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{{Good article}}
{{pp-30-500|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Nablus
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| translit_lang1_type1 = [[Latin script|Latin]]
| translit_lang1_info1 = Nābulus (''official'')
| type = [[List of cities in Palestinian Authority areas|
| image_skyline = {{multiple image|total_width=300px|perrow=
| image1= Nablus 2013.jpg
| alt1 =
| image2= مسجد النصر في مدينة نابلس في البلدة القديمة.jpg
| alt2 =
| image3=
| alt3 =
| image4= Nablus old city 15.jpg
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| image8= Nablus_Shopping_District.jpg
| alt8 =
| image9= Love Nablus.jpeg
}}
| image_caption = '''Left-to-right from top:'''<br />Nablus and [[Mount Gerizim]] skyline; [[Manara Clock Tower]] and [[An-Nasr Mosque]]; [[Joseph's Tomb]] chamber; Old City of Nablus; [[Tell Balata]] archaeological site; Eastern Orthodox Church of Bir Ya'qub, where [[Jacob's Well]] is located; [[Mount Ebal]]; and a Nablus shopping district.
| image_blank_emblem = [[File:Nablus Logo.jpg]]
| blank_emblem_type = Municipal Seal of Nablus
| pushpin_map = Palestine
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| established_date = 72 CE
| government_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| government_type = [[List of cities in Palestinian Authority areas|
| leader_title = Head of Municipality
| leader_name = [[Adly Yaish]]
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| elevation_min_m =
| elevation_max_m =
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_footnotes = <ref name="PrelimCensus2017">{{cite report |date=February 2018 |title=Preliminary Results of the Population, Housing and Establishments Census, 2017 |url=https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Downloads/book2364-1.pdf |department=[[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS) |publisher=[[State of Palestine]] |pages=64–82 |access-date=2023-10-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/statisticsIndicatorsTables.aspx?lang=en&table_id=698 | title=PCBS | Projected Mid -Year Population for Nablus Governorate by Locality 2017-2026 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/palestine/admin/ | title=Palestinian Territories: Administrative Division (Territories and Governorates) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Nablus Urban Area: Joint Urban Planning and Development | website=molg.pna.ps | url=https://www.molg.pna.ps/uploads/files/Nablus%20Urban%20Area%20Factsheet_sj_7e9e87c9f0a946a2aa86230743c55c72.pdf|access-date=2024-09-08}}</ref>
| population_note =
| population_metro =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| website = [http://www.nablus.org/ nablus.org]
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| native_name_lang = ar
}}
'''Nablus''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|æ|b|l|ə|s|,_|ˈ|n|ɑː|b|l|ə|s}} {{respell|NA(H)B|ləs}}; {{
▲'''Nablus''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|æ|b|l|ə|s|,_|ˈ|n|ɑː|b|l|ə|s}} {{respell|NA(H)B|ləs}}; {{lang-ar|نابلس|Nābulus}} {{IPA-ar|ˈnæːblʊs, -lɪs||ArNablus.ogg}}; {{lang-he|שכם|[[Shechem|Šəḵem]]}}, <small>[[ISO 259|ISO 259-3]]:</small> {{transliteration|he|Škem}};{{efn|Pronounced {{IPA-he|ʃχem|}}}} [[Samaritan Hebrew]]: {{lang|smp|ࠔࠬࠥࠊࠝࠌ|script=Samr}}, <small>romanized:</small> {{transliteration|smp|Šăkēm}}; {{lang-el|Νεάπολις|Νeápolis}}) is a [[State of Palestine|Palestinian]] city in the [[West Bank]], located approximately {{convert|49|km|mi}} north of [[Jerusalem]],<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Time and Date AS |location=Stavanger, Norway |year= 2013 |title= Distance Calculator |url=http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/distances.html?n=2323 |access-date= 2013-03-10}}</ref> with a population of 126,132.<ref name="PCBS07">PCBS07,[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1487.pdf 2007 Locality Population Statistics] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210081942/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1487.pdf |date=December 10, 2010 }}. [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS).</ref> Located between [[Mount Ebal]] and [[Mount Gerizim]], it is the capital of the [[Nablus Governorate]] and a commercial and cultural centre of the [[State of Palestine]], home to [[An-Najah National University]], one of the largest Palestinian institutions of higher learning, and the [[Palestine Exchange|Palestine Stock Exchange]].<ref name="Bishara">Amahl Bishara, ‘Weapons, Passports and News: Palestinian Perceptions of U.S. Power as a Mediator of War,’ in John D. Kelly, Beatrice Jauregui, Sean T. Mitchell, Jeremy Walton (eds.) [https://books.google.com/books?id=du5kcfUuL9oC&pg=PA128 ''Anthropology and Global Counterinsurgency,''] pp.125-136 p.126.</ref> Nablus is under the administration of the [[Palestinian National Authority]] (PNA).
The modern name of the city can be traced back to the [[Roman Empire|Roman period]], when it was named ''Flavia Neapolis'' by Roman emperor [[Vespasian]] in 72 CE. During the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine period]], conflict between the city's [[Samaritans|Samaritan]] and newer [[Christians|Christian]] inhabitants peaked in the [[Samaritan revolts]] that were eventually suppressed by the Byzantines by 573, which greatly dwindled the Samaritan population of the city. Following the [[Muslim conquest of the Levant]] in the 7th century, the city was given its present-day Arabic name of ''Nablus''. After the [[First Crusade]], the [[Crusades|Crusaders]] drafted the laws of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]] in the [[Council of Nablus]], and its Christian, Samaritan, and [[Muslims|Muslim]] inhabitants prospered. The city then came under the control of the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubids]] and the [[Mamluk Sultanate]]. Under the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turk]]s, who [[Ottoman–Mamluk War (1516–1517)|conquered the city in 1517]], Nablus served as the administrative and commercial centre for the surrounding area corresponding to the modern-day northern West Bank.
