Nablus

Nablus lies in a narrow valley between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, at the heart of a country of olive groves. Founded as Roman Neapolis near ancient Shechem, it became a market city for the villages of the surrounding hills. The Samaritan community preserved its religious traditions on Mount Gerizim, while Muslim and Christian quarters grew around the city's springs, mosques and markets. Olive oil gave Nablus one of its most distinctive products: soap.

By the fourteenth century its soap and oil were carried to Egypt, Damascus, the Hijaz and Mediterranean islands. Under the Ottomans, prominent urban families acquired soapworks and maintained ties with the farmers who supplied olive oil. Cooking, cutting and drying the soap required specialised buildings and labour, and the finished bars became known throughout the region. Control of the rural olive harvest and access to markets helped shape relations between city merchants and village leaders.

In 1834 Qasim al-Ahmad, a leader from the Nablus hills, rallied peasants and local chiefs against the Egyptian administration of Ibrahim Pasha. Conscription, disarmament and taxation were among the grievances. The revolt spread to other districts, but Egyptian forces defeated it and retook Nablus. Qasim was executed and his property, including a soap factory, passed to a rival, revealing how closely local politics and the city's industries were entwined.