant).
Assessment of Management members of the clan or extended family.

Context Religious endowments in As-Salt historic core are - Land Owned by Non-Profit or Non-Governmental
extremely significant due to the presence of several Organizations: such as charitable organizations
historic and contemporary mosques and churches or women organizations and other.
Ownership
in the City.
- Land Owned by Professional Syndicates: such as
The ownership structure of the Property and its
The religious diversity of the community of As- land owned by the various professional syndicates
Buffer Zone is multi-folded. Since we are dealing
Salt and its hinterland (Muslim, Greek Orthodox, (e.g., Jordan Engineering Association, other).
here with a vibrant historic city core (a historic
Roman Catholic, and Protestant); and its different
urban landscape) that is still functioning as a
ethnicities (Arab, Turkmen, Kurdish, Chechen)
liveable and lively historic core; the land ownership
were points of strength that fostered harmonious co-
is of course divided into different categories:
habitation, tolerance, and support between Muslims
and Christians on one hand, and different ethnic
• State Owned Land: State land could be dedicated
groups on the other. This diverse community in
for various ministries of the government (e.g.,
As-Salt shared a dense urban setting and produced
Ministry of Education), or it could be categorized
a distinctive architecture and public spaces that
as simply state land without any specific association
supported this tolerance and symbioses in addition
with any particular governmental entity.
to producing a distinctive urban social welfare
between neighbours and residents of the city.
• Private Land: Land that is owned by the various
citizens.
This very important trait of tolerance and co-
habitation between Muslims and Christians that
• Religious Endowment (Muslim & Christian
emerged in As-Salt was unique and resulted in
Endowment): Religious endowments known locally
the shaping of an urban fabric in a way where
as (Waqf ) are categorised into 3 categories:
no divisions (ethnically or religiously) between
•Muslim Waqf
residential quarters existed in the city.
•Christian Waqf
•Communal Family Waqf -in the case
This blurring of distinction resulted in a lack of
of various Madafat and Dawaween- which are
sectarian divisions within the urban setting which is
places associated with urban hospitality or family
unique to As-Salt and maybe Trans-Jordan that did

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

History & Background of the Interest to Protect study, published in three volumes in 1990, explicitly
and Conserve the Architectural and Urban sets the ground to develop a full register of the
Heritage of As-Salt
The history of cultural heriage protection and
management in As-Salt goes back to the 1980s
marked by initiatives of As-Salt Development
Corporation when Dar Al-Handaseh (a well-known
planning and engineering firm) was asked to develop
a Master Plan for the historic town in 1984. The plan
identified the relevance of the historical buildings
within the urban core, whereas the scope of the
study was to develop a Master Plan at the scale of
the city.
Furthermore, in the 1980s, the Royal Scientific
Society (RSS) initiated a pioneering study, which
was also funded by the Ministry of Planning to
document the architectural heritage of Jordan; the
first volume was published on the city of As-Salt
documenting its history, growth, architecture and
architectural typology, urban setting and urban
elements including streets and stairways. It was
the first comprehensive effort to understand the
values and details of the architectural and urban
heritage of the historic city of As-Salt.
While carrying the study, RSS was approached by
the As-Salt Development Corporation to carry
out a comprehensive study to outline the means
for revitalizing the city center while preserving
its architectural heritage and urban fabric. The
umbrella and appropriate legislation to protect
the architectural heritage after 1700 AD.
architectural heritage of the city. The Plan for
Action recommended three general strategies: a) The Japanese International Development Agency
Freeze building activity within the designated (JICA) in cooperation with As-Salt Greater
areas to control deterioration of the urban fabric; Municipality and the Ministry of Tourism of Jordan,
b) Protect main heritage buildings and spaces; and as part of the Tourism Sector Development
c) Rely on tourism to sustain socio-economic Project, conducted in the early 1990s a project
development. Unfortunately, the Study was never for the adaptive reuse of Abu Jaber to serve as
implemented due to the absence of a national the Historic Old House Museum of Abu Jaber.
In addition, the project centered on public space
enhancements addressing public plazas (e.g., Al
Ain), streets, urban nodes, and steps, and also
Fig.179. Architectural introduced several panoramic lookouts on the slopes
Heritage in the
Hashemite Kingdom of of Al Qal’a and Al Jad’a mountains. The total cost
Jordan, Volume I: The
City of As-Salt / Royal for project implementation was JOD 4,500,000,
Scientific Soceity / 1990
excluding studies and project management costs.
Fig.180. Book: Salt:
A Plan for Action
(Volume II). By The
Royal Scientific
Society (Client: The
Salt Development
Corporation (SDC))
Fig.181. Book: Salt:
A Plan for Action
(Volume III). By
The Royal Scientific
Society (Client: The Fig.182. Sample Documentation Drawings from the
Salt Development Architectural Heritage in the Hashemite Kingdom
Corporation (SDC)) of Jordan
���
Current Urban Heritage Management &
Regulatory Tools

In As-Salt, it is obvious that there is an official and

a popular commitment to foresee architectural and
urban heritage management. As-Salt Municipality
had already made considerable steps in terms of
inventories, designation, planning and heritage
regulations, processes for permits (demolition,
change, alterations, and conservation techniques).
In addition, the Municipality had also been doing
considerable efforts concerning eliminating visual
pollution from the historic city core.

In terms of urban management and regulatory tools,

a key development was the establishment in 2005
of the As-Salt City Development Projects Unit (ASCDP)
within the As-Salt Greater Municipality (GSM). The
main mission of this office is to coordinate efforts for
the safeguarding, conservation, and management
of the historic city. Furthermore, a Heritage Section
within GSM has been incorporated within the
Unit as well. The Unit’s staff is educated, highly-
motivated and is keen on improving capabilities
through special courses on heritage management
and conservation and also through pursuing
graduate studies in related topics.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.183. Organizational
Chart for As-Salt
Greater Municipality

As-Salt Greater Municipality Organizational Structure

Development Projects Unit

Council Committees Municipality Council Council Secretary
Local Development Unit

Internal Monitoring Municipality President Office Manager

Committees

Consultants Municipality Manager Secretary

Department of Department of Department of Department of Department of Department of Department of Department of Department of Department of
Parks & Recreation Public Relations Proposals Environment & Health Financial Affairs Management Affairs Cultural Affairs Studies & Development Planning Engineering Services

Health Affairs &

Proposal Unit Ala’an Health Monitoring Expenses Unit Bureau Cultural Affairs Capacity Building Licensing Unit Building Unit
Units Unit Unit
Purchasing Yazidiya Pest Control Salaries Unit Human Resources Mechanical &
Libraries Information & Organizational
Unit Unit Unit Maintenance Unit
Zee Earnings Unit Computer Unit Unit
Supervision & Proposal Slaughter House Document &
Equipment & Ownership & Emergency Unit
Unit Eyra Unit Treasury Blueprints Unit Research Unit
Storage Unit Properties Sector
Yarqa Public Sanitation Budgeting Unit Roads & Traffic
Unit Logistics Unit Conservation Unit
Mira Rent Revenue Unit
Natural Water
Legislation Unit Electric Unit
Resource Unit Investigation G.I.S. Unit
Al-Raimeen
Revenue
Wadi al-Ur
Vocational Licensing

���
 Fig.184. Organizational
Chart for As-Salt City
Development Projects
Unit (ASCDP).

As-Salt Greater Municipality Development Project Unit (ASCDP)

The Steering Committee

Head of the Executive Committee

The Mayor of the As-Salt Greater Municipality

Monitoring

Financial Health Administrative

As-Salt City Development Project Unit (ASCDP) Director

Services Accounting Administrative Technical

Maintenance

Cleaning Environment Monitor Accountant Information Civil Engineer G.I.S. Architects

Plantation Lighting Secretariat Construction Townscape

Buildings Logistics Regulations Design

Public Realm Public Relations Documentation

Markets Human Resources Renovation

Licensing Security Guards

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

One of the key regulatory tools that has been
developed so far was the Special Regulations project
which covered several historic towns in Jordan of
which As-Salt was one. In 2008, the Ministry of
Tourism and Antiquities coordinated a project
for the development of special regulations for
four historic towns in Jordan, including As-Salt.
Financed by the World Bank, the project was
undertaken by the joint venture Euronet Consulting
and Dar Omran. A thorough study, including
guidelines on conservation and management, was
submitted in five volumes in 2010. The City Core
Special Regulations were endorsed by the Ministry
of Municipalities and Rural Affairs, the Higher City
Planning Council of Jordan, and the As-Salt Greater
Municipality, in September 2014. These special
regulations addressed special urban places, heritage
buildings designation and grading for historic
buildings, guidelines for buildings conservation and
new interventions, and also guidelines for public
spaces design and enhancement.
Fig.185. Reports
concerning the
developement of city
core regulations in
Jerash, Karak, Madaba
and As-Salt - Public
Realm Guide
Fig.186. Reports
concerning the
developement of city
core regulations in
Jerash, Karak, Madaba
and As-Salt - As-Salt
Design Guide
Forms were developed to establish the cultural
significance of the traditional buildings. Special
Conservation Areas and Special Development
Corridors were proposed as part of the plan. The
results of this project led to the finalization in
2010 and approval in 2014 of the As-Salt City Core
Special Regulations (CCSR). Here is a summary of
the concentration of each of the volumes:
- Part I: Action Plans and Implementation (5-
year Action Plan): addressing special urban places,
heritage grading for buildings, special development
corridors, implementation, and management
organization.
Fig.187. Designation and Grading System
- Part II: Construction Guide for Salt City:
addressing construction conservation guidance, Also, a geographic information system data
condition Surveys, mechanisms for decay, diagnosis, base project was proposed through the World
remedial works, other. Bank project and the EU-funded project on
- Part III: Salt Design Guide: design guidelines “Heritage4Development”, it was implemented by
and considerations for new additions, alterations, Cultech (2012-14). A GIS for the historic core was
regulations, other. developed to include plot parcel, building/roof plan
- Part IV: Public Realm Guide: addressing public survey, number of floors, ownership, material used,
spaces, streetscape, street furniture, other. date of construction and current use. Around 4400
buildings were surveyed, including all buildings
As-Salt Greater Municipality has also adopted a in the historic core (historical buildings and new
designation and a grading system for the city’s structures). Cultech produced and published a
historic buildings that is based on 5 tiers: Grade Manual for the Conservation of the Historic Centre
1 through 5. These different grades are translated of As-Salt, including related cards for conservation.
into different values for the buildings, and also with
diverse levels of interventions.
���
 types of pamphlets, brochures and publications
including films, books, and other publications to
create a general awareness about the significance
and importance of the city’s architectural and
cultural heritage. Furthermore, the Municipality
also hold workshops and public hearing sessions
regarding this issue as well.
As-Salt Greater Municipality also made an
agreement with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs
to finalize the procedures for the Comprehensive
Plans for the Balq’a Region and As-Salt city within
the next 7 years. Details of these memorandum will
be presented in the Annexes to this report.

Furthermore, As-Salt Greater Municipality

Fig.188. Manual for the Conservation of the historic
Center of Salt
As-Salt City Development Projects Unit (ASCDP)
of the As-Salt Greater Municipality had developed
also a regulated process for permits of demolition,
alterations and conservation and rehabilitation
works within the historic city core and beyond.
Urban change and transformation is now regulated
and have to be approved by the Municipality.
Recommendations from the Unit are presented
to the local planning commission where different
levels of protection are practiced and endorsed.
Once a course of action is approved, and before any
application is presented to the planning committee,
the applicant produces a financial bond between
the amounts of 5000-50,000 JOD as a guarantee
that implementation would proceed according
to the agreed upon plan. The Unit also performs
supervision and monitoring during implementation.
Furthermore, conservation and rehabilitation
projects have also to follow the Manual for the
Conservation of Historic Center for As-Salt.
As-Salt Greater Municipality also produced various
had worked on establishing memorandum of
agreements between the Municipality and various
infrastructure and service providers to the city such
as memorandums signed with ORANGE, and with
the Jordanian Electric Power Company (JEPCO).
The purpose of these memorandums is to coordinate
efforts and work together on enhancement of public
Fig.189. Rediscover
spaces paying attention to issues of visual integrity and Save Our As-Salt
Brochure.
and to adopt measures to minimize the impact
of telecommunication networks infrastructure
projects on the historic city core including but
not restricted to:
• Prepare an executive design to transfer or
relocate the existing Aerial network & poles,
in order to minimize its impact on the World
Heritage’s property, as well as to provide
solutions for the installation of new equipment;
• Implement the corrective measures as per the Fig.190. (Top)
Architectural Heritage
executive design; In As-Salt City, Jordan
2016 Book by GSM,
• Supervise the execution of the works; (Bottom) As-Salt Photos
Book 2018 by GSM
• Monitor the demand for new
telecommunications installation within the
property

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Means of implementing protective measures addressing construction conservation guidance, to the agreed upon plan. The Unit also performs
condition Surveys, mechanisms for decay, diagnosis, supervision and monitoring during implementation.
As-Salt City Development Projects Unit remedial works, other. Furthermore, conservation and rehabilitation
(ASCDP) and Its Various Implementation - Part III: As-Salt Design Guide: design guidelines projects have also to follow the Manual for the
Procedures and considerations for new additions, alterations, Conservation of Historic Center for As-Salt.
regulations, other. As-Salt Greater Municipality also produced various
The following section represents a summary of the - Part IV: Public Realm Guide: addressing public types of pamphlets, brochures and publications
various implementation and procedures by the As- spaces, streetscape, street furniture, other. including films, books, and other publications to
Salt City Development Projects Unit in terms of
implementing protective measures (e.g., protective As-Salt Greater Municipality has also adopted a
designation, special regulations, grading, other). designation and a grading system for the City’s
The main mission of this Unit and the Heritage historic buildings that is based on 5 tiers: Grade 1
Section within is to coordinate efforts for the through 5 as mentoned also earlier in section 5.b..
safeguarding, conservation, and management of the These different grades are translated into different
historic city. The Unit’s staff is educated, highly- values for the buildings, and also with diverse levels
motivated and is keen on improving capabilities of interventions.
through special courses on heritage management
and conservation and also through pursuing As-Salt City Development Projects Unit (ASCDP) Fig.191. Rediscover
and Save Our As-Salt
graduate studies in related topics. of the As-Salt Greater Municipality had developed Brochure.
also a regulated process for permits of demolition,
The results of this project led to the finalization in alterations and conservation and rehabilitation
2010 and approval in 2014 of the As-Salt City Core works within the historic city core and beyond.
Special Regulations (CCSR) as mentioned earlier Urban change and transformation is now regulated
in Section 5.b of this file. Here is a summary of the and have to be approved by the Municipality.
concentration of each of the volumes: Recommendations from the Unit are presented
to the local planning commission where different
- Part I: Action Plans and Implementation (5- levels of protection are practiced and endorsed. Fig.192. (Top)
Architectural Heritage
year Action Plan): addressing special urban places, Once a course of action is approved, and before any In As-Salt City, Jordan
2016 Book by GSM,
heritage grading for buildings, special development application is presented to the planning committee, (Bottom) As-Salt Photos
Book 2018 by GSM
corridors, implementation, and management the applicant produces a financial bond between
organization. the amounts of 5000-50,000 JOD as a guarantee
- Part II: Construction Guide for As-Salt City: that implementation would proceed according

���
create a general awareness about the significance
and importance of the city’s architectural and
cultural heritage. Furthermore, the Municipality
also hold workshops and public hearing sessions
regarding this issue as well.
agreement with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs
to finalize the procedures for the Comprehensive
Plans for the Balq’a Region and As-Salt city within
the next 7 years. Details of these memorandum will
be presented in the Annexes to this report.