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{{further|Samaritan Revolts|Samaria}}
[[File:Volusian Neapolis.jpg|thumb|right|Coin minted in Nablus (Neapolis), in the name of Emperor [[Volusian]], 251-253 CE]]
Flavia Neapolis ("new city of the emperor [[Flavius]]") was named in 72 CE by the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] emperor [[Vespasian]] and applied to an older [[Samaritan]] village, variously called ''Mabartha'' ("the passage")<ref name=Negevp175>Negev and Gibson, 2005, p. 175.</ref> or ''Mamorpha''.<ref>(a) ὅθεν διὰ τῆς Σαμαρείτιδος καὶ παρὰ τὴν Νέαν πόλιν καλουμένην, Μαβαρθὰ δ᾽ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων, καταβὰς εἰς Κορέαν, [[Josephus]], ''[[Bellum Judaicum]]'', 4:449 intus autem Samaria; oppida Neapolis, quod antea Mamortha dicebatur ‘the town are Naplous, formerly called Mamorpha.[[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]], [[Natural History (Pliny)|Historia Naturalis]], 5.69.</ref> Located between [[Mount Ebal]] and [[Mount Gerizim]], the new city lay {{convert|2|km|mi|sp=us}} west of the [[Bible|Biblical]] city of [[Shechem]] which was destroyed by the Romans that same year during the [[First Jewish–Roman War]].<ref name="STF">{{cite web |url=http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/035discuss.html |title=Neapolis – (Nablus) |access-date=2008-04-19 |date=19 December 2000 |publisher=Studium Biblicum Franciscanum – Jerusalem |archive-date=22 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122101623/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/035discuss.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="DNTA">{{cite web |url=http://www.dundee-nablus.org.uk/nablushistory.html |title=History of Nablus |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Dundee–Nablus Twinning Association}}</ref> Holy places at the site of the city's founding include [[Joseph's Tomb]] and [[Jacob's Well]]. Because of the city's strategic geographic position and the abundance of water from nearby springs, Neapolis prospered, accumulating extensive territory, including the former [[Judea]]n [[toparchy]] of [[Aqraba, Nablus|Acraba]].<ref name="STF" />
Insofar as the hilly topography of the site would allow, the city was built on a Roman [[grid plan]] and settled with veterans who fought in the victorious legions and other foreign colonists.<ref name=Negevp175 /> In the 2nd century CE, Emperor [[Hadrian]] built a grand [[Roman theatre (structure)|theater]] in Neapolis that could seat up to 7,000 people.<ref name="Semplici" /> Coins found in Nablus dating to this period depict Roman military emblems and gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon such as [[Zeus]], [[Artemis]], [[Serapis]], and [[Asklepios]].<ref name=Negevp175 /> Neapolis was entirely [[Paganism|pagan]] at this time.<ref name=Negevp175 /> [[Justin Martyr]] who was born in the city c. 100 CE, came into contact with [[Platonism]], but not with Christians there.<ref name=Negevp175 /> The city flourished until the civil war between [[Septimius Severus]] and [[Pescennius Niger]] in 198–9 CE. Having sided with Niger, who was defeated, the city was temporarily stripped of its legal privileges by Severus, who designated these to [[Sebastia, Nablus|Sebastia]] instead.<ref name=Negevp175 />
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===Egyptian rule and Ottoman revival===
[[File:Nablus 1898.jpg|thumb|right|Nablus in 1898]]
[[File:Félix Bonfils Jeune femme de Naplouse.jpg|thumb|Young woman from Nablus, between 1867 and 1885|left]]
In 1831–32 [[Muhammad Ali Dynasty|Khedivate Egypt]], then led by [[Muhammad Ali of Egypt|Muhammad Ali]], conquered Palestine from the Ottomans. A policy of [[conscription]] and new [[taxation]] was instituted which led to a [[Peasants' Revolt of 1834 (Palestine)|revolt]] organized by the ''[[Palestinian nationalism#Notables|a'ayan]]'' (notables) of Nablus, [[Hebron]] and the Jerusalem-Jaffa area. In May 1834, [[Qasim al-Ahmad]]—the chief of the [[Jamma'in]] ''nahiya''—rallied the rural sheikhs and ''[[fellahin]]'' (peasants) of Jabal Nablus and launched a revolt against Governor [[Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt|Ibrahim Pasha]], in protest at conscription orders, among other new policies. The leaders of Nablus and its hinterland sent thousands of rebels to attack Jerusalem, the center of government authority in Palestine, aided by the [[Abu Ghosh]] clan, and they conquered the city on 31 May. However, they were later defeated by Ibrahim Pasha's forces the next month. Ibrahim then forced the heads of the Jabal Nablus clans to leave for nearby villages. By the end of August, the countrywide revolt had been suppressed and Qasim was executed.<ref name="Doumani4">Doumani, 1995, Chapter: "Egyptian rule, 1831–1840."</ref>
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===Palestinian control===
[[File:Huwwara Checkpoint Palestine.jpg|thumb|right|View of [[Huwwara checkpoint]] with Palestinians waiting to travel south, 2006]]
Jurisdiction over the city was handed over to the [[Palestinian National Authority]] on
In the 1990s, Nablus was a hub of [[Palestinian nationalism|Palestinian nationalist]] activity in the West Bank and when the [[Second Intifada]] began, arsonists of Jewish shrines in Nablus were applauded.<ref name=Israeli>{{cite book|last1=Israeli|first1=Raphael|title=War, Peace and Terror in the Middle East|date=2014|publisher=Routledge|location=Hoboken|isbn=9781135295547|page=4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CRAiAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4}}</ref> After the controversy over the [[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy|Muhammad cartoons in ''Jyllands-Posten'']], originally published in Denmark in late September 2006, militias kidnapped two foreigners and threatened to kidnap more as a protest. In 2008, Noa Meir, an Israeli military spokeswoman, said Nablus remains "capital of terror" of the West Bank.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Neslen|first1=Arthur|title=In your eyes a sandstorm ways of being Palestinian|date=2011|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, Calif.|isbn=9780520949850|page=197|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DSD6_qjgjOQC&pg=PT197}}</ref>
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The operation also resulted in severe damage to the historic core of the city, with 64 heritage buildings being heavily damaged or destroyed.<ref name=Stanley>{{cite book|last1=Stanley|first1=Bruce E.|last2=Dumper|first2=Michael R.T.|title=Cities of the Middle East and North Africa : a historical encyclopedia|date=2007|publisher=ABC-Clio|location=Oxford|isbn=9781576079195|pages=265–7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3SapTk5iGDkC}}</ref> IDF forces reentered Nablus during [[Operation Determined Path]] in June 2002, remaining inside the city until the end of September. Over those three months, there had been more than 70 days of full 24-hour curfews.<ref name="AI"/> According to [[Gush Shalom]], IDF bulldozers damaged the al-Khadra Mosque, the Great Mosque, the al-Satoon Mosque and the [[Greek Orthodox Church]] in 2002. Some 60 houses were destroyed, and parts of the stone-paving in the old city were damaged. The al-Shifa ''[[Turkish bath|hammam]]'' was hit by three rockets from [[Apache helicopter]]s. The eastern entrance of the Khan al-Wikala (old market) and three soap factories were destroyed in [[F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16]] bombings. The cost of the damage was estimated at $80 million US.<ref>[http://www.gush-shalom.org/terror/report1.html#nablus Report on the Destruction to Palestinian Institutions in Nablus and Other Cities (Except Ramallah) Caused by IDF Forces Between March 29 and April 21, 2002: Nablus] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021023418/http://gush-shalom.org/terror/report1.html |date=October 21, 2008 }}. [[Gush Shalom]]. April 22, 2002. Retrieved 2008-04-25.</ref>
In August 2016, the Old City of Nablus became a site of [[August 2016 Nablus clashes|fierce clashes]] between a militant group vs Palestinian police. On
==Geography==
[[File:IsraelCVFRtopography.jpg|thumb|Section of topographical map of Nablus area|269x269px]]
Nablus lies in a strategic position at a junction between two ancient commercial roads; one linking the [[Sharon plain|Sharon coastal plain]] to the [[Jordan Valley (Middle East)|Jordan valley]], the other linking Nablus to the [[Galilee]] in the north, and the biblical [[Judea]] to the south through the mountains.<ref name="AR">{{cite web |url=http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/israel/israel-popular-destinations/-nablus.html |title=Nablus |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=AsiaRooms |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113235721/http://www.asiarooms.com/travel-guide/israel/israel-popular-destinations/-nablus.html |archive-date=2008-01-13 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> The city stands at an elevation of around {{convert|550|m|ft|sp=us}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]],<ref name="NS">{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.ws/nablus/history.htm |title=History |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus.ps |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071112051126/http://www.nablus.ws/nablus/history.htm |archive-date = November 12, 2007}}</ref> in a narrow valley running roughly east–west between two mountains: [[Mount Ebal]], the northern mountain, is the taller peak at {{convert|940|m|ft|sp=us}}, while [[Mount Gerizim]], the southern mountain, is {{convert|881|m|ft|sp=us}} high.
