Nablus

Situated 49 kilometres north of Jerusalem between the 940-metre Mount Ebal and the 881-metre Mount Gerizim, Nablus is the largest city in the northern West Bank, home to 156,906 residents as of 2017. Its ancient predecessor, Shechem, appears in 14th-century BCE Egyptian Amarna letters and Bronze Age records, establishing one of the region's longest continuities of habitation. The Roman emperor Vespasian founded the present city in 72 CE as Flavia Neapolis, and successive Umayyad, Crusader, Mamluk, and Ottoman rulers each left their architectural mark on a compact Old City that contains more than 100 monumental historic buildings.

The city's living heritage is as compelling as its monuments. The Nabulsi soap-making tradition — an intricate process using pure olive oil, water, and lye carried out after each autumn harvest — was inscribed on UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in urgent need of safeguarding in December 2024. Ancient soap-factory complexes still operate in the Old City, and the characteristic white bars have been traded internationally since at least the 14th century. On Mount Gerizim, one of the world's smallest ethnoreligious communities — roughly 380 Samaritans in the village of Kiryat Luza — maintains ancient festivals and liturgical traditions linking their faith directly to the hill's Bronze Age sanctuaries. Jacob's Well and Tell Balata (ancient Shechem) complete the valley's extraordinary scriptural geography.

Nablus lies 49 kilometres north of Jerusalem and 42 kilometres east of Tel Aviv, accessible via Routes 60 and 57. The Old City is best explored on foot from the central square; the soap workshops, hammams, and kanafeh bakeries are all within a short walk of each other. Visitor services are well established, and Nablus makes a natural base for day trips to Sebastia (12 km northwest) and Mount Gerizim (immediately south of the city).