Furthermore, As-Salt Greater Municipality

had worked on establishing memorandum of
agreements between the Municipality and various
infrastructure and service providers to the city
such as memorandums signed with ORANGE,
and with the Jordanian Electric Power Company
(JEPCO). The purpose of these memorandums
is to coordinate efforts and work together on
enhancement of public spaces paying attention
to issues of visual integrity and to adopt measures
to minimize the impact of telecommunication
networks infrastructure projects on the historic
city core including but not restricted to:
• Prepare an executive design to transfer or
relocate the existing Aerial network & poles,
in order to minimize its impact on the World
Heritage’s nominated property, as well as to
provide solutions for the installation of new
equipment;
• Implement the corrective measures as per the
executive design;
• Supervise the execution of the works;
• Monitor the demand for new
telecommunications installation within the
nominated property
As-Salt Greater Municipality also made an

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

The Property Boundary & Its Buffer Zone as a
Protective Measure
In As-Salt, it is obvious that there is an official and •
a popular commitment to foresee architectural and
urban heritage management. As-Salt Municipality
had already made considerable steps in terms of
inventories, designation, planning and heritage
regulations, processes for permits (demolition,
change, alterations, and conservation techniques).
In addition, the Municipality had also been doing
considerable efforts concerning eliminating visual
pollution from the historic city core.
The property nominated for inscription on the List
of World Heritage Sites is entitled:
As-Salt: The Place of Tolerance and Urban
Hospitality. The type of the Property is cultural and
is composed mainly of historic urban core of the City
of As-Salt. As-Salt historic urban core represents
an exceptional example of a living heritage with
a strong link between its intangible and tangible
attributes as explained earlier. The definition of the
historic city core of As-Salt is based on an integrated
urban” approach where not only certain individual
significant buildings are identified, but rather the
ensemble of groups of buildings within their urban
setting and morphology of steps, public spaces,
urban nodes, streets, other.
• Process of Property Boundary Definition
and Delineation:
The factors affecting the property boundary
definition for As-Salt include:
The Property’s Attributes: the concentration •
of attributes played a role in the delineation
of As-Salt historic core property boundary
as boundaries are drawn to incorporate the
majority of he attributes that convey the
outstanding universal value and that are
concentrated within a particular part of the
historic city core. In the case of As-Salt historic
core, the concentration of attributes (tangible
and intangible) in and around Sahet Al Ain
played a role in the boundary definition.
Refer to (Map.18 , Page 228 ) & (Diagram.33, Page
229)
Fig.193. Overview of
As-Salt city
���
Natural and Urban Morphological Factors: the
boundary delineation of As-Salt was also affected
by topographical considerations, urban features
(e.g., location of streets on upper slopes that
are parallel to the contours), natural landforms,
and morphological factors mainly in the way
of how the steep residential slopes on both Al
Qal’a and Al Jad’a sides relate to the lower parts
of the setting where the public squares (e.g., Al
Ain, Maydan, other) and commercial arteritis
(e.g., Hammam, Al Khader) are located.
Fig.194. Close up View
to Al Jad’a mountain
(As-Sukkar- Khatib)
Cluster
Fig.195. Close up View
to Al Qal’a mountain,
Haddadin Stairway
appears in the bottom
right corner.
 Diagram.14
Natural Morphology of
the city of As-Salt
Al-Salalem

Maldan St.

Al-Qala’a

Wadi Al-Akrad
lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

Al-Jada’a

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Map.16
Tangible &
Intangible Attributes
of the property
Tangible Attributes Of The Property
Urban Significant
Typology Buildings
Nodes Significant Buildings

Squares Singificant Buildings

(Sahat) (Public)-Mosque

Stairs Singificant Buildings

(Public)-Church
Alleyways
Singificant Buildings
(Public)-School
Streets
lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

Singificant Buildings
Panormic (Public)-Hospital
15
ovHfm

Significant Singificant Building-

Building- Public Residential
Intangible Attributes ( spatially
represented examples)
A System Tolerance
of Urban Cohabitation
Hospitality Between Muslim
and Christians
Communities
Madafat From Urban Proximity
The Golden Between Various
Age Functions (Mosque
- Church)
Shared Urban
Entrances or Stairs
General Support
System &
Brotherhood
Madafat From The
Golden Age

���
 Diagram.15

Buffer Zone
Visual and Natural
Morphological
Factors in Defining
Al Qal’a the Property
Boundary

Property Boundary
Wadi Al-
A krad

lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

Property Boundary
Al Jad’a
Buffer Zone
ovHfm

Mountain Lower Edge

Buffer Zone
Valley ( Public Space)

Buffer Zone Property Boundary Buffer Zone

Street
Al-Qal’a Valley (Wadi Al-Akrad) Al-Jad’a Street Street

(Mountain) Public Square (Sahet Al Ain) (Mountain)

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• Defining the Buffer Zone (The Buffer Zone individual monuments or areas, alternations and
as a Protective Measure) additions to existing buildings, land-use, zoning,
and development issues to mention a few.
The buffer zone is considered as a protection layer;
a layer that also addresses the character and nature The following (Map.20, Page 225) illustrate
of a particular area around the defined property the boundary of the Nominated Property with
boundaries of the historic urban core of As-Salt. accurate geographic coordinates. The geographical
The buffer zone together with the property are coordinates of the center of the nominated property
subject to the City’s urban core special urban are: Please, add them.
regulations; they address issues of the immediate
surrounding of the nominated property also in The total area of the Property is: 24.68 hectares.
terms of designated buildings and their protection The total area of the Buffer Zone: 71.12 hectares.
and conservation, views and view corridors, land
use, zoning and future development. It is very The total area of the Property and Buffer Zone
important to consider a buffer zone as projection together: 95.80 hectars.
layer; a layer that also addresses the character and
nature of a particular area and a one that makes The limits of the nominated property are identified
sure that no abrupt transformation takes place. So, by the following points:
in general, the Buffer Zone in the case of As-Salt 1. 32° 02’ 33.4” N — 35° 43’ 41.9” E
historic core should be seen as a: 2. 32° 02’ 10.3” N — 35° 43’ 48.4” E
3. 32° 02’ 05.3” N — 35° 43’ 41.2” E
- A Protection Layer: addressing issues of the 4. 32° 02’ 16.4” N — 35° 43’ 26.4” E
immediate setting of the 5. 32° 02’ 25.1” N — 35° 43’ 21.7” E
nominated property, important views (which is
crucial in the case of As-Salt historic The limits of the buffer zone are identified by the
city core), other areas or attributes that are following points:
functionally important as a support 6. 32° 02’ 41.6” N — 35° 43’ 31.1” E
to the property and its protection. 7. 32° 02’ 12.5” N — 35° 43’ 52.0” E
8. 32° 01’ 58.4” N — 35° 43’ 59.2” E
- As a Layer that Supports Future Management: 9. 32° 02’ 15.7” N — 35° 43’ 19.9” E
this is a very important issue, 10. 32° 02’ 27.2” N — 35° 43’ 11.6” E
management here includes future designation of 11. 32° 02’ 28.7” N— 35° 43’ 26.8” E

���
 Map.17
Property Boundary
Nominated Property: 24.68 ha
6 Buffer Zone: 71.12 ha
Total: 95.80 ha
& Buffer juxtaposed
with Tangible &
Intangible Attributes
1 Tangible Attributes Of The Property
Urban Significant
Typology Buildings
Nodes Significant Buildings
10
11
Squares Singificant Buildings
(Sahat) (Public)-Mosque
5
Stairs Singificant Buildings
L
(Public)-Church
Alleyways
Singificant Buildings
C (Public)-School
Streets
lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

Singificant Buildings
Panormic (Public)-Hospital
4 15
9
ovHfm

Significant Singificant Building-

Building- Public Residential

7 Intangible Attributes ( spatially

represented examples)
2 A System Tolerance
of Urban Cohabitation
Hospitality Between Muslim
and Christians
Communities
3 Madafat From Urban Proximity
The Golden Between Various
Age Functions (Mosque
- Church)
Shared Urban
Entrances or Stairs
General Support
8 System &
Brotherhood
Madafat From The
Golden Age

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

As-Salt Greater Municipality Projects on
Heritage Management, Urban Rehabilitation
and Adaptive Reuse
As-Salt Greater Municipality has been involved in
supporting and supervising several adaptive reuse
projects of historic buildings in the core into cultural
facilities and museums, visitor and tourism facilities,
and other needed functions such as offices for the
As-Salt Greater Municipality or for other public
institutions. Examples include the adaptation
of Abu Jaber House into As-Salt Historic House
Museum; the adaptation of the English Hospital
by the Holy Land Institute, into a center for the
rehabilitation of the deaf and the blind; the adaptive
reuse of Touqan House into As-Salt Archaeological
Museum; the adaptive reuse of Qaqish House which
is now reused by the As-Salt Greater Municipality
by its City Development Projects Unit (ASCSP);
the adaptive reuse of Mismar house to house the
Balqa Tourism Governorate Directorate.
Fig.196.
Fig.197. Qaqish House
One key project concerning the adaptive reuse
of historic buildings is the adaptive reuse of Abu
Jaber house into the city’s historic museum.
The Project was funded by JICA and designed
by TURATH: Architecture & Urban Design
Consultants with TIBAH consultants of Jordan.
The Project is considered the starting point in
the journey within the Eco Museum project to
explore the city through various heritage tails.
The curatorship and interpretation concept was
based on granting voice to the urban social history,
culture and everyday life during the Golden Age. It
includes sections on urban social history, culture,
As-Salt in regional contexts during the Golden
Age, medical and educational history, architecture
and master builders, and details of everyday life to
mention a few. It has been considered to represent a
paradigm shift in the development of museography
in Jordanian museums for having focused on the
recent past (late Ottoman and the transformations
from the second half of the 19th century into the
Touqan House
20th centuries) (Maffi, 2002).
���
 Fig.198. Historic Old
As-Salt Development
Project Scope
Fig.199. Architecture &
Master Builders Room At
Abu Jaber Historic Old
Salt Museum
Fig.200. Medical
History Room At Abu
Jaber Historic Old Salt
Museum
Fig.201. Archaeology
Room at Abu Jaber
Historic Old Salt
Museum
Fig.202. As-Salt in
Regional Context Room
At Abu Jaber Historic
Old Salt Museum
Fig.203. Master Builders
Room showing one of the
Interpretation Panels
Fig.204. Abu Jaber
Historic Old Salt
Museum Elevation before
200 201 and after

198

203

202

199
204

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Another key project is the adaptive reuse of the
Anglican Church Complex (including the English
Hospital, the doctors’ residence) by the Holy Land
Institute into As-Salt Rehabilitation Center for the
Deaf and Deaf Blind. It also includes a training
and resource center addressing also the physically
challenged. The Anglican Church and Sunday
school have been maintained always. In the 1980s, a
major renovation work took place. Works included
stone cleaning, painting, wiring and sanitary. As
for the English Hospital, major restoration works
started in 1997. It included stone cleaning, fortifying
the structure including the concrete slabs, plastering
and painting, under-floor heating, tiling, wood
works for doors and windows, wiring, and sanitary
works. The Institute aimed at rehabilitating the
physically-challenged, the intellectually-challenged,
and the hearing and visually impaired (Holy Land
Institute for Deaf and Deafblind Children, 2015).
Fig.205. At the English
Hospital, Students of
the Holy Land Institute
for Deaf and Deafblind
Children
Fig.206. The English
Hospital
The private sector had been also active in such
rehabilitations and adaptive reuse projects, these
include the adaptive reuse of a historic house in Al
Jad’a area into a restaurant and bed and breakfast
tourist facility (Beit Aziz), and the adaptive reuse of
Al Bashir House into a coffee shop to mention a few.
The Municipality has been also the patron of several
public space enhancement and urban rehabilitation
projects within the historic city core focusing on
the enhancement of its public stairs, plazas and
streets. These include several projects such as the
enhancement of Hammam Street facades funded
by USAID in 1990, several projects focusing on
the cleaning of heritage buildings facades; other
projects concerned with the clearing and removing
of debris and dumps from in between buildings and
Fig.208. Cleaning of
from sloped lands as well. Other projects included Historic Buildings and
clearing of debris and
rehabilitation of historic steps and streets and others waste.
related to urban lighting within the historic city
core.
Fig.207. People at Beit
Aziz Restaurant
���
Public space conservation and enhancement
projects also include rehabilitating areas to serve
as surface parking in order to release congestion
and traffic jams from the historic core; project for
the general rehabilitation of the urban environment
addressing urban furniture, planting, townscape
management, sidewalk improvements, other.
On-going projects include Oqbe Project which is
an urban project involving the clearing of new
buildings to highlight the historic buildings of
As-Salt and to provide facilities (retail, cultural,
underground parking to release congestion, other)
and improve the urban environment within the
city. Another significant on-going project, even
though it is outside the property boundary is the
Bus Terminal Project, its objectives are to improve
the existing bus terminal facility of the city.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Map.18
Urban Management,
Adaptive Reuse &
Rehabilitation of
Historic Buildings,
and Public Space
Enhancement
Public Spaces Enhancement
Tourism Ministry Project 2009
JICA Tourism Sector Development Project
Oqbe Bin Nafe’ Project
USAID Project
World Bank Project