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===Old City===
{{
{{See also|Levantine archaeology#Nablus}}In the center of Nablus lies the old city, composed of six major quarters: Yasmina, Gharb, Qaryun, Aqaba, Qaysariyya, and Habala. Habala is the largest quarter and its population growth led to the development of two smaller neighborhoods: al-Arda and Tal al-Kreim. The old city is densely populated and prominent families include the Nimrs, Tuqans, and Abd al-Hadis. The large fortress-like compound of the [[Abd al-Hadi Palace]] built in the 19th century is located in Qaryun. The [[Al-Nimr Palace|Nimr Hall]] and the [[Tuqan Palace]] are located in the center of the old city. There are several [[mosque]]s in the Old City: the [[Great Mosque of Nablus]], An-Nasr Mosque, al-Tina Mosque, [[al-Khadra Mosque]], [[Hanbali Mosque]], al-Anbia Mosque, Ajaj Mosque and others.<ref name="Semplici-a">Semplici, Andrea and Boccia, Mario. [http://www.ucodep.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=631&Itemid=90 – Nablus, At the Foot of the Holy Mountain] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708122053/https://www.ucodep.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=631&Itemid=90 |date=2017-07-08 }} Med Cooperation, p.17.</ref>▼
There are six {{transl|ar|hamaams}} ([[Turkish bath]]s) in the Old City, the most prominent of them being al-Shifa and al-Hana. Al-Shifa was built by the Tuqans in 1624. Al-Hana in Yasmina was the last ''hamaam'' built in the city in the 19th century. It was closed in 1928 but restored and reopened in 1994.<ref name="Semplici"/> Several leather tanneries, ''[[souk]]s'', pottery and textile workshops line the Old City streets.<ref name="NS"/><ref name="Doumani2"/> Also located in the Old City is the 15th-century [[Khan al-Tujjar (Nablus)|Khan al-Tujjar]] caravanserai and the [[Manara Clock Tower]], built in 1906.<ref name="NS"/>{{Wide image|Nablus - eastern panorama.jpg|800px|Picture showing to the right the mountain "[[Mount Ebal|Ebal]]" with the rock of "Sit Islamieh", and to the left the south mountain "Jirziem" with an [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF military post]] on the far left}}▼
▲In the center of Nablus lies the old city, composed of six major quarters: Yasmina, Gharb, Qaryun, Aqaba, Qaysariyya, and Habala. Habala is the largest quarter and its population growth led to the development of two smaller neighborhoods: al-Arda and Tal al-Kreim. The old city is densely populated and prominent families include the Nimrs, Tuqans, and Abd al-Hadis. The large fortress-like compound of the [[Abd al-Hadi Palace]] built in the 19th century is located in Qaryun. The [[Al-Nimr Palace|Nimr Hall]] and the [[Tuqan Palace]] are located in the center of the old city. There are several [[mosque]]s in the Old City: the [[Great Mosque of Nablus]], An-Nasr Mosque, al-Tina Mosque, [[al-Khadra Mosque]], [[Hanbali Mosque]], al-Anbia Mosque, Ajaj Mosque and others.<ref name="Semplici-a">Semplici, Andrea and Boccia, Mario. [http://www.ucodep.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=631&Itemid=90 – Nablus, At the Foot of the Holy Mountain] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708122053/https://www.ucodep.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=631&Itemid=90 |date=2017-07-08 }} Med Cooperation, p.17.</ref>
▲There are six {{transl|ar|hamaams}} ([[Turkish bath]]s) in the Old City, the most prominent of them being al-Shifa and al-Hana. Al-Shifa was built by the Tuqans in 1624. Al-Hana in Yasmina was the last ''hamaam'' built in the city in the 19th century. It was closed in 1928 but restored and reopened in 1994.<ref name="Semplici"/> Several leather tanneries, ''[[souk]]s'', pottery and textile workshops line the Old City streets.<ref name="NS"/><ref name="Doumani2"/> Also located in the Old City is the 15th-century [[Khan al-Tujjar (Nablus)|Khan al-Tujjar]] caravanserai and the [[Manara Clock Tower]], built in 1906.<ref name="NS"/>
{{clear}}
===Climate===
The relatively temperate [[Mediterranean climate]] brings hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters to Nablus. Spring arrives around March–April and the hottest months in Nablus are July and August with the average high being {{convert|29.6|°C|°F|1}}. The coldest month is January with temperatures usually at {{convert|6.2|°C|°F|1}}. Rain generally falls between October and March, with annual precipitation rates being approximately {{convert|656|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NS"/>
[[File:
{{Weather box
|location = Nabulus ( 570 meters above sea level) 1972-1997
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| 1997 || style="text-align:center;"|100,034<ref name="PCBSCensus">{{cite web |url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabID=3820&lang=en |title=Summary of Final Results: Population, Housing and Establishment Census-1997 |access-date=2008-04-24 |year=1997 |publisher=[[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118173714/https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabID=3820&lang=en |archive-date=2008-11-18 }}</ref>
|- style="background:violet;"
| 2007 || style="text-align:center;"| 126,132<ref name="PCBS07">PCBS07,[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1487.pdf 2007 Locality Population Statistics] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101210081942/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_PCBS/Downloads/book1487.pdf |date=December 10, 2010 }}. [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS).</ref>
|- style="background:violet;"
|
|}
In 1596, the population consisted of 806 Muslim households, 20 [[Samaritan]] households, 18 Christian households, and 15 Jewish households.<ref name="Hutteroth"/> Local Ottoman authorities recorded a population of around 20,000 residents in Nablus in 1849.<ref name="BD"/> In 1867 American visitors found the town to have a population of 4,000 'the chief part of whom are Mohammedans', with some Jews and Christians and 'about 150 Samaritans'.<ref>Ellen Clare Miller, 'Eastern Sketches – notes of scenery, schools and tent life in Syria and Palestine'. Edinburgh: William Oliphant and Company. 1871. Page 171: 'Nablous'.</ref> In the [[1922 census of Palestine|1922 British census of Palestine]], there were a total of 15,947 inhabitants
The 1938 village statistics show a further increase to 19,200.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1938orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1938 |pages=39}}</ref> The [[Village Statistics, 1945|1945 village statistics]] list the population as 23,250 (22,360 Muslims, 680 Christians, and 120 "other").<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VillageStatistics1945orig.pdf |title=Village Statistics |year=1945 |pages=19}}</ref>
