The hike is a healthy walk around the oak-dotted limestone hills of Pella near the archaeological site of Tabaqat Fahl, the name of the nearby village.

With sweeping views of the Jordan Valley, there are Byzantine and Roman ruins as well as evidence of Bronze and Iron Age settlements spread throughout the area.

The site is actively researched and excavated by the Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation in conjunction with the Pella Excavation Project of the University of Sydney. Archeologists have been working on the site for over thirty years unearthing many important discoveries.

Pella is a magnificent 10 hectare site, set in beautiful surroundings beside a perennial spring in the eastern foothills of the north Jordan valley. Human occupation in the region around Pella stretches back over half a million years and the site itself has been continuously occupied from around 8000 BC.

The Pella Excavation Project of the University of Sydney

The trail is not far from the Syrian border and near the Jordan valley north of Amman. The ancient site of Pella is located on the slope of Jebel Sartaba.

Trail Video

Trail Video

The videos are part of the "Hiking in Jordan Collection" by Grant & Maassen published by Wandel Guides. With 3D trail animation and trail statistics. Produced with Nasa World Wind Under NASA Open Source Agreement Version 1.3. The videos are distributed under: CC BY-SA 3.0. NASA is not affiliated with this project. We use software released under NASA's World Wind program for 3D trail rendering. Opening title music for videos: Aulendia II, Album: Aulendia By: Terepin. Licensed Under: CC BY-SA 3.0.   See our disclaimer below before hiking in Jordan or elsewhere.

Animation Video

Animation Video

The videos are part of the "Hiking in Jordan Collection" by Grant & Maassen published by Wandel Guides. With 3D trail animation and trail statistics. Produced with Nasa World Wind Under NASA Open Source Agreement Version 1.3. The videos are distributed under: CC BY-SA 3.0. NASA is not affiliated with this project. We use software released under NASA's World Wind program for 3D trail rendering. Opening title music for videos: Aulendia II, Album: Aulendia By: Terepin. Licensed Under: CC BY-SA 3.0.   See our disclaimer below before hiking in Jordan or elsewhere.

Interactive Map

Interactive Map

Photos

Photos

You can watch more hiking videos on our Youtube channel.

Sources:

• Near Eastern Archaeology Foundation - The Pella Excavation Project of the University of Sydney: http://sydney.edu.au/arts/sophi/neaf/excavations/index.shtml

• Pella in Jordan, a Brief History of the Site, by Ben Churcher - Astarte Resources 2008 - www.astarte.com.au - with reference to the Pella Project, University of Sydney

• Charles Leonard Irby and James Mangles (1823) - Travels in Egypt and Nubia, Syria, and the Holy Land: Including A Journey Round the Dead Sea, and Through the Country East of the Jordan.