Adaptive Reuse Projects (Buildings)

lk,v
lk,v
lk,v

Visitor Tourism Facilities:

4 Beit Aziz Restaurant
7 Ghorbal Building – Slaibi House
11 Coffee House – Al Bashir House
13 Zamanik Ya Salt Motel & Coffee Shop
ovHfm

Cultural Facilities & Museums:

1 Abu Jaber Museum
3 Archaeological Museum – Tuqan House
5 Museum - Muoasher House
9 Salt Film Center
15 Riwaq – Zu’bi House
Offices:
2 As Salt City Development Unit
(ASCDP) – Qaqish House
8 Balqa Tourism directorate
Musmar Hosue
Other Adaptations:
10 Promise Welfare Society
6 English Hospital
12 As-Salt Small Mosque
14 Youth Sports Club

Heritage Tourism Trails

Harmony Trail
Educational Trail
Daily Life Trail

���
 Fig.209. AbuJaberHouse
(Historic Old Salt
Museum)
Fig.210. Beit Aziz
Restaurant
Fig.211. Balqa Tourism
directorate - Mismar
Hosue
Fig.212. Riwaq (Zu’bi
House)
Fig.213. As-Salt Small
Mosque
Fig.214. As-Salt City
Development Project
Unit (Development
Project Unit)
Fig.215. Skafieh Alleyway
Fig.216. Sahet Al Ain
Fig.217. Oqba Bin Nafe’
209 210 Project
Fig.218. Salt
Archaeological Museum
(Touqan House)

211 212 213 214

215 216 217 218

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

3.g • Daily Life Trail (addressing living traditions,
Assessment of Tourism i.e. cuisine, cloths, daily shopping, leisure games,
other).
& Visitor Management • Educational Trail (addressing the history of
Context education in the city and the significance and
importance of the various schools).
Fig.219. Ministry of
Promoting heritage tourism and emphasizing Tourism promoting
heritage tourism within
on disseminating the messages of the city of Salt (e.g., print media,
home visits, other)
tolerance and urban hospitality to visitors and
tourists is one major objective of As-Salt Greater
Municipality. One particular project to mention is Fig.220. Harmony Trail
the Eco Museum project (funded by the Japanese
International Cooperation (JICA). At the beginning
of years 2000s a Japanese multidisciplinary team
of experts, composed of architects, anthropologists,
sociologists and tourism marketing specialists,
started to develop an innovative concept of museum
for Jordan, namely an eco-museum.

This innovative concept of the eco-museum was

developed where visitors are encouraged to enjoy
the city life in As-Salt, interact with locals and with
living traditions and the peaceful coexistence of
the two faiths while sharing a unique experience
focusing on tangible and intangible cultural
heritage. Three heritage tourism trails were
Fig.221. Educational Trail
developed and implemented within the Project:

• Harmony Trail (addressing cohabitation and

tolerance between Muslims and Christians)

���
 Fig.222. One of the Fig.223. TouristsVisiting
Supporting the Eco-Museum project and concept, Leaflets that were Abu Jaber House
developed by the Eco- Museum
several agencies also working on urban enhancement musuem Project
and conservation including: townscape management
(addressed by As-Salt Greater Municipality);
cultural resources development (addressed by the
Municipality, the Ministry of Tourism and the As-
Salt Development Cooperation; local community
involvement (addressed by As-Salt Development
Cooperation, and Marketing (addressed by the
Municipality and the Ministry of Tourism).

The Eco-Museum’s Information and Interpretation

Centre is located at the As-Salt Historic Museum
(House Museum of Abu Jaber), which is the point
of departure of the visit to explore the city where heritage tourism program that represents the Fig.224. A tourist in
Sahet Al Ain
leaflets and brochures are distributed and trained interests of the community as a whole; to encourage
tour guides accompany the visitors through the by demonstration, showcase methods of preserving,
different features of the historic city. Visitors willsecuring and rehabilitating heritage buildings
be able not only to visit places demonstrating this and establish heritage conservation incentives
living heritage reality in As-Salt (e.g., Hammam for privately owned properties; to rapidly resolve
Street, Al Khader Church, Sahet Al Ain, other), the poor, unsanitary urban conditions on public
but will also be able to interact with the local and private properties; to establish an extensive
community in different ways, one of which is community outreach program and build the
home visits and having a meal with a local family foundation for an urban cultural tourism industry;
demonstrating another form of urban hospitality. to improve urban walks and amenities; and to create
an image of a friendly heritage city that evokes the
The Municipality also supported a USAID funded city’s ‘Golden Age’ in its exceptional architecture,
study (As-Salt Tourism Distinctive Destination Plan and also promotes its role as the birthplace of the
2018-2020) in order to strengthen, enhance, and nation and a vibrant, contemporary center; and
increase the tourist products and services. The main finally to promote a distinctive tourism niche.
objectives of the Project are to build a program to
attract new visitors; to create an urban cultural

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 BEST to promote local investment, to protect and
develop heritage houses and traditional markets
along trails. Residents will be encouraged to develop
other ventures in order to benefit from the city’s
growing tourism sector.
An awareness campaign will focus on effort to raise
public awareness and educate individuals about a
range of tourism specific issues in As-Salt. The
campaign will raise awareness, or inform, change
attitudes and essentially lead to behavioral changes.
This campaign for As-Salt will inform the public
about the benefits of tourism, change behavior by
encouraging students to pursue careers in tourism
and encourage local communities to protect the
environment and heritage of As-Salt.

The campaign objectives are summarized below:

1. Improve the understanding and positive image
of tourism within the communities of As-Salt.
2. Encourage a greater participation of
communities in tourism in As-Salt.
3. Increase the number of youth pursuing careers
and jobs in tourism.
4. Engage local communities in protecting the
Fig.225. Everyday life More recently, a plan for Tourism Awareness in culture, heritage and environment of As-Salt.
at Hammam Street
(main heritage tourism As-Salt had been prepared and the final draft of
attraction)
the Study had been approved. The initiative is The target audiences include local businesses and
implemented by the USAID Building Economic traders, school teachers and university professors,
Sustainability through Tourism (BEST) project to school students (grade 10 & 11), undergraduates
promote economic sustainability in Jordan. As-Salt from universities and colleges, parents, local
Development Corporation (SDC) and the Greater community, media, local community leaders and
As-Salt Municipality (GSM) will work with USAID civil authorities.

���
3.h
Analysis of Other Factors
Affecting Conservation
(Threats)
The main factors which are likely to affect or
threaten the historic city core of As-Salt and its
outstanding universal value include pressures of
development and urban encroachment; and also
pressures of demolition of or insensitive additions
to historic buildings within the historic city core.;
especially that As-Salt had gone through rapid urban
development since the 1980s putting pressure on
the historic fabric and its integrity. Other pressures
include insensitive adaptations. All these might
harm the setting’s authenticity and integrity.
However, As-Salt Greater Municipality had
implemented several urban heritage regulatory
tools through As-Salt City Development Projects
Unit (ASCDP) within the As-Salt Greater
Municipality (GSM) including the City Core Special
Regulations which were endorsed by the Ministry
of Municipalities and Rural Affairs, the Higher
City Planning Council of Jordan, and the As-Salt
Greater Municipality, in September 2014; and the
designation and grading for the City’s historic
buildings as mentioned earlier; in order to manage,
protect, and conserve the urban and architectural
heritage of the city and to mitigate and control these
adverse effects of urban encroachment, demolition,
and insensitive additions.
Fig.226. Urban
Enchroachments on Al
Jad’a Hill
���
One particular factor affecting the property to be
highlighted in more details might be in particular
insensitive additions or alternations to the historic
fabric resulting in kitsch. Yet this is mitigated as all
design projects within the Property and its buffer
zone go through a design review process by As-Salt
city Development Projects Unit staff and assigned
experts; in addition, in certain cases, the Unit
provides also design consultation services as well.
There are no environmental pressures of pollution
affecting directly the property and its historic
buildings and open spaces. As mentioned earlier,
As-Salt Greater Municipality is responsible for
public spaces enhancement and also cleaning empty
areas from garbage dumps and garbage in addition
to the removing debris and dumps from deserted
buildings. They are also involved in addressing the
issue of vehicular circulation and congestion in the
historic urban core; the will indirectly enhance the
conservation of buildings by reducing air pollution
due to care fumes. Furthermore; the city has no
major industrial activity that could cause pollution
to the historic city core. Historically, there were
stone quarries located within the present boundary
of the city on the slopes of Al Salalem area; but these
have been closed and terminated are dismissed.
Other stone quarries are located within Al Balqa
District but far away from the city with no effect
whatsoever on the property.
As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
As-Salt, which lies in a mountainous area east of the included tourism in their plans in the last thirty
Jordan River, is situated within the system the Syria- years.
African Great Rift, also known as Great Rift Valley,
which extends from Lebanon to Mozambique. Being In terms of the current condition of tourism
the major geophysical phenomenon on earth, where product and tourist perceptions in As-Salt, the study
tectonic forces are presently trying to create new conducted by JICA revealed that tourists in As-Salt
plates by splitting apart old ones, the area presents are younger thanexpected especially Jordanian ones
a very high seismic risk. However, major seismic and the majority of them are females.
events reported in the area, i.e. the earthquake
that hit Nablus and Amman in 1927, did not inflict Based on the findings of these studies, as well as in
damage to the historic fabric of As-Salt. view of the inscription of the nominated property
on the World Heritage List, it is expected that
In order to prevent the risk of partial of total the number of tourist facilities will increase and
collapse of the buildings within the property quality of the service will improve, i.e. hotels and
in case of seismic events, future conservation, restaurants, but also tourist shops. Regarding
stabilization and restoration works of the selected parking facilities for both coaches and private
buildings will take into consideration anti-seismic vehicles, the municipality has already increased
design principles, as well as guidelines and norms substantially parking spaces outside the historic
of earthquake engineering. core, but in proximity to it allowing visit of the
property once inscribed.
Analysis carried out in 2008-2010 by various
research teams, i.e. the Japanese International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), reveals that businesses
in As-Salt are less aware of tourism as a main source
of income although they claimed otherwise. This
could derive from their neglect to some factors that
would help increasing income coming from tourism;
factors such as providing lists in foreign languages
and employing foreign language speakers. On the
other hand, these studies reveal that tourism related
business has been improved over time, and this was
clear from the increased number of businesses that

���
Response (Protection,
Conservation &
Management)

4.a General Conservation Vision

4
4.b Current & Future Protection
Measures for the Historic City Core
of As-Salt

4.c Future Policies Regarding

Conservation & Management

4.d Future Strategies Regarding

Conservation & Management

4.e Implementation Plan

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

4.a
General Conservation
Vision
In As-Salt, it is obvious that there is an official and
a popular commitment to foresee architectural and
urban heritage management. As-Salt Municipality
had already made considerable steps in terms of
inventories, designation, planning and heritage
regulations, processes for permits (demolition,
change, alterations, and conservation techniques).
In addition, the Municipality had also been doing
considerable efforts concerning eliminating visual
pollution from the historic city core.
In terms of urban heritage management, a key
development was the establishment in 2005 of the
As-Salt City Development Projects Unit (ASCDP)
within the As-Salt Greater Municipality (GSM). The
main mission of this office is to coordinate efforts for
the safeguarding, conservation, and management of
the historic city. Furthermore, a Heritage Section
within GSM has been incorporated within the
Unit as well. The Unit’s staff is educated, highly-
motivated and is keen on improving capabilities
through special courses on heritage management
and conservation and also through pursuing
graduate studies in related topics.
The following paragraph summarizes the
conservation management plan vision for the
historic city core of As-Salt:
As-Salt historic urban core represents an
exceptional example of a living heritage with
a strong link between its intangible attributes
(tolerance and cohabitations among Muslim
and Christian communities; urban hospitality;
and socio-urban welfare system); and tangible
attributes (significant architecture and urban
morphology) during a particular period in the
development of the city known as the Golden
Age ranging from the 1860s to the middle
of the 1920s. Bering an example of a living
heritage site; the conservation management
plan objectives are to research, plan, and
implement different processes and levels of
interventions leading to the continuity of
traditions and protection and conservation
of this exceptional historic city core of As-
Salt for future generations. Such processes
and different levels of intervention will entail
measures and actions related to protection,
conservation, interpretation and presentation
of this most valuable cultural heritage site
in addition to processes related to visitor
management and creating awareness about
the specificity of this historic core in order to
convey its important messages to the general
public and to humanity at large.
���
4.b Unit’s staff is educated, highly-motivated and is
THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN Fig.227. Reports
concerning the

Current & Future

developement of city
keen on improving capabilities through special
MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND ANTIQUITIES

core regulations in
CULTURAL HERITAGE, TOURISM AND URBAN
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

Jerash, Karak, Madaba

DEVELOPMENT OF CITY CORE SPECIAL REGULATIONS
FOR THE CITIES OF JERASH, KARAK, MADABA AND SALT

courses on heritage management and conservation

Protection Measures for the
and As-Salt
and also through pursuing graduate studies in
Historic City Core of As- related topics.
Action Plans & Implementation-The CMU