▲In 1596, the population consisted of 806 Muslim households, 20 [[Samaritan]] households, 18 Christian households, and 15 Jewish households.<ref name="Hutteroth"/> Local Ottoman authorities recorded a population of around 20,000 residents in Nablus in 1849.<ref name="BD"/> In 1867 American visitors found the town to have a population of 4,000 'the chief part of whom are Mohammedans', with some Jews and Christians and 'about 150 Samaritans'.<ref>Ellen Clare Miller, 'Eastern Sketches – notes of scenery, schools and tent life in Syria and Palestine'. Edinburgh: William Oliphant and Company. 1871. Page 171: 'Nablous'.</ref> In the [[1922 census of Palestine|1922 British census of Palestine]], there were a total of 15,947 inhabitants: 15,238 Muslims, 16 Jews, 544 Christians, 147 Samaritans and others.<ref name=Census1922a/> Population continued to grow, rising to 17,181 at the [[1931 census of Palestine]].<ref name="Census1931"/>
According to the [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS), Nablus had a population of 126,132 in 2007.<ref name="PCBS07"/> In the PCBS's 1997 census, the city had a population of 100,034, including 23,397 [[Palestinian refugees|refugees]], accounting for about 24% of the city's residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t6.aspx |title=Palestinian Population by Locality and Refugee Status |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=[[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114030654/http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t6.aspx |archive-date=2011-11-14 }}</ref> Nablus' Old City had a population of 12,000 in 2006.<ref name="Semplici"/> The population of Nablus city comprises 40% of its [[Nablus Governorate|governorate]]'s inhabitants.<ref name="PCBS07"/>
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===Religion===
In 891 CE, during the early centuries of [[Islam]]ic rule, Nablus had a religiously diverse population of Samaritans,
The majority of the inhabitants today are Muslim, but there are small [[Palestinian Christian|Christian]] and [[Samaritan]] communities as well. Much of the local [[Palestinian people|Palestinian]] Muslim population of Nablus is believed to be descended from Samaritans who converted to Islam. Certain Nabulsi family names are associated with Samaritan ancestry – Muslimani, Yaish, and Shakshir among others.<ref>[http://www.zajel.org/article_view.asp?newsID=4425&cat=18 The Political History of the Samaritans] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119035811/http://www.zajel.org/article_view.asp?newsID=4425&cat=18 |date=2012-01-19 }}</ref> According to the historian Fayyad Altif, large numbers of Samaritans converted because of persecution and because the monotheistic nature of Islam made it easy for them to accept it.<ref name=Ireton>{{cite web|title=The Samaritans – A Jewish Sect in Israel: Strategies for Survival of an Ethno-religious Minority in the Twenty First Century|author=Sean Ireton|publisher=Anthrobase|year=2003|access-date=2007-11-29|url=http://www.anthrobase.com/Txt/I/Ireton_S_01.htm}}</ref>
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==Economy==
Beginning in the early 16th century, trade networks connecting Nablus to [[Damascus]] and [[Cairo]] were supplemented by the establishment of trading posts in the [[Hejaz]] and [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Gulf]] regions to the south and east, as well as in the [[Anatolian Peninsula]] and the [[Mediterranean]] islands of [[Crete]] and [[Cyprus]]. Nablus also developed trade relations with [[Aleppo]], [[Mosul]], and [[Baghdad]].<ref name="Doumani2">Doumani, 1995, Chapter: "The City of Nablus."</ref> The Ottoman government ensured adequate safety and funding for the annual [[hajj|pilgrimage]] caravan (''qafilat al-hajj'') from [[Damascus]] to the Islamic holy cities of [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]. This policy benefited Nablus economically. Pilgrimage caravans became the key factor in the fiscal and political relationship between Nablus and the central government. For a brief period in the early 17th century, the governor of Nablus, [[Farrukh Pasha]], was appointed leader of the pilgrimage caravan (''[[amir al-hajj]]''), and he constructed a large commercial compound in Nablus for that purpose.<ref name="Doumani2" />▼
In 1882, there were 32 soap factories and 400 [[loom]]s exporting their products throughout the Middle East.<ref name="Semplici" /><ref name="IO">{{cite web |url=http://www.islamonline.net/english/In_Depth/PalestineInFocus/Thepeople/former/1967/WestBank/04.shtml |title="Little Damascus": Nablus City, West Bank |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Islam Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413023559/http://www.islamonline.net/English/In_Depth/PalestineInFocus/Thepeople/former/1967/WestBank/04.shtml <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=2008-04-13}}</ref> Nablus exported three-fourths of its soap — the city's most important commodity—to Cairo by caravan through [[Gaza City|Gaza]] and the [[Sinai Peninsula]], and by sea through the ports of [[Jaffa]] and Gaza. From Egypt, and particularly from Cairo and [[Damietta]], Nablus merchants imported mainly rice, [[sugar]], and spices, as well as linen, cotton, and wool textiles. Cotton, soap, olive oil, and textiles were exported by Nablus merchants to Damascus, whence silks, high-quality textiles, copper, and a number luxury items, such as jewellery were imported.<ref name="Doumani2" /> With regard to the local economy, agriculture was the major component. Outside of the city limits, there were extensive fields of [[olive]] groves, [[ficus|fig]] and [[pomegranate]] orchards and [[grape]] vineyards that covered the area's slopes. Crops, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and ''[[mulukhiyya]]'' were grown in the fields, vegetable gardens, and grain mills scattered across central [[Samaria]].<ref name="Doumani2" /> Nablus was also the largest producer of [[cotton]] in the Levant, producing over {{convert|225000|kg|0|abbr=on}} of the product by 1837.<ref name="Doumani5">Doumani, 1995, Chapter: "Cotton Production in Jabal Nablus."</ref>[[File:Placa dels màrtirs Nablus.jpg|thumb|Downtown Nablus, Martyrs Square|left]]▼
Nablus has a bustling modern commercial center with restaurants, and
▲The Ottoman government ensured adequate safety and funding for the annual [[hajj|pilgrimage]] caravan (''qafilat al-hajj'') from Damascus to the Islamic holy cities of [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]]. This policy benefited Nablus economically. Pilgrimage caravans became the key factor in the fiscal and political relationship between Nablus and the central government. For a brief period in the early 17th century, the governor of Nablus, [[Farrukh Pasha]], was appointed leader of the pilgrimage caravan (''[[amir al-hajj]]''), and he constructed a large commercial compound in Nablus for that purpose.<ref name="Doumani2" />
