Pella is an ancient city that shows proof of thousands of years of continuous occupation. Walk in the midst of everything from Bronze Age temples to Byzantine churches and a Roman amphitheater. The Pella Museum covers a vast area spread across a verdant valley in northeast Jordan.
Documented evidence of the city dates back to Ancient Egyptian texts from the 19th century B.C., when it was a prosperous trade center known as Pihilum. It passed between the Ptolemaic Dynasty and Seleucid Empire before being taken by the Roman leader Pompey. Under the Romans the site became one of the Decapolis, which were a group of 10 autonomous city-states located in modern-day Jordan. An earthquake devastated Pella in the 8th century and it lay buried until excavations started in the late 1900s.
Wandering between the ruins evokes images of life during some of humankind’s most powerful and pioneering empires. Marvel at the ceremonial staircase and rows of Corinthian columns that once decorated a mighty church. See the typical semicircular shaped seating plan of a Roman theater, an enormous Byzantine water tank and the relics of a Chalcolithic village. Stroll through the remains of a civic complex, where houses and shops once stood.
Climb up one of the rocky hillsides to get an excellent vantage point for photos and a top-down view of the city in all its glory. Terraced fields, fruit orchards and rolling green hills encompass the ruins.
You’ll find the ruins 1.6 miles (2.5 kilometers) north of the village of Pella (aka Tabaqat Fahl). From Amman it’s about a 2-hour drive. Nearby is a museum that provides an overview of the ruins in addition to storing examples of millennia-old fossils, minerals, plants and rocks found throughout Jordan.
Pella Museum is open daily and there’s an admission fee. It’s one of the more than 40 attractions included in the prepaid Jordan Pass.