Salt
For Salt City

September 2010

One of the key regulatory tools that has been

Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran

developed so far was the Special Regulations project new interventions, and also guidelines for public
which covered several historic towns in Jordan of spaces design and enhancement.
Urban Heritage Protection Regulatory Tools
which As-Salt was one. In 2008, the Ministry of
& Designation Mechanisms
Tourism and Antiquities coordinated a project Forms were developed to establish the cultural
for the development of special regulations for significance of the traditional buildings. Special
In As-Salt, it is obvious that there is an official and
four historic towns in Jordan, including As-Salt. Conservation Areas and Special Development
a popular commitment to foresee architectural and
Financed by the World Bank, the project was Corridors were proposed as part of the plan. The
urban heritage management. As-Salt Municipality
undertaken by the joint venture Euronet Consulting results of this project led to the finalization in
had already made considerable steps in terms of
and Dar Omran. A thorough study, including 2010 and approval in 2014 of the As-Salt City Core
inventories, designation, planning and heritage
guidelines on conservation and management, was Special Regulations (CCSR). Here is a summary of
regulations, processes for permits (demolition,
submitted in five volumes in 2010. The City Core the concentration of each of the volumes.
change, alterations, and conservation techniques).
Special Regulations were endorsed by the Ministry
In addition, the Municipality had also been doing
of Municipalities and Rural Affairs, the Higher City • Part I: Action Plans and Implementation
considerable efforts concerning eliminating visual
Planning Council of Jordan, and the As-Salt Greater (5-year Action Plan): this includes the city core
pollution from the historic city core.
Municipality, in September 2014. These special special regulations addressing special urban
regulations addressed special urban places, heritage places, heritage grading for buildings, special
In terms of heritage protection regulatory tools,
buildings designation and grading for historic development corridors, implementation, and
a key development was the establishment in
buildings, guidelines for buildings conservation and management organization.
2005 of the As-Salt City Development Projects THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN
THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN
• Part II: Construction Guide for As-Salt
Unit (ASCDP) within the As-Salt Greater MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND ANTIQUITIES MINISTRY OF TOURISM AND ANTIQUITIES
City: addressing construction conservation
Municipality (GSM). The main mission of this
CULTURAL HERITAGE, TOURISM AND URBAN
Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Urban Development Project DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

guidance, condition Surveys, mechanisms for

DEVELOPMENT OF CITY CORE SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT OF CITY CORE SPECIAL REGULATIONS
REGULATIONS FOR THE CITIES OF FOR THE CITIES OF JERASH, KARAK, MADABA AND SALT
JERASH, KARAK, MADABA AND SALT

office is to coordinate efforts for the safeguarding,

decay, diagnosis, remedial works, other.
conservation, and management of the historic city.
• Part III: As-Salt Design Guide: design
Furthermore, a Heritage Section within GSM has
guidelines and considerations for new additions,
been incorporated within the Unit as well. The Salt Design Guide
Construction Guide for Salt City

September 2010
September 2010

Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran

alterations, regulations, other.
Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

• Part IV: Public Realm Guide: addressing
public spaces, streetscape, street furniture,
other.
The City Core Special Regulations are composed
of 16 Articles. The following is a brief summary of
relevant articles related to general protection of the
architectural and urban heritage of the City: Article
2 sets the definitions of all architectural elements
and other subjects mentioned in the Regulations. It
provides details concerning architectural elements
such as ‘awnings’ and ‘balconies’, for example,
together with the definition of “conservation
interventions” and the distinction between
restoration, rehabilitation and reconstruction. It
also clarifies what constitutes “development” and
illustrates other possible scenarios. In all, article
2 describes thirty-six terms that are referred to in
the City Core Special Regulations.
Article 3 articulates a discourse on the applicability
of the regulations, their implementation and
the fact that the City Core Special Regulations
supersede previous normative setting within the
historic town. It also establishes that they shall
undergo a revision every five years.
Article 4 deals with problems relating to ongoing
development. In particular, it refers to issues relating
to conservation works that may be undertaken on
historical buildings. This article also regulates
that any structure that blocks the view within the
designated area may be subject to partial demolition Article 9 deals with land use and explains how
in order to restore the original view. the City Core Special Regulations address
developmental issues. The article regulates new uses
Article 5 clarifies what are the “special conservation and oversees the protection of heritage buildings,
areas” and their boundaries. for example enacting regulations fire or explosive
hazards which may affect the city core. It also
Article 6 deals with “interim provisions”, such as considers environmental issues, such as acoustic
the control that could be enforced on development pollution, vibrations and odors. The problem
projects, completed or under construction, and of urban waste is also treated. Compatibility of
exceptional circumstances granted. activities within the historic core is also taken into
consideration, i.e. slaughterhouses, carpentry and
Article 7 explains the regulations concerning blacksmith workshops, car repairing and other
“development permits.” It refers to new similar activities are declared not compatible.
development, as well as existing structures that
are not conforming to the regulations. The article Article 10 defines the “volumetric and dimensional
disserts on the legal status of permits already conditions of development”. The article addresses
granted, the renewal of development permits and the control of heights, setbacks and coverage of the
on how the new regulations deal with existing surface of the parcel and describes each of these
regulations. issues in detail, referring to different categories
of use and residential areas. As far as heritage
Article 8 enters into details about “viewing areas protection is concerned the inclusion of such a level
and city core protected entrance areas”. The City of details regarding building heights, number of
Core Special Regulations are strictly regulating the floors, setbacks, projections from façades, balconies
views towards the historic city from within the city and parking is a strong asset of these regulations.
but also from the entrance areas. The latter are very It also refers to “special design guidelines” to be
significant as all the entrances to the city core join eventually implemented.
the valley from upper levels overlooking towards the
historic city. The article also deals with areas which Article 11 is extremely important and significant
are not developed yet, restricting new development to issues of designation and protection of the
and encouraging the agricultural use, emphasizing architectural heritage, it is dedicated to “designated
the protection of olive trees, and in particular trees heritage buildings” and in particular to issues
higher than 10m. regarding the different grading of heritage buildings.
���
It explains how heritage buildings are categorized as Sahat Al-Ain and Al Maydan Square and the to the protection and safeguarding of architectural
and the difference between Grade 1 and Grade specific regulations applying to public open spaces. and urban heritage under its jurisdiction.
2, as well as which interventions are allowed or
Salt City-core Area is the whole area ZONE -C-
SALT CITY-CORE DEVELOPMENT CONTROL MAP
not, in terms of conservation and development. inside the boundary of Zone A
without excluding other Zones
Gardens Residence B Residence C

It emphasizes that Grade 1 buildings cannot be ZONE -A-

Residence D Residence E
N
demolished, being authenticity a key asset, and that
Commercial Use Residence B Residence C
Grade 1 Heritage Building Grade 2 Heritage Building

Residence D Residence E Public Use

any intervention must be carried out in accordance

Development Volumetric & Dimensional Regulations Applied:
Gardens Cemetery Religious Use
Plots in the Zone are subject to the same General Volumetric & Dimensional
Regulations applied to Zone A Except for Building Height and Number of Floor
as following:

with the highest conservation standards. Article

Open Spaces Bus Terminal Green Area
-No building, extension or renovation is permitted to obstruct any typical
pedestrian eye-level view.
-Any building on the downhill side of a hillside road, footway or stair may not
Grade 1 Heritage Building Grade 2 Heritage Building

11 also illustrates details concerning design and

rise higher than 0.5m above the level of that said road, footway or stair in this
ZONE (A) Zone

General Development Volumetric & Dimensional

Regulations Applied

materials. Alterations to the interiors, in accordance Land Use

Min. Min. plot Max. Plot Max. Plot Max. No. Max.
Plot frontage Coverage
Size m
Ratio of
Floors
Building
Setbacks

Height FrontalRear Side

with conservation standards, may be necessary to

Within
Commercial 150 12m Permitted _ 4 15 0 1.5 1.2
Setbacks

Residence B 750 20m 45% _ 3 12 4 4 3 ZONE (C)

ensure a viable future use (all buildings included Residence C

Residence D
500

250
18m

15m
51%

55%
_

_
3

3
12

12
3

3
3

2.5
2.5

2.5 ZONE (B)

in the nomination property belong to Grade 1). Residence E 150 12m 60% 180% 3 12 0

Based on regulations for residential plot sizes, as set out above

1.5 1.2 ZONE (C)

Conservation interventions in Grade 2 buildings

Other Uses
13 41
(*)For Commercial and Residential E, setback is at one side only and on ground floor level only; for all others at both
sides and on all floors. 54

Projections :

may consider architectural transformation, though

- Allowed only on the frontal facade and as a balcony.
-Max. projection over the footway 1.2 m
-Min. distance between the lowest point of the underside of the balcony
and the finished surface of the footway 3 m
- provide traditional handrail of wrought iron with a Max. height (1m)

the latter must be subject to and in line with

-the balcony shouldn't be enclosed by any other material than the
handrail

OTHER SPECIFIC REGULATIONS APPLIED IN SPECIAL

DEVELOPMENT ZONES ZONE(C)

elevated conservation standards. The article also GREEN AREA

- No new built development, extensions or renovations is permitted within
Green Area

lists a number of occupations, mainly industrial PLOTS ON SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT CORRIDORS

- Facades of buildings on these plots are subject to the recommendations of
the Design Guide.

and commercial, that are not allowed in the graded

PLOTS FRONTING SPECIAL URBAN SPACES
- Buildings on these plots are subject to the recommendations of
the Design Guide and the Norms of the Public Realm.

buildings. Any work modifying architectural ZONE -B-

Commercial Use Residence E Green Area

elements is subject to special permits. Religious Use

Grade 1 Heritage
Public Use

Grade 2 Heritage
Open Spaces

Building Building

Development Volumetric & Dimensional Regulations Applied:

Plots in the Zone are subject to the same General Volumetric & Dimensional

Article 12 emphasizes that “special conservation

Regulations applied to Zone A Except for Building Height and Number of Floor
as following:

-No building in this zone may be built,extended or altered in such a way as to be

higher than the main facade of the nearest visible designated Heritage Building
THIS MAP IS A CONSTITUENT PART OF SALT CCSR AND IS TO BE READ WITH OTHER CONSTITUENT PARTS OF SALT CCSR Prepared by
&

areas” are subject to all the specific regulations

in this area.

AUG / 2010

Fig.228. As-Salt City

SCALE : 1/2500

mentioned above. Article 15 deals with expropriation and Core Special Regulations
Development Control
compensation, as well with the rights of property Map (CCSR)
Article 13 describes the three “special development owners, ensuring full compensation according to
corridors” of Prince Hamzah Bin Al-Hussein Street, the market value.
Saleh Al Ma’sher Street and Hammam Street and
the specific regulations for these corridors. The summary of the City Core Special Regulations
provides an insightful indication of the commitment
Article 14 speaks about “special urban spaces” such of the As-Salt Greater Municipality with regards

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Development of City Core Special Regulations for the City of Salt         Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran 

Part II is dedicated to the Construction Guide for Development of City Core Special Regulations for the City of Salt         Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran 

As-Salt City addressing construction conservation

 

guidance, condition Surveys, mechanisms for decay,

diagnosis, remedial works, other. The construction
guide is mostly concerned with describing
methodologies for conserving existing historic  

buildings. As far as new buildings are concerned,

Figure 4 – Valley cross section and sight lines  
 
 

their design is covered by the Design Guide.  

Figure 4 – Valley cross section and sight lines  
 

However, the Construction Guide provides details  

of masonry techniques which are also relevant to

new construction. Part III is dedicated to design
Development of City Core Special Regulations for the City of Salt         Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran 

guidelines
 
and considerations for new additions, Development of City Core Special Regulations for the City of Salt         Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran 

Fig.231. Cross section

alterations, regulations, other. Part IV is concerned  
through buildings,
Figure 5 – Cross section through buildings, illustrating height measurements 
illustrating height
with the public realm guide addressing addressing
 
5 
measurements
public spaces, streetscape, street furniture, other.
 
Figure 5 – Cross section through buildings, illustrating height measurements 
 
Development of City Core Special Regulations for the City of Salt         5  Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran 
Development of City Core Special Regulations for the City of Salt         Euronet Consulting and Dar Al Omran 
 
   
 
 Figure 31.  The rst oor balcony of the Saleh Muasher House (restored 2006‐2007) is very ‘transparent’
   
 Figure 17. Windows in the upper oors of the Abu Jabeer building are closer to 50% of the façade area  
  The new special regulations for the city core set out the following rules for the design of 
Where the addition of another floor to a traditional building is propopsed, the options  balconies, which are the only type of projection allowed to extend over the building line in 
any future new construction or alteration work. Figure 32 also refers: 
which could be considered might include:   
o Maximum projection from the façade of 1.2 m, providing that the footway extends 
o a replica of the façade of a lower floor;  
not less than 45 cm beyond the outer edge of the balcony.   
o similar design to a lower floor but with a smaller proportion of window to wall    Figure 31.  The rst oor balcony of the Saleh Muasher House (restored 2006‐2007) is very ‘transparent’
(based on the observation that the first floor above ground level normally had   
o  The 
the  largest  windows  in  the  traditional  Ottoman  house  –  Figures  11  and  15 
 
  Fig.233. The first
underside  of  the  balcony  at  its  lowest  point  to  be  not  less  than  3.0  metres 
above the finished surface of the footway. 
  show typical examples); or   Fig.229. Windows in
 Figure 17. Windows in the upper oors of the Abu Jabeer building are closer to 50% of the façade area
 
floor balcony of the
The new special regulations for the city core set out the following rules for the design of 
o a  compatible  design  and  set  back  from  the  frontage  theof 
Where the addition of another floor to a traditional building is propopsed, the options  upper
lower floors
floors, ofto the Saleh Muasher House
balconies, which are the only type of projection allowed to extend over the building line in 
o The balcony rail not to exceed 1.0m high and to be made of wrought iron, with a 
which could be considered might include:
maintain  the  integrity  of  the  original  façade.  An  extra  Abu
floor Jabeer building
set  back  at  roof 
any future new construction or alteration work. Figure 32 also refers:  (restored 2006�2007)
traditional open design which allows the building facade to be visible through it.
     is
level,  could  provide  an  outdoor  terrace  along  the  frontage 
o a replica of the façade of a lower floor;  
are closer to building, 
of  the  50% of the   very ‘transparent’
o Maximum projection from the façade of 1.2 m, providing that the footway extends 
which  could  have  plants  in  containers  and  be  shaded  façade area or  by  a 
articficially 
o similar design to a lower floor but with a smaller proportion of window to wall 
o The balcony may not be enclosed in any way other than by the rail as specified.  
not less than 45 cm beyond the outer edge of the balcony. 
pergola with vines or other plants. 
(based on the observation that the first floor above ground level normally had   
the  largest  windows  in  the  traditional  Ottoman  house  –  Figures  11  and  15  o  The  underside  of  the  balcony  at  its  lowest  point  to  be  not  less  than  3.0  metres 
show typical examples); or   above the finished surface of the footway. 
o a  compatible  design  and  set  back  from  the  frontage  of  lower  floors,  to   
maintain  the  integrity  of  the  original  façade.  An  extra  floor  set  back  at  roof  o The balcony rail not to exceed 1.0m high and to be made of wrought iron, with a 
level,  could  provide  an  outdoor  terrace  along  the  frontage  of  the  building,  traditional open design which allows the building facade to be visible through it.   
which  could  have  plants  in  containers  and  be  shaded  articficially  or  by  a   
pergola with vines or other plants.  o The balcony may not be enclosed in any way other than by the rail as specified.  