▲In 1882, there were 32 soap factories and 400 [[loom]]s exporting their products throughout the Middle East.<ref name="Semplici" /><ref name="IO">{{cite web |url=http://www.islamonline.net/english/In_Depth/PalestineInFocus/Thepeople/former/1967/WestBank/04.shtml |title="Little Damascus": Nablus City, West Bank |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Islam Online |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413023559/http://www.islamonline.net/English/In_Depth/PalestineInFocus/Thepeople/former/1967/WestBank/04.shtml <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=2008-04-13}}</ref> Nablus exported three-fourths of its soap — the city's most important commodity—to Cairo by caravan through [[Gaza City|Gaza]] and the [[Sinai Peninsula]], and by sea through the ports of [[Jaffa]] and Gaza. From Egypt, and particularly from Cairo and [[Damietta]], Nablus merchants imported mainly rice, [[sugar]], and spices, as well as linen, cotton, and wool textiles. Cotton, soap, olive oil, and textiles were exported by Nablus merchants to Damascus, whence silks, high-quality textiles, copper, and a number luxury items, such as jewellery were imported.<ref name="Doumani2" />
▲[[File:Placa dels màrtirs Nablus.jpg|thumb|Downtown Nablus, Martyrs Square]]
▲Nablus has a bustling modern commercial center with restaurants, and a [[shopping mall]].<ref name=Assadi>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110622051321/http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2009%2F7%2F18%2Fworldupdates%2F2009-07-18T174715Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_-411404-1&sec=Worldupdates "Nablus shopping festival brightens up West Bank,"] Mohammed Assadi, July 18, 2009, Malaysia Star.</ref> Traditional industries continue to operate in Nablus,<ref name="NS"/> such as the production of soap, olive oil, and [[Palestinian handicrafts|handicrafts]]. Other industries include furniture production, tile production, stone quarrying, textile manufacturing and [[leather tanning]].
The Vegetable Oil Industry Co. is a Nablus factory that produces refined vegetable oils, especially olive oil, and vegetable butter from the factory is exported to [[Jordan]].<ref name="NS"/> The al-Huda Textiles factory is also located in Nablus. In 2000, the factory produced 500 pieces of clothing daily; however, production plummeted to 150–200 pieces daily in 2002. Al-Huda mainly imports textiles from China and exports finished products to [[Israel]].<ref name="OCHA"/> There are eight restaurants in the city and four hotels — the largest being al-Qasr and al-Yasmeen.<ref name=KimLeep354>Kim Lee, 2003, p. 354.</ref> Nablus' once-thriving soap industry has been largely isolated because of difficult transportation conditions stemming from [[West Bank closures]] and IDF incursions. Today, there are only two soap factories still operating in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Restaurant.htm |title=Restaurants In Nablus |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725094425/http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Restaurant.htm |archive-date=2008-07-25 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Hotels.htm |title=Hotels In Nablus |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217044108/http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Hotels.htm |archive-date=February 17, 2008 }}</ref>▼
▲The Vegetable Oil Industry Co. is a Nablus factory that produces refined vegetable oils, especially olive oil, and vegetable butter from the factory is exported to [[Jordan]].<ref name="NS"/> The al-Huda Textiles factory is also located in Nablus. In 2000, the factory produced 500 pieces of clothing daily; however, production plummeted to 150–200 pieces daily in 2002. Al-Huda mainly imports textiles from [[China]] and exports finished products to [[Israel]].<ref name="OCHA"/> There are eight restaurants in the city and four hotels — the largest being al-Qasr and al-Yasmeen.<ref name=KimLeep354>Kim Lee, 2003, p. 354.</ref> Nablus' once-thriving soap industry has been largely isolated because of difficult transportation conditions stemming from [[West Bank closures]] and IDF incursions. Today, there are only two soap factories still operating in the city.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Restaurant.htm |title=Restaurants In Nablus |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725094425/http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Restaurant.htm |archive-date=2008-07-25 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Hotels.htm |title=Hotels In Nablus |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080217044108/http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Hotels.htm |archive-date=February 17, 2008 }}</ref>
[[File:سوق في نابلس.jpg|thumb|One of the old markets in Nablus]]
The Al-Arz ice-cream company is the largest of six ice-cream manufacturers in the Palestinian territories. The Nablus business developed from an ice-factory set up by Mohammad Anabtawi in the town centre in 1950. It produces 50 tons a day, and exports to Jordan and Iraq. Most of the ingredients are imported from Israel.<ref name="LevyHaaretz">[[Gideon Levy]], [http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/twilight-zone/palestinian-ice-cream-s-big-comeback.premium-1.455762 'Palestinian ice cream's big comeback,'] at [[Haaretz]], 3 August 2012.'They buy the ingredients mainly from Israeli suppliers .'</ref>
Before 2000, 13.4% of Nablus' residents worked in Israel, with the figure dropping to 4.7% in 2004. The city's manufacturing sector made up 15.7% of the economy in 2004, a drop from 21% in 2000. Since 2000, most of the workforce has been employed in agriculture and local trade.<ref name="OCHA"/> In the wake of the Intifada, unemployment rates rose from 14.2% in 1997 to 60% in 2004. According to an [[OCHA]] report in 2008, one of the reasons for the high unemployment was a ring of checkpoints around the city,<ref name="ocha1">{{cite web |url=http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/OCHA_Body-ASP_Files/Coordination_Sec/OCHA-oPt_FCU_BIOs_PDFs/OCHA-oPt_Nablus-FCU_Bio_Data-22Nov04.pdf |title=Bio Data – Nablus |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409050228/http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/OCHA_Body-ASP_Files/Coordination_Sec/OCHA-oPt_FCU_BIOs_PDFs/OCHA-oPt_Nablus-FCU_Bio_Data-22Nov04.pdf |archive-date=2008-04-09 }}</ref> leading to the relocation of many businesses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/Commercial%20Crossings%20V5.pdf |title=Increasing Need, Decreasing Access: Tightening Control On Economic Movement |access-date=2014-05-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314071422/http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/commercial%20crossings%20v5.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-14 }}</ref>
