Nablus city was built by the Canaanites on the remains of a Stone Age city. Its name was derived from the Canaanite word, Shekheim, which means a hilly area. In 636, the city was liberated by the Arabs under the Moslem commander 'Amr Ibn Al'as and became one of the most famous and richest cities in Palestine. In 1099 the Crusaders took possession of the town and called it Naples. The town was badly damaged in 1187 when Saladin recaptured it for Islam.

 

Nablus is renowned for its sweet and most of all for its soap made with pure olive oil.

 

SITES

 

The Old City (Al-Kasbah)

The Old Town of Nablus is a large residential and market area featuring many old buildings and lively street scenes and activities. The maze of narrow lanes and alleys give the old city a picturesque but confusing character. There are impressive mosques, palaces, suqs, Turkish baths and traditional soap factories. Much of the Old City’s cultural heritage has been damaged by Israeli forces rampaging through the city during the last few years.

 

 

AROUND NABLUS:

 

Jacob’s Well

According to tradition, the 35-meter deep well was dug by Jacob, Ishaq's (Abraham's son) son. It is also here that Jesus asked a Samaritan woman to draw water for him to drink  The well (‘Samaritan well’) has been an object of Christian pilgrimage since then.

 

 

An-Nabi Yousef (Joseph's Tomb)

According to Islamic historians and travelers, Yousef was buried in this area, and not in Hebron. A small dome was built in 1868 is a witness of the grave's site.

 

 

Mt. Gerizim and the Samaritans

Approx. 300 of the 550-strong Samaritan community live on Mt. Gerizim in Nablus and the rest in Holon near Tel Aviv. The Samaritans stem from one of the 12 biblical Israeli tribes, speak and pray in Hebrew and believe in the writings of the Torah. The Nabulsi Samaritans consider themselves Palestinians and are fully integrated in the daily life of the Palestinian society, go to Palestinian schools and universities, and work together in Nablus and surrounding areas. Following the Palestinian elections of January 1996, late President Yasser Arafat granted the community specially one of the 88 seats in the Legislative Council. In the late 1990s, they received Israeli ID cards from the Israeli government, even though they live within areas under the PA.

 

 

POLITICAL ISSUES

 

•                Around the city, three refugee camps are located (Camp No. 1, Askar and Balata Refugee Camps).

 

•                In the Nablus district, numerous Israeli settlements have been built, mostly on land confiscated from the Palestinian owners.