     Figure 18 – Possible ways of adding an extra floor to a traditional building  Figure 32. Dimensional requirements of balcony design  add balcony projec�on 1.2m 
 
Fig.230. Possible ways of   Fig.232. Dimensional
adding an extra floor
10  to requirements of balcony
 
a traditional building design add20 
balcony
     Figure 18 – Possible ways of adding an extra floor to a traditional building 
 
  projection 1.2m
10 

  ���
Figure 32. Dimensional requirements of balcony design  add balcony projec�on 1.2m 

20 

 
As-Salt Greater Municipality has also adopted a
designation and a grading system for the city’s
historic buildings that is based on 5 tiers: Grade
1 through 5. These different grades are translated
into different values for the buildings, and also with
diverse levels of interventions:
Grade I: buildings of major individual importance
to the architecture, history, and cultural heritage of
both Jordan and As-Salt. These buildings should be
preserved and restored as a minimum, regardless of
all economic restrains. In general, they should not
be extended or altered, and ought to be restored to
their original state.
Grade II: buildings of individual or townscape
importance to the history and cultural heritage of
As-Salt. These should be preserved and restored
within reasonable economic parameters. The
main architectural and townscape features should
be restored, and in general, no alternations or
extensions should be made.
Grade III: buildings which form an important part
of the overall townscape of Salt or have architectural
merit. These should be preserved and restored
within reasonable economic parameters, but
sympathetic alteration or extension could be made.
Grade IV: buildings of lesser value in individual
and townscape terms but which, with improvement,
would contribute to the overall quality of As-
Salt. These should be preserved and improved if
economically practical.
Grade V: old buildings of limited townscape or
architectural value, the loss of which would not be
serious, provided new development is sympathetic
to As-Salt and preserves any details of merit.
(Refer to Map.17, Page 212)
As-Salt City Development Projects Unit (ASCDP)
of the As-Salt Greater Municipality had developed
also a regulated process for permits of demolition,
alterations and conservation and rehabilitation
works within the historic city core and beyond.
Urban change and transformation is now regulated
and have to be approved by the Municipality.
Recommendations from the Unit are presented
to the local planning commission where different
levels of protection are practiced and endorsed.
Once a course of action is approved, and before any
application is presented to the planning committee,
the applicant produces a financial bond between
the amounts of 5000-50,000 JOD as a guarantee
that implementation would proceed according
to the agreed upon plan. The Unit also performs
supervision and monitoring during implementation.
Furthermore, conservation and rehabilitation
projects have also to follow the Manual for the
Conservation of Historic Center for As-Salt.
��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
 Map.19
Designation and
Grading Map

Grades:
Null
Grade 1
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
lk,v

lk,v

lk,v

ovHfm

Legend

Grading_RSS
<Null>
grade 1
grade 2
grade 3
grade 4
grade 5

���

0 20 40 80 120 160
Meters
Sources and levels of finance to the As-Salt City Development Projects boundary, the As- Salt Greater Municipality had
Management Unit , and hence for the property committed a total of 3.5 million Jordanian Dinars
are diverse in terms of their sources: (approximately 5 million $) as follows: 2 million
Sources and Levels of Financing Available for
Jordanian Dinars dedicated to conservation,
the As-Salt Greater Municipality:
- Funding provided by the Ministry of Tourism of rehabilitation & adaptive reuse, and restoration
Jordan projects ; and 1.5 million Jordanian Dinars dedicated
The sources and level of financing that is available
- Funding provided by the Ministry of Planning to urban conservation , urban management, and
to As-Salt Greater Municipality , and hence for
and International Cooperation. public space improvements.
the property, are diverse in terms of their sources:
- Funding provided by the Ministry of Local
Governance (formerly known as Ministry of - The As-Salt Greater Municipality, and together
- Income from building and property tax.
Municipal Affairs). with the Ministry of Tourism had dedicated
- Income from diverse building permits
- Funding provided by the Ministry of Finance 400,000 Jordanian Dinars for heritage tourism
- Income from changes in land-use
- Funding provided by international and local promotion.
- Income from diverse services (townscape related
donor agencies (e.g., JICA (Japanese International
provided by the Municipality such as asphalting
Cooperation Agency), AFD (French Agency of - A Project dedicated to commercial signs and
of streets, providing sidewalks, other.
Development), other). canopies rehabilitation that had costed around
- Income from general municipal taxes (e.g.,
- Funding Provided by the As-Salt Greater 700,000 Jordanian Dinars is in progress.
commercial signs, parking, solid waste collection,
Municipality for the Unit.
other).
- The As-Salt Greater Municipality had committed
- Income from municipal court of justice.
As indicated by As-Salt City Development Projects 3,000,000 Jordanian Dinars for the completion
- Government of Jordan support for the As-Salt
Management Unit, the financial support provided of “Oqbe Bin Nafe’ Project” which is a parking,
Greater Municipality
for the Unit varies from year to year; yet As-Salt commercial shops, and visitor facility located at
- Support from international donor agencies
Greater Municipality together with the various the City Centre. It will help ease congestion, and
- Income generated from bank interest or financial
national entities such as the various ministries have provide more parking space within the facility.
investments.
made a serious national/governmental commitment
- Other.
to support heritage conservation, protection and - Annual funds are also dedicated on a periodical
management projects of diverse types within the bases for general public works addressing
Sources and Levels of Financing Available for the
nominated Property boundary as explained below: sidewalks, city steps, urban lighting, retaining walls,
As-Salt City Development Projects Management
landscaping, and other works.
Unit
- As a future financial commitment to the
conservation, protection, and urban heritage
The sources and level of financing that is available
management within the nominated Property

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

The Property Management Plan presented in section
5.e of this Nomination File identified several policies
and strategies related to investment marketing and
funding which As-Salt Greater Municipality is
intending to implement and support in the very
near future. These include:
with the Buffer Zone. This task will also be pursued
through direct funding from Jordanian authorities
and institutions, technical assistance international
projects of public private partnerships, in view of the
development of sustainable cultural and heritage
tourism.

• Investment, marketing, and funding

The purpose of this policy is to initiate a vision
on how As-Salt Greater Municipality would
start to think about its future investments and
marketing and funding strategies to support urban
conservation and management activities within the
city. To meet this policy, the following strategies
are proposed:

- Development of a business plan for historic

City Core in addition to a marketing and
communication strategy.

- Develop a fund raising strategy and plan.

It is important to mention that As-Salt Greater

Municipality is strongly committed to extend
financial support to the conservation, restoration
and management of the historic city core including
the financial support for the conservation works,
urban public space enhancement, and also
tourism management and awareness programs.
The Municipality is also diligent in guaranteeing
appropriate follow up regarding the safeguarding
of its historical urban fabric, which is encompassed

���
Sources of expertise and training in conservation At the national level the places that offer training 3. Future Plans and Strategies Related to Future
and management techniques in heritage conservation in general include the Research, Capacity Building, and Awareness Raising
German Jordanian University through its graduate and Education:
program in architectural conservation. Also, it is
The expertise and training in heritage conservation,
available through the Sustainable Cultural Heritage The Property Management Plan presented in
urban design, heritage tourism , and other related
through Local Community Engagement Project section 5.e of this Nomination File identified
filed available at local and national levels to the
(SCHEP) which is a USAID funded project housed several policies and strategies related to training
property should be elaborated upon at 3 levels:
within the American Centre of Oriental Research and capacity building which As-Salt Greater
in Amman (ACOR) , it has been operating since Municipality is intending to implement and support
2014 and offers technical assistance in conservation in the very near future. These include:
1. Existing Expertise within the As-Salt Greater
and heritage management in addition to training
Municipality Development Projects Unit (ASCDP):
and capacity building. One other source of training • Support and encourage research on the history
and capacity building is the Regional Centre for of the recent past and oral historic traditions
As mentioned earlier, the Unit works on continuous
Conservation and Restoration which is being in addition to research on future urban
architectural and urban heritage designation,
established in the city of Jerash, Jordan and will conservation and management. To meet this
protection, maintenance, and future conservation
service the whole country and the region; it includes policy, the following strategies are proposed:
with the historic city core. The Unit has several
conservation and scientific laboratories in addition
sections addressing maintenance and services of
to offering training and capacity building in heritage - Support and encourage a research program
the public realm and a technical section which
conservation theory, pathology, remedial works, on the history of As-Salt during its
includes architects, civil engineers, GIS specialists,
documentation , and conservation management Golden Age Period by also creating links
and other expertise that work on the conservation
planning. with schools of social sciences in Jordanian
and management of the townscape, and also on
universities and abroad.
documentation and conservation of its cultural
Finally, and at a regional level, the ICCROM-
heritage. The level of education of the Unit’s
ATHAR Program (located in Sharjah, United - Support and initiate an archival / oral
technical team includes bachelor and masters
Arab Emirates) offer various training courses and history project in terms of research,
degree holders with ample experience ranging
programs related to conservation technologies and documentation, and archiving. This also
from 5 to 25 years in heritage conservation,
theories. These short courses are also available for includes the collection, inventory and
documentation, and heritage management.
As-Salt Greater Municipality various staff in general documentation of authentic material culture,
and the staff of the Unit in particular. And the photographs, and documents.
2. Training in Heritage Conservation Available to
Municipality is willing to invest and fund its staff
As-Salt Greater Municipality Staff from National
to attend such courses and programs. - Support and encourage research on urban
and International Organizations and Authorities:
conservation and management; and specially

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 on how this living heritage of the city will
be sustained and even continued into future
generations.

• Implement Capacity Building and Training in

heritage conservation and management. To meet
this policy, the following strategies are proposed:

- Preparation and implementation of capacity

building programs in areas of building
conservation directed to As-Salt Greater
Municipality employees and staff, in order to
prepare them to deal with various applications
related to conservation and new additions
within the historic city core. It is important
to mention that As-Salt Greater Municipality
had already signed memorandum of
understanding with ICOMOS Jordan for
the purpose of signing future agreements
with ICOMOS Lebanon and other agencies
regarding this issue.

- Preparation and implementation of capacity

building programs in areas of public space and
infrastructure design, provision, maintenance
and repair works directed to Greater Salt
Municipality employees and staff (and other
governmental agencies), in order to prepare
them to deal with various conditions and
scenarios of development and change within
the historic
Urban core.

���
Other Protection Measures specifies that refusal of building licenses due to the compensations eligibility and none eligibility
damage that construction may cause to antiquates, criteria , in addition to the process of claiming
In addition to the protection measures discussed and natural beauty or their conservation does not compensations.
in Section 4 and 5 already such as the City’s Core qualify for compensation. The Law consists of nine 7. Chapter Seven: Planning Charges: It covers
Special Regulations, the designation and grading main chapters as following: the aspects of enforcing planning and land
systems for historic buildings, and the buffer zone; improvement charges on property owners , their
the following are additional protective measures of 1. Chapter One: Cities Planning Authorities: collection process and value estimation. It also
a legislative nature. It covers the hierarchy and composition of the identifies the areas on which these charges can
responsible authorities and committees on be spent.
• Cities, Villages and Buildings Planning Law planning decision making and approvals. 8. Chapter Eight: Land Expropriation: It
No. 79 of 1966 2. Chapter Two: Planning Areas: It covers covers the conditions, purpose and compensation
This law is the fundamental legislation that the process of declaring planning areas within criteria for land expropriation and replacement.
controls planning and building activities in all the municipal boundaries, and the establishment of 9. Chapter Nine: Miscellaneous Rules: this
municipalities of Jordan, including As-Salt Greater their relative planning authorities. chapter is inclusive to various items that are
Municipality. The enforcement of this law lies under 3. Chapter Three: Plans and planning levels: It related to the authority of issuance of bylaws,
the Municipality of Municipal Affairs (MOMA) covers the hierarchy, components and processes orders, asking for information, and other relevant
represented by its Minister. Although this law does of preparing and approving regional plans, which instructions.
not address the development of heritage buildings are classified as structural and detailed plans
or sites any differently from other developments, it (articles 15-19).. • Antiquities Law No. 21 of 1988 and its
comprises references to the conservation of sites and 4. Chapter Four: Buildings and Planning Amendments
construction of historical and architectural values licenses: it covers the process of licenses This law is concerned with the protection of artefacts
in articles 15-19. These articles cover what regional applications issuance, appeals and notifications. and antiquities of older civilizations. The Law covers
and structural plans should contain. However, in In addition to the processes of construction aspects related to regulating the responsibility of the
article 23, it does not necessitate that inclusion, monitoring and control. Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, specifically the
and makes it optional by stating that detailed 5. Chapter Five: Instructions of Construction Department of Antiquities of protecting antiquities.
plans may include what is specified in article 19. Monitoring: It covers the process and aspects of The responsibility ranges between excavations,
Considering the existing detailed plans of Jordanian construction control. The chapter is concerned identifying, designating, protecting and managing
cities and villages in general, these do not comprise with the protection and upkeep of cities beauty, antiquities, and antiquates sites, in addition to
sites that are designated as heritage. Therefore, cleanliness, vegetation and traffic safety , in promoting antiquities and heritage culture. Despite
in almost all cases, any new heritage designation addition to protection from pollution and noise. the close nature of antiquities to cultural heritage,
will be subject to development rights changes and 6. Chapter Six: Compensation for buildings the Antiquities Law limits protection to only what
thus to compensation. Article 48 from chapter six, licenses refusal and constraining: It covers dates back to prior 1750 AD. This is clearly spelled in