Since the removal of the [[Huwara|Hawara]] roadblock, the casbah has become a vibrant marketplace.<ref name="LevyHaaretz"/> Nablus is home to the [[Palestine Securities Exchange]] (PSE) and the al-Quds Financial Index, housed in the al-Qasr building in the Rafidia suburb of the city. The PSE's first trading session took place on
==Education==
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According to the [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS), in 1997, 44,926 were enrolled in schools (41.2% in primary school, 36.2% in secondary school, and 22.6% in high school). About 19.8% of high school students received bachelor diplomas or higher diplomas.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t3.aspx |title=Palestinian Population (10 Years and Over) by Locality, Sex and Educational Attainment |access-date=2008-04-24 |year=1997 |publisher=[[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]] (PCBS) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118181819/https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t3.aspx |archive-date=2008-11-18 }}</ref> In 2006, there were 234 schools and 93,925 students in the [[Nablus Governorate]]; 196 schools are run by the [[Education Minister of the Palestinian National Authority|Education Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority]], 14 by the [[United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East|United Nations Relief and Works Agency]] (UNRWA) and 24 are private schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mohe.gov.ps/downloads/pdffiles/statisticE.pdf |title=Statistics About General Education in Palestine |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=[[Education Minister of the Palestinian National Authority]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061014122612/http://www.mohe.gov.ps/downloads/pdffiles/statisticE.pdf |archive-date = October 14, 2006}}</ref>
Nablus is also home to [[an-Najah National University]], the largest [[List of Palestinian universities|Palestinian university]] in the West Bank.<ref name=":0" /> Founded in 1918 by the an-Najah Nabulsi School, it became a college in 1941 and a university in 1977.<ref name=":0" /> An-Najah was closed down by Israeli authorities during the [[First Intifada]], but reopened in 1991.<ref name=":0" /> Today, the university has three campuses in Nablus with over 16,500 students and 300 professors.<ref name=":0" /> The university's faculties include seven in the [[humanities]] and nine in the [[sciences]].<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www2.najah.edu/nnu_portal/index.php?page=56&lang=en |title=About An-Najah |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=An-Najah National University Official Website |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080416155403/http://www2.najah.edu/nnu_portal/index.php?page=56&lang=en |archive-date = April 16, 2008}}</ref>
Nablus has been ranked as one of the best cities in the Middle East to learn Arabic, with achieving 5th rank in the list.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Jinn |first=Pink |date=2018-01-24 |title=The Best Cities to Study Arabic in the Middle East |url=https://www.pinkjinn.com/2018/01/24/the-best-cities-to-study-arabic-in-the-middle-east/ |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=Pink Jinn |language=en-GB}}</ref> For non-Arabic aspirants, An-Najah University has faculties, providing courses related to Arabic language.<ref name=":1" />
There are six [[hospital]]s in Nablus, the four major ones being al-Ittihad, St. Lukes, al-Watani (the National) and the Rafidia Surgery Hospital. The latter, located in Rafidia, a suburb in western Nablus, is the largest hospital in the city. Al-Watani Hospital specializes in [[oncology]] services.<ref name="OCHA" /> The [[Anglican]] St. Lukes hospital was founded in 1900 by the medical missionary [[Gaskoin Richard Morden Wright|Gaskoin Wright]]; the National Hospital was founded in 1910.<ref name="NS" /><ref name="NMG" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/238823142 |title=New faith in ancient lands : Western missions in the Middle East in the nineteenth and early twentienth [i.e. twentieth] centuries |date=2006 |publisher=Brill |author=H. L. Murre-van den Berg | author-link = Heleen Murre-van den Berg |isbn=978-90-474-1140-6 |location=Leiden |oclc=238823142}}</ref> In addition to hospitals, Nablus contains the al-Rahma and at-Tadamon clinics, the al-Razi medical center, the Amal Center for Rehabilitation and 68 pharmacies.<ref name="NMG">[http://www.nablus.org/en/content.php?id_itemcontent=249 Pharmacies] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725044925/http://www.nablus.org/en/content.php?id_itemcontent=249 |date=2009-07-25}} and [http://www.nablus.org/en/content.php?id_itemcontent=249 Hospitals] Nablus Municipality Guides.</ref> In addition to that, in 2001, Nablus Speciality Hospital was built, in which it is specialized in [[open heart surgery]], [[angiogram]]s and [[angioplasty|angioplasties]]. [[Rafidia Surgical Hospital]] is located in the city.{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}▼
==Healthcare==
[[File:Specialized Arab Hospital, Nablus 001.jpg|thumb|Nablus Speciality Hospital in 2019|left]]
▲There are six [[hospital]]s in Nablus, the four major ones being al-Ittihad, St. Lukes, al-Watani (the National) and the Rafidia Surgery Hospital. The latter, located in Rafidia, a suburb in western Nablus, is the largest hospital in the city. Al-Watani Hospital specializes in [[oncology]] services.<ref name="OCHA" /> The [[Anglican]] St. Lukes hospital was founded in 1900 by the medical missionary [[Gaskoin Richard Morden Wright|Gaskoin Wright]]; the National Hospital was founded in 1910.<ref name="NS" /><ref name="NMG" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/238823142 |title=New faith in ancient lands : Western missions in the Middle East in the nineteenth and early twentienth [i.e. twentieth] centuries |date=2006 |publisher=Brill |author=H. L. Murre-van den Berg | author-link = Heleen Murre-van den Berg |isbn=978-90-474-1140-6 |location=Leiden |oclc=238823142}}</ref> In addition to hospitals, Nablus contains the al-Rahma and at-Tadamon clinics, the al-Razi medical center, the Amal Center for Rehabilitation and 68 pharmacies.<ref name="NMG">[http://www.nablus.org/en/content.php?id_itemcontent=249 Pharmacies]
==Culture and arts==
Nablus and its culture enjoy a certain renown throughout the Palestinian Territories and the [[Arab world]] with significant and unique contributions to [[Palestinian culture]], [[Palestinian cuisine|cuisine]] and [[Palestinian costumes|costume]]. ''Nabulsi'', meaning "from Nablus", is used to describe items such as [[Palestinian handicrafts|handicrafts]] (e.g. [[Nabulsi soap]]) and food products (e.g. [[Nabulsi cheese]]) that are made in Nablus or in the traditional Nablus style.
