Population: 367 200

Salt is the former capital of Jordan. It was erected on the ruins of the former XVIIIth century fortress built by the Mamluks and razed by the Mongols. The town remains strongly influenced by the Turkish presence and we can still see some barracks built by the Ottomans. The town was, for a long time, the crossroads of the major north-south and east-west trade routes. It was the intermediary between the interior of the country, Jerusalem, Nablus, Nazareth and the Mediterranean coast. It is at the exact boundary where the culture gives away to the steppe. In 1921, King Abdullah chose Amman as the capital.