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

article 2, as it confines the definition of antiquities
to the historic movable or none movable objects that
represent the culture of old civilizations, which date
back to prior 1750 AD or what has been added to
antiquities or reconstructed beyond that. However,
the same article indicates that the Minister of
Tourism can declare a historic movable or none
movable object that dates to beyond 1750 AD to be
an antiquity. Hence, some overlap exists between
what can be considered as antiquities or modern
cultural heritage.
Article 5 of the Law restricts the ownership of none
movable antiquities by Government. Hence, land
ownership does not qualify land owner to own any
antiquities located on or inside the land, nor the
right to excavate for antiquities. This matter poses
a significant difference between modern cultural
heritage and antiquities protection, where land
owners are entitled to own their property and to
enjoy the rights of this ownership.
• Law of Architectural and Urban Protection
no. 5 of 2005
This law is concerned with preserving and protecting
the architectural and urban heritage, and activating
the legislations and building’s register needed for
that. It regulates the conservation processes, allows
for experts and technicians to work on
rehabilitating these buildings, and organizes the
documentation needed.
Enforcement of the Law is under the responsibility
of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. It is directors and high rank officials of relevant
organized in 20 articles that can be summarized ministries and departments, in addition to four
by the following: heritage specialists’ members. The committee is
supported by an administrative unit established
- An identification of urban and architectural in the Ministry to follow up on the decisions and
heritage that dates back to beyond 1750 AD procedures that are relevant to the Committee’s
providing that no contradiction exists with the work.
Antiquities Law. The definition is inclusive to - Establishing a fund (Urban and Architectural
all the elements of historical, architectural and Heritage Protection Fund), that aims at providing
cultural importance within buildings, built fabric, the required funding for heritage conservation. The
landscapes, open spaces and neighborhoods. Law identifies the financial sources of the fund,
- Establishing a committee, the National which are mainly from the Ministry budget, the
Committee of Urban and Architectural Heritage Fund own financial investments and Law violations
Protection’ within the Ministry of Tourism. The fines, in addition to grants and donations. The fund
committee is mandated with setting the bases of is to be used for:
heritage conservation ,in addition to assuming the o Heritage properties expropriations,
responsibilities of: o Conservation works,
o Listing heritage buildings and sites in the o Compensations of decreased development
National Heritage Register, rights to heritage properties owners,
o Utilizing financial resources for heritage o Loans and incentives to encourage
conservation in addition to managing and conservation works among properties owners.
supervising accumulated funds.
o Promoting and fostering heritage culture, The fund was established in 2008 according to a
heritage protection awareness and experiences special bylaw that was issued for this purpose:
exchange. - Regulations that forbid demolishing or
o Follow up on processes, agreements with damaging heritage sites, in addition to restricting
property owners, rehabilitation works, and technical modifications of heritage properties with obtaining
committees establishments that are relevant to an approval from the Committee. Violations to these
heritage protection, evaluation and documentation . regulations will be subject to penalties that include
heavy financial fines and imprisonment, especially
The Committee is headed by the Minister of in demolishing violations.
Tourism, and includes secretary generals, general - Regulations that instruct planning
���
a u t h o r i t i e s to :
o Abide by the adopted conservation bases
and criteria while setting buildings regulations and
design guidelines for heritage sites and adjacent
developments.
o License heritage buildings as they are
and exempt those from any fines resulting from
exceeding allowed built up areas or setbacks.
o Consider heritage buildings while preparing
regional, structural and detailed plans, in addition
to protecting heritage while planning and executing
roads.
- Regulations that grant heritage property
owners financial incentives to encourage heritage
conservation. These incentives include:
o Exemption from income tax for the income
resulting from investing in a heritage site.
o Exemption from sales tax for all
construction and building materials that are used
for rehabilitation and conservation of heritage
buildings.
o Exemption from ownership transfer fees for
transactions of heritage buildings, if the heritage
building is sold to be conserved by its new owner.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

4.c This policy is important as the future practices
Future Policies Regarding of As-Salt Greater Municipality and of the
various citizens have to be informed by up to date
Conservation & research on urban conservation and management.
Management
Fig.234. Turath and As-
Salt Nomination team Furthermore, future research focusing on the
in action
history of the city and its traditions will create
a body of knowledge that is needed and is most
The policies listed below emerged out of the a informative as it relates to the continuity of
collective vision that involved consultation and traditions within the historic city core.
debates between various stakeholders including
the As-Salt Greater Municipality and its city • Policy 3: Protection and conservation of
Fig.235. Workshops held
Development Projects Unit; the nomination file at (ASCDP) buildings
preparer; As-Salt Development Corporation;
representative and members of both Muslim and • Policy 1: Recognition & identification of This policy is at the core of future protection
Christian communities of the city; and a group of the historic city core of As-Salt a rare and and conservation works within the delineated
experts who had been working on the identification, unique example of a southern frontier property and even beyond. This policy will create
protection, and conservation of the city’s cultural urban center from the late Ottoman period a tradition of proper conservation approach
heritage for decades. with outstanding tangible and intangible adopted accommodating different levels of
attributes significant to Jordan, the region, intervention (e.g., future protection, stabilization,
Furthermore, part of the policies and strategies and to the Whole World conservation, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, new
identified in this section for the historic city core additions to historic buildings, other). These levels
regarding the future management, protection, and This is a very important policy, it will lead to the of interventions are informed by proper regulations
conservation of the architectural and urban heritage incorporation of this most valuable historic city core and guidelines; but are also informed by examples
of the city; are already in operations, while others in future city policies, planning schemes, tourism of good practice.
are expected to be implemented in the short, mid, endeavors, and even at a national official discourse
and long terms. of Jordan.

• Policy 2: Support and encourage research

on the history of the recent past and oral
historic traditions in addition to research on
futureurbanconservationandmanagement

���
• Policy 4: Continuous maintenance & repair of means for interpretation and presentation of the attributes. Linked to awareness building is also
works; services provision; and enhancement urban and architectural heritage of the city and its addressing educational programs, and community
of urban open spaces within the city’s tangible and intangible attributes to the general participation.
historic core public. This policy is concerned with the provision
of an interpretation and presentation vision for As- • Policy 10: Capacity Building
The Property represents part of the city’s open Salt historic core.
urban space with its buildings, but also streets, This policy is also about capacity building at
alleyways, plazas, steps, and urban nodes. This policy • Policy 7: Future visitor/tourism management various levels addressing special courses, training
is concerned with how these open public spaces will sessions, and other related capacity building and
be maintained and repaired in the future, in addition The purpose of this policy is to provide a general enhancement of capabilities of As-Salt Greater
to how new urban services and infrastructure would vision for visitation management and heritage Municipality staff and also the staff of other
be thought of and implemented. tourism. As-Salt, as a unique example of a living organizations that are directly or in-directly
heritage site, is gradually being incorporated in involved in the protection and conservation of the
• Policy 5: Setting and urban conservation the national and regional schemes and plans, for city’s attributes in addition to urban heritage and
beyond property boundaries heritage tourism. This will pose challenges, and tourism management.
opportunities for future heritage tourism in the city.
It is very important to address the urban setting
and context beyond the property boundaries (e.g., • Policy 8: Investment, marketing, and
within the buffer zone and beyond, and also in areas funding
close to As-Salt (the city’s Hinterland) in order to
ensure the harmonious flow of character and urban The purpose of this policy is to initiate a vision
setting between the historic core and its immediate on how As-Salt Greater Municipality would
surroundings and also to addressing the continuity start to think about its future investments and
of the rich cultural landscapes of agricultural land, marketing and funding strategies to support urban
orchards, water reservoirs and sources within the conservation and management activities within the
city’s hinterland. city.

• Policy 6: Interpretation and presentation • Policy 9: Awareness raising and education

within the urban historic core of As-Salt
This policy is concerned with raising awareness
The urban heritage experience within the historic regarding the significance and value of the
city of As-Salt is not complete without the provision city of As-Salt with its tangible and intangible

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

4.d
Future Strategies
Regarding Conservation &
Management
The strategies listed below emerged out of the a of Jordan. To meet this policy, the following
collective vision that involved consultation and strategies are proposed:
debates between various stakeholders including
the As-Salt Greater Municipality and its city
Development Projects Unit; the nomination file
preparer; As-Salt Development Cooperation;
representative and members of both Muslim and
Christian communities of the city; and a group of
experts who had been working on the identification,
protection, and conservation of the city’s cultural
heritage for decades. These suggested strategies
represent the backbone of the management plan.
Furthermore, part of the strategies identified in
this section for the historic city core regarding the
future management, protection, and conservation of
the architectural and urban heritage of the city; are
already in operations, while others are expected to
be implemented in the short, mid, and long terms.
• Policy 1: Recognition & identification of
the historic city core of As-Salt a rare and
unique example of a southern frontier
urban center from the late Ottoman period
with outstanding tangible and intangible
attributes significant to Jordan, the region,
and to the Whole World
This is a very important policy, it will lead to the
incorporation of this most valuable historic city core
in future city policies, planning schemes, tourism
endeavors, and even at a national official discourse
1. Preparation of guidelines (at both
building an urban scales) for protection and
management of this historic urban core with
both its physical and nonphysical attributes.
These guidelines should address different
levels of protection, not only at a single
building level; but also at an urban level. It is
important to understand that these guidelines
are general, and are related to the symbiosis
between protection and management on
one hand, and also the relationship between
buildings and their settings on the other.
These are separate from other guidelines
related to detailed conservation measures
for buildings which will be addressed later
and is related to policy 3.
2. Preparation of registers and designated
lists, and revision of existing ones (as one of
the outcomes form the guidelines above) for
the historic significant buildings within the
property area and beyond, and also registers
���
and lists for the significant noticeable urban
areas and spaces (which is yet to be prepared
in more details).
3. Embark on a project to incorporate As-Salt
historic urban core into future interpretation
and presentation plans at local and national
levels.
It is important to note that some of these strategies
and actions are already in practice and operation,
while others still need to commence or are in need
of revision and evaluation.
• Policy 2: Support and encourage research
on the history of the recent past and oral
historic traditions in addition to research on
futureurbanconservationandmanagement
This policy is important as the future practices
of As-Salt Greater Municipality and of the
various citizens have to be informed by up to date
research on urban conservation and management.
Furthermore, future research focusing on the
history of the city and its traditions will create
a body of knowledge that is needed and is most
informative as it relates to the continuity of
traditions within the historic city core. To meet
this policy, the following strategies are proposed:
1. Support and encourage a research program
on the history of As-Salt during its
 Golden Age by also creating links with
schools of social sciences in Jordanian
universities and abroad.
2. Support and initiate an archival / oral
history project in terms of research,
documentation, and archiving. This also
includes the collection, inventory
and documentation of authentic material
culture, photographs, and documents.
3. Support and encourage research on urban
conservation and management; and specially
on how this living heritage of the city will
be sustained and even continued into future
generations.
• Policy 3: Protection and conservation of
buildings
This policy is at the core of future protection
and conservation works within the delineated
property and even beyond. This policy will create
a tradition of proper conservation approach
adopted accommodating different levels of
intervention (e.g., future protection, stabilization,
conservation, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, new
additions to historic buildings, other). These levels
of interventions are informed by proper regulations
and guidelines; but are also informed by examples
of good practice. To meet this policy, the following
strategies are proposed:
Municipality a Technical Heritage Design
1. Preparation of guidelines related precisely Review Committee that will review and
to the future conservation of buildings and approve applications regarding buildings
to the implementation of various levels conservation, demolition, or additions and
of intervention including protection, alterations.
stabilization, restoration, rehabilitation,
adaptive reuse, new additions, or other It is important to note that some of these
levels of intervention within the designated strategies and actions are already in practice
property area. The guidelines should also and operation, while others still need to
address the understanding of historic commence or are in need of revision and
contexts, diagnosis, prognosis, and remedial evaluation.
works approaches and techniques as
well. These guidelines should be based on Fig.236. Abu Jaber
House adaptive reuse
international conventions and charters and into (Historic old As-
Salt museum)
on a thorough understanding of the city’s
specificity and building typology and typo-
morphology.
2. Develop requirements for experts or
institutions invited to carry; or involved in Fig.237. Before and after
image of Abu Jaber
carrying out various conservation works. House adaptive reuse
into (Historic old As-
Salt museum)
3. Preparation and implementation of
capacity building programs in areas of
building conservation directed to As-Salt
Great er Municipality employees and
staff, in order to prepare them to deal with
various applications related to conservation
and new additions within the historic city
core.
4. Establish within the As-Salt Greater
��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
• Policy 4: Continuous maintenance
& repair works; services provision; 4. Preparation and implementation of 1. Develop general guidelines and principles
and enhancement of urban open capacity building programs in areas of for future urban change and transformations
spaces within the city’s historic core public space and infrastructure design, within the Buffer Zone around the Property
provision, maintenance and repair works area.
The Property represents part of the city’s open directed to Greater Salt Municipality
urban space with its buildings, but also streets, employees and staff (and other governmental 2. Develop general guidelines and principles
alleyways, plazas, steps, and urban nodes. This policy agencies), in order to prepare them to deal for the conservation and
is concerned with how these open public spaces will with various conditions and scenarios of management of agricultural land, cultural
be maintained and repaired in the future, in addition development and change within the historic landscapes (e.g., water mills, orchards,
to how new urban services and infrastructure would urban core. scenery, other) and water sheds and resources
be thought of and implemented. To meet this within the hinterland inside and around As-
policy, the following strategies are proposed: It is important to note that some of these Salt Greater Municipality for consideration by
strategies and actions are already in practice local authorities and development agencies1 .
1. Develop general guidelines and principles and operation, while others still need to
for future continuous maintenance & commence or are in need of revision and It is important to note that some of these
repair works, provision of services and evaluation. strategies and actions are already in practice
infrastructure, and design for urban open and operation, while others still need to
spaces within the designated property area . • Policy 5: Setting and urban conservation commence or are in need of revision and
beyond property boundaries evaluation.
2. Development and implementation of a
monitoring plan concerning enhancement, It is very important to address the urban setting • Policy 6: Interpretation and presentation
maintenance, and repair works of the urban and context beyond the property boundaries (e.g., within the urban historic core of As-Salt
fabric and public areas within the historic within the buffer zone and beyond, and also in areas
city core. close to As-Salt (the city’s Hinterland) in order to The urban heritage experience within the historic
ensure the harmonious flow of character and urban 1 It is important to understand that these wadis (valleys), agri-
3. Put forward a memorandum of agreement setting between the historic core and its immediate cultural land, and cultural landscapes are outside the property
that facilitates a coordination mechanism surroundings and also to addressing the continuity boundary and also outside the buffer zone, yet some of them are
between Greater Salt Municipality and other of the rich cultural landscapes of agricultural land, part of Greater As-Salt Municipality like Wadi al Jadur, and Wadi
infrastructure providers in the ity regarding orchards, water reservoirs and sources within the Sho’aib and As-Salt Greater Municipality are responsible for their
the priorities, nature and character of the city’s hinterland. To meet this policy, the following zoning and services. The character of the hinterland is important
for As-Salt for the continuity of its traditions and future preserva-
historic core. strategies are proposed:
tion of its attributes.