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''[[Kanafeh]]'' (or Kunafa) is the best known ''Nabulsi'' sweet.<ref name="NS" /> It is made of several fine shreds of pastry noodles with honey-sweetened cheese in the center. The top layer of the pastry is usually dyed orange with food coloring and sprinkled with crushed pistachios. Now made throughout the Middle East, ''kanafeh Nabulsi'' uses a white-brine cheese called ''[[Nabulsi cheese|jibneh Nabulsi]]''. Boiled sugar is used as a syrup for ''kanafeh''.
Other sweets made in Nablus include ''[[baklawa]]'', "Tamriya", ''mabrumeh'' and ''ghuraybeh'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atlastours.net/holyland/nablus.html |title=Nablus, Holy Land |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Atlas Travel and Tourist Agency}}</ref> a plain pastry made of butter, flour and sugar in an "S"-shape, or shaped as fingers or bracelets.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nablusculture.ps/nablus,sweets.htm |title=Nabulsi Sweets |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus the Culture |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070245/http://nablusculture.ps/nablus,sweets.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Cultural centers===
[[File:Dabkeh.png|thumb|[[Dabke]] dance group on [[Mount Gerizim]]]]
[[File:Old city of Nablus.JPG|thumb|left|Alley in the Old City leading to and from the [[souk]], 2008]]There are three cultural centers in Nablus. The Child Cultural Center (CCC), founded in 1998 and built in a renovated historic building, operates an art and drawing workshop, a stage for play performances, a music room, a children's library and a multimedia lab.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/cult_centers/child_cult_center.htm |title=Child Cultural Center |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> The Children Happiness Center (CHC) was also established in 1998. Its main activities include promoting Palestinian culture through social events, ''[[dabke]]'' classes and field trips. In addition to national culture, the CHC has a [[football (soccer)|football]] and [[chess]] team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/cult_centers/child_happienies_center.htm |title=Children Happiness Center |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070328210701/http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/cult_centers/child_happienies_center.htm |archive-date = March 28, 2007}}</ref> The Nablus municipal government established its own cultural center in 2003, called the Nablus Municipality Cultural Center (NMCC) aimed at establishing and developing educational facilities.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/cult_centers/hamdy_manko.htm |title=Nablus Municipality Cultural Center "Future Kids" |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
===Soap production===
{{Main|Nabulsi soap}}
Nabulsi soap or ''sabon nabulsi'' is a type of [[castile soap]] produced only in Nablus<ref name=Piefza>{{cite web|title=Palestinian Industries |url=http://www.piefza.org/a_pal_industries.htm |publisher=Piefza.com |access-date=2008-03-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614000406/http://www.piefza.org/a_pal_industries.htm |archive-date=June 14, 2007 }}</ref> and made of three primary ingredients: virgin [[olive oil]], water, and a sodium<ref>{{cite web|author=TravelZone |url=http://najissoap.blogspot.com |title=NajisSoap |publisher=Najissoap.blogspot.com |date=2010-07-12 |access-date=2010-07-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708054349/http://najissoap.blogspot.com/ |archive-date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref> compound.<ref name=IMEU>{{cite web |title=Nablus' olive oil soap: a Palestinian tradition lives on |author=Michael Phillips |publisher=[[Institute for Middle East Understanding]] (IMEU) |date=March 11, 2008 |access-date=2008-03-27 |url=http://imeu.net/news/article008132.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080720073112/http://imeu.net/news/article008132.shtml |archive-date=July 20, 2008 }}</ref> Since the 10th century, Nabulsi soap has enjoyed a reputation for being a fine product,<ref name=SEMP>{{cite web |title=Nablus Soap: Cleaning Middle Eastern Ears for Centuries |publisher=Suburban Emergency Management Project |date=20 September 2006 |access-date=2008-03-27 |url=http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=402 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080111095241/http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=402 |archive-date=11 January 2008 }}</ref> and has been exported across the Arab world and to Europe.<ref name=IMEU/> Though the number of soap factories decreased from a peak of thirty in the 19th century to only two today, efforts to preserve this important part of Palestinian and Nabulsi cultural heritage continue.<ref name=IMEU/><ref name=SEMP/>
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==Local government==
The city of Nablus is the ''muhfaza'' (seat) of the [[Nablus Governorate]], and is governed by a municipal council made up of fifteen elected members, including the mayor.<ref name="NMMC">{{cite web|url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/aboutus/municipal_council.htm |title=Nablus Municipal Council |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
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Yaish's four-year term legally expired in December 2009. While elections in the West Bank were scheduled for 17 July 2010, they were canceled because of Fatah's lack of agreement on list of candidates. Nablus was one of the most important municipalities where Fatah failed to resolve internal conflicts that resulted in two competing Fatah lists: one headed by former mayor [[Ghassan Shakaa]] and one headed by Amin Makboul.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=5&article_id=117616#axzz0xEaOeWPj |title=A Palestinian election is aborted, again |publisher=Daily Star |access-date=2010-08-21 }}</ref>
In the October 2012 municipal elections, Hamas boycotted the polls, protesting the holding of elections while reconciliation efforts with Fatah were at a standstill. Former mayor Ghassan Shakaa, a former local Fatah leader, won the vote as an independent against Fatah member Amin Makboul and another independent candidate.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Lynfield |title=Hamas election boycott leaves West Bank Palestinians with only one choice |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2012/1006/Hamas-election-boycott-leaves-West-Bank-Palestinians-with-only-one-choice |publisher=The Christian Science Monitor |date=2012-10-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Danny |last=Whatmough |url=http://nablus.dannywhatmough.com/2012/10/21/west-bank-elections-demonstrate-extent-of-political-divide/ |title=West Bank elections demonstrate extent of political divide |date=2012-10-21 |access-date=25 March 2014 |archive-date=25 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325052749/http://nablus.dannywhatmough.com/2012/10/21/west-bank-elections-demonstrate-extent-of-political-divide/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Mayors===
