The Byzantine basilica
Columns standing above the valley.
Mohammad hajeer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mohammad hajeer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mohammad hajeer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mohammad hajeer — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mohammad hajeer — CC BY-SA 4.0
Pella, known in Arabic as Fahl, is an ancient city in northwest Jordan near a rich water source in the foothills of the Jordan Valley. Its ruins run from the Neolithic to the Islamic periods. Visitors come especially in spring, when flowers cover its hills, and it is far quieter than Jerash. The site has been occupied almost continuously since Neolithic times, and appears as Pihil in early Egyptian texts from the Bronze Age. In the Hellenistic period it became one of the Decapolis cities. Who founded the Greek city is not known for certain, though sources mention veterans of Alexander's army. The geographer Yaqut could find no Arabic meaning for the name Fahl and thought it foreign. You walk among standing and fallen columns and the remains of a Byzantine basilica, temples and houses, on slopes between two hills. From above the view stretches over the Jordan Valley and its green plain. Only part of the site has been excavated, and pottery shards lie among the stones, so leave them in place. The site is exposed and the ground uneven. It is 130 km from Amman, about two hours by car given the road, an hour from Irbid and 14 km in a straight line from Tell Mar Elias. Spring is the best time, while summer is very hot in the valley, so start in the morning with water, a hat and sturdy shoes. Ask locally about food, as services are few.
Columns standing above the valley.
A green plain below the hills.
Covering the site in season.
Tabaqat Fahl, Northern Jordan Valley
Spring is finest, with flowers everywhere, and summer is very hot.
One listing says so, so confirm at the counter.