���
city of As-Salt is not complete without the provision 2. Develop the continuously upgrade
of means for interpretation and presentation of the various programs and activities related to
urban and architectural heritage of the City and diversification of the visitor experience,
its tangible and intangible attributes to the general and to enhance heritage tourism in the
public. This policy is concerned with the provision city. Enabling the visitor to get a hand-on
of an interpretation and presentation vision for As- experience within this living heritage site.
Salt historic core. To meet this policy, the following
strategies are proposed: 3. Design and develop diverse itineraries
within the city that are based on experiencing
1. Develop a general vision for the the city’s historic urban setting, architecture,
interpretation and presentation of the and its associated intangible attributes,
historic city Core of As-Salt which also Fig.238. Interpretation to cater for different types of visitors and
Panels in the Master
includes an urban curatorial plan for the Builders room in Abu tourists.
Jaber House (Historic
Property. Old Salt Museum)
4.Develop and put a monitoring mechanism
2. Develop the content, spatial distribution, • Policy 7: Future visitor/tourism management to evaluate carrying capacity; and also
and nature of the presentation for the conduct visitor satisfaction surveys.
interpretation of the historic city core. This The purpose of this policy is to provide a general
could be through the hiring of a specialized vision for visitation management and heritage It is important to note that some of these
institution or expert to carry out such tasks. tourism. As-Salt, as a unique example of a living strategies and actions are already in practice
heritage site, is gradually being incorporated in and operation, while others still need to
3. Initiate, as part of the interpretation and the national and regional schemes and plans, for commence or are in need of revision and
presentation context, various thematic heritage tourism. This will pose challenges, and evaluation.
trails within the Property, to convey the opportunities for future heritage tourism in the
Fig.239. AbuJaberHouse
significance of the Site with both its tangible city. To meet this policy, the following strategies (Historic Old Salt
Museum) a distination
and intangible attributes to the general public are proposed: for tourists in As-Salt
and to visitors. This particular strategy is
already operational in As-Salt. 1. Develop and put in place a visitation and
tourism strategy in coordination with As-Salt
Greater Municipality and other affiliated
agencies such as the Ministry of Tourism of
Jordan.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 Fig.240. Everyday life
at Hammam Street 2. Develop a fund raising strategy and plan.
(main heritage tourism
attraction)tourists in
Salt
It is important to mention that As-Salt Greater
Municipality is strongly committed to extend
financial support to the conservation, restoration
and management of the historic city core including
the financial support for the conservation works,
urban public space enhancement, and also
tourism management and awareness programs.
The Municipality is also diligent in guaranteeing
appropriate follow up regarding the safeguarding
of its historical urban fabric, which is encompassed
with the Buffer Zone. This task will also be pursued
through direct funding from Jordanian authorities
and institutions, technical assistance international
projects of public private partnerships, in view of the
development of sustainable cultural and heritage
tourism. In fact, As-Salt Greater Municipality had
• Policy 8: Investment, marketing, and funding already approved a budget of about 14,000 JOD to
conduct conservation and restoration works for
The purpose of this policy is to initiate a vision buildings and also enhancement of the public realm
on how As-Salt Greater Municipality would within a timeline between 2016-2022.
start to think about its future investments and
marketing and funding strategies to support urban • Policy 9: Awareness raising and education
conservation and management activities within the
city. To meet this policy, the following strategies This policy is concerned with raising awareness
are proposed: regarding the significance and value of the
city of As-Salt with its tangible and intangible
1. Development of a business plan for historic attributes. Linked to awareness building is also
City Core in addition to a addressing educational programs, and community
marketing and communication strategy. participation. To meet this policy, the following
strategies are proposed:
���
1. Development of projects (cultural
activities and programs) related to creating
awareness amongst different strata of the
population of As-Salt about its urban heritage
(e.g., publishing brochures, programs on TV,
public lectures, programs for children or the
elderly, other).
2. Develop of a strategy that will
inform and influence educational programs
inschools and others in universities and
colleges, regarding the understanding
of the specificity of the city of As Salt, and
its unique urban and
architectural heritage.
• Policy 10: Capacity Building
This policy is also about capacity building at
various levels addressing special courses, training
sessions, and other related capacity building and
enhancement of capabilities of As-Salt Greater
Municipality staff and also the staff of other
organizations that are directly or in-directly
involved in the protection and conservation of
the city’s attributes in addition to urban heritage
and tourism management. To meet this policy, the
following strategies are proposed:
1. Preparation and implementation of capacity
building programs in areas of
building conservation directed to As-Salt
Greater Municipality employees and staff,
in order to prepare them to deal with
various applications related to conservation
and new additions within the historic city
core. It is important to mention that As-
Salt Greater Municipality had already
signed memorandum of understanding with
ICOMOS Jordan for the purpose of signing
future agreements with ICOMOS Lebanon
and other agencies regarding this issue.

2. Preparation and implementation of

capacity building programs in areas of public
space and infrastructure design, provision,
maintenance and repair works directed to
Greater Salt Municipality employees and
staff (and other governmental agencies), in
order to prepare them to deal with various
conditions and scenarios of development and
change within the historic urban core.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 4.e
Implementation Plan
The implementation plan will outline the time
frame for the implementation of the policies and
their respective strategies outlined already in
Section 5.2 (Management Plan for the Historic
city Core of As-Salt) illustrated in a detailed table
addressing how the policies and strategies would
be implemented in the short, mid, and long terms.
Short term is 0-1 year; midterm is 0-3 years, and
long term is 0-5 years.

Fig.241. Stairway in
As-Salt

���
Diagram.16 Implementation Plan Table
Policy 1: Recognition & identification of the historic city core of As-Salt a rare and unique example of a southern frontier urban center from the late Ottoman period with outstanding tangible and intangible
attributes significant to Jordan, the region, and to the Whole World
Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term

1. Preparation of guidelines (at both building an urban scales) for As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Urban Heritage Mangement
protection and management of this historic urban core with both
its physical and nonphysical attributes. These guidelines should
address different levels of protection, not only at a single building
level; but also at an urban level.

2. Preparation of registers and designated lists, and revision of As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
existing ones (as one of the outcomes form the guidelines above)
for the historic significant buildings within the property area and
beyond, and also registers and lists for
the significant noticeable urban areas and spaces (which is yet to
be prepared in more details).

3. Embark on a project to incorporate As-Salt historic urban core As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
into future interpretation and presentation plans at local and
national levels.

Policy 2: Support and encourage research on the history of the recent past and oral historic traditions in addition to research on future urban conservation and management

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Support and encourage a research program on the history of As- As-Salt Greater Municipality & Different Universities in Jordan & Historians and
Salt during its Golden Age Period by also creating links with schools Scholars
of social sciences in Jordanian universities and abroad.

2. Support and initiate an archival / oral history project in terms of As-Salt Greater Municipality
research, documentation, and archiving. This also includes the
collection, inventory and documentation of authentic material
culture, photographs, and documents.

3. Support and encourage research on urban conservation and As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Urban Heritage Mangement
management; and specially on how this living heritage of the city
will be sustained and even continued into future generations.

Policy 3: Protection and conservation of buildings

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases
Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Preparation of guidelines related precisely to the future As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Architectural Conservation
culture, photographs, and documents.

3. Support and encourage research on urban conservation and As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Urban Heritage Mangement
management; and specially on how this living heritage of the city
will be sustained and even continued into future generations.

Policy 3: Protection and conservation of buildings

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Preparation of guidelines related precisely to the future As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Architectural Conservation
conservation of buildings and to the implementation of various
levels of intervention including protection, stabilization,
restoration, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, new
additions, or other levels of intervention within the designated
property area. The guidelines should also address the
understanding of historic contexts, diagnosis, prognosis, and
remedial works approaches and techniques as well. These
Guidelines should be based on international conventions and
charters and on a thorough understanding of the city’s specificity
and building
typology and typo-morphology.

2. Develop requirements for experts or institutions invited to carry; As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
or involved in
carrying out various conservation works.

3. Preparation and implementation of capacity building programs Expert on Heritage Mangement and Architural Conservation.
in areas of building conservation directed to As-Salt Greater
Municipality employees and staff, in order to prepare them to deal
with various applications related to
conservation and new additions within the historic city core.

4. Establish within the As-Salt Greater Municipality a Technical As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
Heritage Design Review Committee that will review and approve
applications regarding buildings conservation, demolition, or
additions and alterations.

���
Policy 4: Continuous maintenance & repair works; services provision; and enhancement of urban open spaces within the city’s historic core

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Develop general guidelines and principles for future continuous As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
maintenance & repair works, provision of services and
infrastructure, and design for urban open spaces within the
designated property area .

2. Development and implementation of a monitoring plan As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
concerning enhancement , maintenance, and repair works of the
urban fabric and public areas within the historic city core.

3. Put forward a memorandum of agreement that facilitates a As-Salt Greater Municipality

coordination mechanism between Greater Salt Municipality and
other infrastructure providers in the City regarding the priorities,
nature and character of the historic core.

4. Preparation and implementation of capacity building programs Expert on Urban Public Space Design and Urban Heritage Management
in areas of public space and infrastructure design, provision,
maintenance and repair works directed to Greater Salt
Municipality employees and staff (and other
governmental agencies), in order to prepare them to deal with
various conditions and scenarios of development and change
within the historic
urban core.

Policy 5: Setting and urban conservation beyond property boundaries

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Develop general guidelines and principles for future urban As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Ministry of Municipal Affairs & the
change and transformations within the Buffer Zone around the Environment & Consltant on Urban Planning and Urban Conservation.
Property area.

2. Develop general guidelines and principles for the conservation As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Cultural Landscape
and management of agricultural land, cultural landscapes (e.g., Conservation.
water mills, orchards, scenery, other) and water sheds and
resources within the hinterland inside and around As-Salt Greater
Municipality for consideration by
local authorities and development agencies .

Policy 6: Interpretation and presentation within the urban historic core of As-Salt
��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases
Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Develop a general vision for the interpretation and presentation As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & As-Salt
governmental agencies), in order to prepare them to deal with
various conditions and scenarios of development and change
within the historic
urban core.

Policy 5: Setting and urban conservation beyond property boundaries

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Develop general guidelines and principles for future urban As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Ministry of Municipal Affairs & the
change and transformations within the Buffer Zone around the Environment & Consltant on Urban Planning and Urban Conservation.
Property area.

2. Develop general guidelines and principles for the conservation As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Cultural Landscape
and management of agricultural land, cultural landscapes (e.g., Conservation.
water mills, orchards, scenery, other) and water sheds and
resources within the hinterland inside and around As-Salt Greater
Municipality for consideration by
local authorities and development agencies .

Policy 6: Interpretation and presentation within the urban historic core of As-Salt

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Develop a general vision for the interpretation and presentation As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & As-Salt
of the historic city Core of As-Salt which also includes an urban Development Cooperation & Consltant on Curatorshop and Tourism Mangement
curatorial plan for the Property.

2. Develop the content, spatial distribution, and nature of the As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Curatorshop and Tourism
presentation for the interpretation of the Historic City Core. This Mangement
could be through the hiring of a specialized institution or expert to
carry out such tasks.

3. Initiate, as part of the interpretation and presentation context, As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & As-Salt
various thematic trails within the Property, to convey the Development Cooperation & Consltant on Curatorshop and Tourism Mangement
significance of the Site with both its tangible and intangible
attributes to the general public and to visitors. This particular
strategy is already operational in As-Salt.

���
Policy 7: Future visitor/tourism management

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Develop and put in place a visitation and tourism strategy in As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & As-Salt
coordination with As-Salt Greater Municipality and other affiliated Development Cooperation & Consltant on Heritage Tourism Management
agencies such as the Ministry of Tourism of Jordan.

2. Develop the continuously upgrade various programs and As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt Development Cooperation & Consltant on
activities related to diversification of the visitor experience, and to Heritage Tourism Management
enhance heritage tourism in the City. Enabling the visitor to get a
hand-on experience within this living heritage site.

3. Design and develop diverse itineraries within the City that are As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt Development Cooperation & Consltant on
based on experiencing the City’s historic urban setting, Heritage Tourism Management
architecture, and its associated intangible attributes, to cater for
different types of visitors and tourists.

4.Develop and put a monitoring mechanism to evaluate carrying As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt Development Cooperation & Consltant on
capacity; and also conduct visitor satisfaction surveys. Heritage Tourism Management

Policy 8: Investment, marketing, and funding

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Development of a business plan for historic City Core in addition As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt Development Cooperation & Consltant Business
to a marketing and communication strategy Development

2. Develop a fund raising strategy and plan. As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt Development Cooperation & Consltant Business
Development
Policy 9: Awareness Raising, Education, and Capacity Building

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Development of “projects (cultural activities and programs)” As-Salt Greater Municipality & Consultant on Identify, Media, and Graphic Design
related to creating awareness amongst different strata of the
population of Salt about its urban heritage (e.g., publishing
brochures, programs on TV, public lectures, programs for children
or the elderly, other).

2. Develop of a strategy that will inform and influence educational As-Salt Greater Municipality & Consultant on Education & Heritage
programs in schools and others in universities and colleges,
regarding the understanding of the specificity of the City of Salt,
and its magnificent and unique urban and
architectural heritage. ��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Policy 10: Capacity Building

 Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Development of a business plan for historic City Core in addition As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt Development Cooperation & Consltant Business
to a marketing and communication strategy Development

2. Develop a fund raising strategy and plan. As-Salt Greater Municipality & As-Salt Development Cooperation & Consltant Business
Development
Policy 9: Awareness Raising, Education, and Capacity Building

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Development of “projects (cultural activities and programs)” As-Salt Greater Municipality & Consultant on Identify, Media, and Graphic Design
related to creating awareness amongst different strata of the
population of Salt about its urban heritage (e.g., publishing
brochures, programs on TV, public lectures, programs for children
or the elderly, other).

2. Develop of a strategy that will inform and influence educational As-Salt Greater Municipality & Consultant on Education & Heritage
programs in schools and others in universities and colleges,
regarding the understanding of the specificity of the City of Salt,
and its magnificent and unique urban and
architectural heritage.

Policy 10: Capacity Building

Strategy Responsible Implementing Organization Phases

Short Term Mid Term Long Term
1. Preparation and implementation of capacity building programs As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Architectural Heritage
in areas of building conservation directed to As-Salt Greater Conervation & Design
Municipality employees and staff, in order to prepare them to deal
with various applications related to
conservation and new additions within the historic city core.

2. Preparation and implementation of capacity building programs As-Salt City Development Projects Unit & Consltant on Urban Heritage Conervation &
in areas of public space and infrastructure design, provision, Design & ORANGE & Jordanian Electrical Company
maintenance and repair works directed to Greater Salt
Municipality employees and staff (and other governmental
agencies), in order to prepare them to deal with various conditions
and scenarios of development and change within the historic
urban core.

