22/04/2013
Journey through history
Nablus city
Nablus is located 65 km north of Jerusalem between mountain Gerzim and mountain Ebal.
It was founded in 2500 – 3000 BC by the Can'anites , Arab travellers who came from the Arabic Peninsula , they called it Tell Balata or Shakeem . Owing to its position in a fertile valley , Tell Balata was one of the earliest and most powerful Canaanites cities. In 72 AD The Roman Emperor Titus destroyed the city and built a new one , the west of the Shakeem, where the current old city is situated , and in honor of his father Flavius Vespasian it was called Flavia Neapolis , the " New City " . In the early centuries of Christianity , Neapolis was the scene of constant strife between the local Samaritan and Christian populations. The Samaritan revolt against Rome down by Emperor Justinian and most of the Samaritans were expelled. In 636 AD the Arabs took the town changing its name to Nablus, it has been predominantly Muslim ever since.
Nablus enjoys a strategic position being at the junction between two ancient commercial roads : one linking the coast of the Jordan valley , the other linking the north to the south of Pelestine through the mountains.
In 1927 an earthquake damaged many of the city's buildings , which were rebuilt but lost their previous picturesque character.
Today Nablus is one of the largest cities in the West Bank aside from Jerusalem , with a principal industrial and commercial center. Some of its numerous factories of olive-oil soap for which Nablus is famous have been operating for more than 250 years. Nablus is famous for its sweets, reputed for its excellent goldsmiths and its busy markets.