���
5. Monitoring Strategy

5
5.a Key indicators for measuring state
of conservation

5.b Administrative arrangements for

monitoring property

5.c Results of previous reporting

exercises

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 responsible authorities.
5.a
Key indicators for • Indicators to measure and assess tourism
measuring state of visitation management and visitors’
satisfaction, and the periodicity of their
conservation examinationandtheresponsibleauthorities.

In order to ensure proper implementation of The following 3 tables illustrate these different types
the Conservation Management Plan for As-Salt of indicator in more details:
Historic Core, a monitoring strategy is needed. The
monitoring strategy will provide the evidence for
the state of conservation of the Property, which Table 1: Showing Key Indicators for Measuring
can be reviewed and reported on regularly. The the State of Conservation of the Property (State
Monitoring strategy will insure that indicators are of Conservation (Physical Condition) of the various
put in place to measure the state of management/ historic buildings to monitor causes & rate of
conservation of the property; the periodicity of deterioration
their examination and the responsible authorities.
Table 2: Indicators to measure and assess the state
The key indicators for measuring the state of of conservation and maintenance of the various
conservation of the property will depend on 3 types urban public spaces (e.g., streets, stairs, urban nodes,
of indicators: plazas, alleyways).

• Indicators to measure and assess the state Table 3: Indicators to measure and assess tourism
of conservation of the various historic visitation management and visitors’ satisfaction,
buildings, and the periodicity of their and the periodicity of their examination and the
examinationandtheresponsibleauthorities. responsible authorities

• Indicators to measure and assess the state

of conservation and maintenance of the
various urban public spaces (e.g., streets,
stairs, urban nodes, plazas, alleyways), and
the periodicity o their examination and the

���
Table 2: Indicators to measure and assess the state of conservation and maintenance of the various urban public spaces (e.g., streets, stairs, urban nodes, plazas, alleyways).

Indicators Periodicity Location of Records

Physical condition of main structural elements (e.g., walls, roofing, foundation) and Once a year All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the state of conservation
rate of their deterioration using observation, measurements, testing of cores, ultra- sheets including all testing results should be archived within the As-Salt City Development
sonic to identify material loss, cracks of different types, and other structural Projects Unit (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).
problems.

Develop a State of Conservation Sheet for each of the designated buildings historic
buildings.

Physical condition of non-structural elements (e.g., windows & doors, interior Once a year All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the state of conservation
plaster, floorings, decorative elements, insulation of roofs, other) and rate of their sheets including all testing results should be archived within the As-Salt City Development
deterioration using observation, photographic record, and core testing. Problems Projects Unit (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring
include hair or minor cracks in these non-structural elements, interior plaster
deterioration, deterioration of paint layers, material deterioration, problems caused
by leakages in drainage systems (water & waste water), chipping and detachment of
various elements, other.

Develop a State of Conservation Sheet for each of the designated buildings historic
buildings.

Observation of various phenomenon that might occur to stone facades and other
historic features that are related to the stone facades such as pulverization,
exfoliation, deterioration/dryness of mortar, accumulation of car fumes and dirt,
and detachment to mention a few, and their rates of their deterioration using
observation, photographic record, and testing.
Once a year All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the state of conservation
sheets including all testing results should be archived within the As-Salt City Development
Projects Unit (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).

Develop a State of Conservation Sheet for each of the designated buildings historic
buildings.

Biological growth and atmospheric pollution including growth of unwanted plants,
algae, salt deposits, rusting of metal elements, and rising damp, other issues.
Develop a State of Conservation Sheet for each of the designated buildings historic
buildings.
Once a year All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the state of conservation
sheets including all testing results should be archived within the As-Salt City Development
Projects Unit (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).

Review and record conservation and maintenance works and other levels of Once a year All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the level of intervention
intervention that each of the designated buildings had undergone (e.g., structural sheets should be archived within the As-Salt City Development Projects Unit (which is the
repairs, repointing or cleaning of stone facades, repair of doors and windows, repair authority to conduct the monitoring).
of floorings, repair of decorative elements, other).

Develop a Level of Intervention Sheet for each designated historic building to

indicate conservation and maintenance works and other levels of intervention that
the building has been through including request for alterations and permits.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Table 2: Indicators to measure and assess the state of conservation and maintenance of the various urban public spaces (e.g., streets, stairs, urban nodes, plazas, alleyways).

Indicators Periodicity Location of Records

Indicators related to the general physical condition of the public realm and open Twice a year All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the state of Maintenance
spaces including: lack of proper drainage, intrusive plants on sidewalks and edges of Reporting sheets should be archived within the As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
walls, construction site obscuring walkability, exposed piping and electrical wiring, (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).
graffiti, damaged or deteriorated sidewalks parts or parts of stairs, tiles
deterioration and problems of levelling, other. Methods used could include
observation and photographic recording.

Develop a State of Maintenance Reporting Sheet for each of the public spaces
(stairs, alleyways, streets, and plazas) to indicate conservation and maintenance
needed works and other levels of intervention.

Indicators related to the availability and condition of urban furniture and urban
services within the various public spaces including lighting poles, seating, urban
signage, public toilets, and other urban furniture elements or urban services. Also,
indicators are related to the condition and availability of urban foliage. Methods
used could include observation and photographic recording.
Twice a year All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the state of Maintenance
Reporting sheets should be archived within the As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
(which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).

Develop a State of Maintenance Reporting Sheet for each of the public spaces to
indicate condition and availability of various urban furniture.

Indicators related to general cleanness of the various open spaces: including Four times a year. All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the state of Maintenance
collection of solid waste, cleanness of public seating, trash cans and lighting poles, Reporting sheets should be archived within the As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
other. Methods used could include observation and photographic recording. (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).

Develop a State of Maintenance Reporting Sheet for each of the public spaces to
indicate level of public cleanness.

Indicators related to the general urban/buildings condition at an urban scale: Once every 2 years All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the mapping of buildings
calculating the number of buildings requiring major repairs within the Property requiring major repair should be archived within the As-Salt City Development Projects
boundary. Unit (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).

Develop a Mapping of Buildings Requiring Major Repairs within the Property

boundary.

Indicators related to the issue of urban encroachment: rate or degree of urban
encroachment (increased or diminished)
Develop Expressive Urban Maps Indicating Rate of Urban Encroachments within the
Property boundary.
Once every 2 years All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the expressive urban maps
indicating rate of urban encroachments should be archived within the As-Salt City
Development Projects Unit (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).

���
Table 3: Indicators to measure and assess tourism visitation management and visitors’ satisfaction, and the periodicity of their examination and the responsible authorities

Indicators Periodicity Location of Records

Indicators related to visitors’ satisfaction through the conducting of Visitor Every 2 years All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the state of conservation
Satisfaction surveys. These surveys will elicit visitors’ opinions and sheets including all testing results should be archived within the As-Salt City Development
recommendations regarding their tourist experience. Projects Unit (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring).

Develop a Survey Form for the visitor satisfaction surveys.

Indicators related to the performance of tour guides and other employees involved Every 2 years
with tourists on the various heritage trails (e.g., Harmony, Education, Daily Life).
Elicit information from visitor’s groups regarding their satisfaction with the
functioning of the heritage trails and guides performance. Updating trails brochures
based on feedback of guides and visitors.
All the information (in both formats: digital and hard copy) for the log that is related to the
evaluation and evolution of the trails and their improvements should be archived within
the As-Salt Development Cooperation (which is the authority to conduct the monitoring
regarding the various heritage trails).

Develop a Log for the evaluation and improvements of the functioning of heritage
trails and performance of its related guides.

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

 City Development Projects Unit, As-Salt Greater
5.b Municipality, As-Salt Development Cooperation,
Administrative The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of Jordan,
arrangements for other. The periodical review listed in the 3 different
tables in Section 6.a should be implemented with
monitoring property all seriousness and diligence.

Furthermore, the same monitoring agencies listed

The name and contact information of the above, should also work very hard to implement the
agencies responsible for the monitoring are various strategies of the Conservation Management
listed below: Plan, evaluate the impact of these strategies on the
Property, and suggest amendments and changes to
As-Salt City Development Projects Unit (ASCDP) the Conservation Management Plan as well
As-Salt Greater Municipality
Qaqeesh House - Al-Khader Street
As-Salt, Jordan
Phone: +962 5 3551595
Fax: +962 5 3551599
Email: ascdp@outlook.com

As-Salt Greater Municipality

Bayada Street
P.O. Box 18
19110 - As-Salt, Jordan
Tel.: +962 5 353 1585
Fax: +962 5 355 5615
info@salt.gov.jo
www.salt.gov.jo

The monitoring strategy will depend on setting

up of a coordination mechanism between different
stakeholders and main actors including As-Salt

���
5.c
Results of previous
reporting exercises
A rigorous monitoring system (similar to the
one proposed in Section 6.a) has not been fully
implemented yet. But the following is a brief
summary of earlier attempts to report on and
monitor the state of conservation of the Property:
-As-Salt Greater Municipality has adopted a
designation and a grading system for the City’s
historic buildings that is based on 5 tiers: Grade
1 through 5. These different grades are translated
into different values for the buildings, and also with
diverse levels of interventions.
Fig.242. Manual for the Conservation of the historic
Center of As-Salt
-Also, a geographic information system data base
project was proposed through the World Bank
project and the EU-funded project on “Heritage
4 Development”, it was implemented by Cultech
(2012-14). A GIS for the historic core was developed
to include plot parcel, building/roof plan survey,
number of floors, ownership, material used, date
of construction and current use. Around 4400
buildings were surveyed, including all buildings
in the historic core (historical buildings and new
structures). Cultech produced and published a
Manual for the Conservation of the Historic Centre
of As-Salt, including related cards for conservation.
The following are some of the main issues that are
related to suggested monitoring mechanisms that
were included in that Manual:
- A Manual for Restoration of Historic
Buildings within the Historic City Core
(including types of stones, potential physical
problems of deterioration)
- Physical properties of stone, mortar
(including lime-based mortar), and other
materials,
- Recommendations for future restoration
approaches,
- Related special cards for conservation and
restoration of the buildings (addressing
cracks, consolidation through injection of
mortar, addressing rising damp, cleaning of
stone façades, and other issues)
��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan
Diagram.17 Various cards for
conservation that were included in
the Manual for the Conservation of
the Historic Centre of As-Salt.

���
-Furthermore, one of the key regulatory tools to the agreed upon plan. The Unit also performs the periodicity of their examination and the
that has been developed so far was the Special supervision and monitoring during implementation. responsible authorities.
Regulations project for the City of As-Salt.
A thorough study, including guidelines on • Indicators to measure and assess tourism
conservation and management, was submitted visitation management and visitors’
in five volumes in 2010. The City Core Special satisfaction, and the periodicity of their
Regulations were endorsed by the Ministry of examinationandtheresponsibleauthorities.
Municipalities and Rural Affairs, the Higher City
Planning Council of Jordan, and the As-Salt Greater
Municipality, in September 2014. These special
regulations addressed special urban places, heritage
buildings designation and grading for historic
buildings, guidelines for buildings conservation and
new interventions, and also guidelines for public
spaces design and enhancement.
Fig.243. Designation and Grading System
Put a map for the special regulation
The As-Salt Greater Municipality together with
-As-Salt City Development Projects Unit (ASCDP) the As-Salt City Development Projects Unit
of the As-Salt Greater Municipality had developed will commence in implementing the different
also a regulated process for permits of demolition, monitoring mechanics proposed in Section 6.a of
alterations and conservation and rehabilitation this Nomination File explained in details in its 3
works within the historic city core and beyond. tables listed above in Section 6.a:
Urban change and transformation is now regulated
and have to be approved by the Municipality. • Indicators to measure and assess the
Recommendations from the Unit are presented state of conservation of the various historic
to the local planning commission where different buildings, and the periodicity of their
levels of protection are practiced and endorsed. examinationandtheresponsibleauthorities.
Once a course of action is approved, and before any
application is presented to the planning committee, • Indicators to measure and assess the
the applicant produces a financial bond between state of conservation and maintenance of
the amounts of 5000-50,000 JOD as a guarantee the various urban public spaces (e.g., streets,
that implementation would proceed according stairs, urban nodes, plazas, alleyways), and

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

���
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International Policy Documents Heritage (2003), this Charter in particular is very much
related as it addresses not only General Criteria, but
The Venice Charter. UNESCO International Charter also Research & Diagnosis, and Remedial Measures and
for the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments Controls.
and Sites.(1964).
The Vienna Memorandum on “World Heritage and
UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the Contemporary Architecture – Managing the Historic
World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Urban Landscape”, whose principles are endorsed by the
Convention). (1972). Vienna Declaration on the Conservation of Historic Urban
Landscapes adopted by the UNESCO General Assembly
ICOMOS Cultural Tourism Charter (1972). of State Parties to the WH Convention (September
2005); and the Recommendation on the Historic Urban
The Nara Document of Authenticity (1994). Landscape, adopted by UNESCO (Paris, 2011).

USA Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic

Preservation (1979)

The Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter

for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance
(1980, 1999).

Charter for Sustainable Tourism (1995) & International

Cultural Tourism Charter (1999).

ICOMOS Ename Charter for the Interpretation of

Cultural Heritage Sites (2005).

Charleston Declaration on Heritage Interpretation

(2005).

ICOMOS Charter (Principles for the Analysis,

Conservation, and Structural Restoration of Architectural

��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

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Annexes

7 ��� As-Salt Conservation Management Plan

Annex A As-Salt City-Core Special Regulation / August 2010

Annex B The Protection of Urban and Architectural Heritage Law No. 5 of 2005

Annex C Physical Condition Assessment

1. Physical Condition Assessment within the Property for Buildings

2. Physical Condition Assessment Addressing Public Urban Space

Annex D Memordum of Agreements between As-Salt Greater Municipality and

Other
Agencies and Institutions

1. MOA between As-Salt Greater Municipality & ORANGE

2. MOA between As-Salt Greater Municipality & The Jordanian Electric Power
Company (JEDCO)
3. MOA between As-Salt Greater Municipality & The Ministry of Municipal and
Rural Affairs.

Annex E As-Salt Tourism Destination Plan 2017 -2020

a. Introduction
b. Context
c. Priorities

Annex F Plan for Tourism Awareness in As-Salt

1. Introduction
2. Tourism Awareness Campaign Promotions And Activities
3. Desired Campaign Outcomes

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