{{Main|List of mayors of Nablus}}
[[File:مجمع بلدية نابلس.jpg|thumb|Nablus Municipality complex]]
Modern mayorship in Nablus began in 1869 with the appointment of Sheikh Mohammad Tuffaha by the Ottoman governor of Syria/Palestine. On
The current mayor, [[Adly Yaish]], a Hamas member, was arrested by the Israel Defense Forces in May 2007, during [[Operation Summer Rains]], launched in retaliation for the kidnapping of Israeli soldier [[Gilad Shalit]] by Hamas.<ref name="ynet">{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3403756,00.html |title=Palestinians report IDF forces raid Nablus overnight in arrest operation, taking 33 Hamas leaders into custody, including PA minister of education, mayors of Nablus, Qalqiliya |access-date=2008-04-24 |last=Waked |first=Ali |date=24 May 2007 |work=Ynet News |publisher=Yedioth Internet}}</ref> Municipal council members Abdel Jabbar Adel Musa "Dweikat", Majida Fadda, Khulood El-Masri, and Mahdi Hanbali were also arrested.<ref name="NMMC"/> He spent 15 months in prison without being charged.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cicweb.ca/scene/2009/07/globe-mails-patrick-martin-on-the-booming-west-bank/ |title=CIC Scene » Globe & Mail's Patrick Martin on the Booming West Bank |publisher=www.cicweb.ca |access-date=2010-02-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706173636/http://www.cicweb.ca/scene/2009/07/globe-mails-patrick-martin-on-the-booming-west-bank/ |archive-date=2011-07-06 }}</ref>
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In 1997, 99.7% of Nablus' 18,003 households were connected to electricity through a public network. Prior to its establishment in 1957, electricity came from private generators. Today, the majority of the inhabitants of 18 nearby towns, in addition to the city's inhabitants, are connected to the Nablus network.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.org/en/content.php?id_itemcontent=245 |title=Electricity Department Statistics |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090725051139/http://www.nablus.org/en/content.php?id_itemcontent=245 |archive-date=2009-07-25 }}</ref>
The majority of households are connected to a public sewage system (93%), with the remaining 7% connected through [[cesspit]]s.<ref name="PCBS4">[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t10.aspx Occupied Housing Units by Locality and Connection to Electricity Network in Housing Unit] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118181751/https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t10.aspx |date=2008-11-18 }} <br />
[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t11.aspx Occupied Housing Units by Locality and Connection to Sewage System in Housing Unit] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118181657/https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t11.aspx |date=2008-11-18 }} <br />
[http://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t9.aspx Occupied Housing Units by Locality and Connection to Water Network in Housing Unit] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081118181915/https://www.pcbs.gov.ps/Portals/_pcbs/phc_97/nab_t9.aspx |date=2008-11-18 }} [[Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics]]. Statistic from a 1997 census.</ref> The sewage system, established n the early 1950s, also connects the refugee camps of Balata, Askar and Ein Beit al-Ma'.<ref name="WWWD">{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/services/water_depart/water_introduction.htm#Statistics_ |title=Water and Waste Water Department |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071025013846/http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/services/water_depart/water_introduction.htm#Statistics_ |archive-date = October 25, 2007}}</ref> Pipe water is provided for 100% of the city's households, primarily through a public network (99.3%), but some residents receive water through a private system (0.7%).<ref name="PCBS4"/> The water network was established in 1932 by the British authorities and is fed by water from four nearby wells: [[Deir Sharaf]], [[Far'a]], [[al-Badan]] and [[Audala]].<ref name="WWWD"/>
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The main [[Highway 60 (Israel–Palestine)|Beersheba–Nazareth road]] running through the middle of the West Bank ends in Nablus, although the thoroughfare of local Arabs is severely restricted. The city was connected to [[Tulkarm]], [[Qalqilya]] and [[Jenin]] by roads which are now blocked by the [[Israeli West Bank barrier]]. From 2000 until 2011, Israel maintained [[Israel Defense Forces checkpoint|checkpoint]]s such as [[Huwwara checkpoint]] which effectively cut off the city, severely curtailing social and economic travel.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027584,00.html |title=Palestinians: More barriers to be removed |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=1995-06-20 |access-date=2014-05-12|last1=Altman |first1=Yair }}</ref> From January 2002, buses, taxis, trucks and private citizens required a permit from the Israeli military authorities to leave and enter Nablus.<ref name="OCHA"/> Since 2011, there has been a relaxation of travel restrictions and the dismantlement of some checkpoints.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/idf-to-remove-major-west-bank-checkpoint-to-enable-palestinian-movement-1.342612 IDF to remove major West Bank checkpoint to enable Palestinian movement]. Haaretz. Feb.11, 2011</ref>
The nearest airport is the [[Ben Gurion International Airport]] in [[Lod]], [[Israel]], but because of restrictions governing the entry of [[Palestinians]] to Israel, and their lack of access to foreign Embassies to get travel visas, many residents must travel to [[Amman]], [[Jordan]] to use the [[Queen Alia International Airport]], which requires passage through a number of checkpoints and the Jordanian border. Taxis are the main form of public transportation within Nablus and the city contains 28 taxi offices and garages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Taxi.htm |title=Taxi offices |access-date=2008-04-24 |publisher=Nablus Municipality |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080217044118/http://www.nablus.org/en/htm/guide/Taxi.htm |archive-date = February 17, 2008}}</ref>
==Sports==
[[File:Stadium8351.JPG|thumb|Nablus municipal stadium and surroundings]]
The Nablus [[football (soccer)|football]] stadium has a capacity of 8,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4727291.stm |title=Hamas holds mass wedding ceremony |access-date=2008-06-10 |date=29 July 2005 |work=[[BBC News]] |publisher=BBC MMVIII}}</ref> The stadium is home to the city's football club [[al-Ittihad (Nablus)|al-Ittihad]], which is in the main league of the Palestinian Territories.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/v2/club.php?id=3144 |title=Ittihad Nablus |access-date=2008-06-04 |publisher=National Football Teams}}</ref> The club participated in the Middle East Mediterranean Scholar Athlete Games in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internationalsport.com/sa-hist/2000med.cfm |title=2000 Middle East/Mediterranean Scholar-Athlete Games |date=6 June 2000 |access-date=2008-06-04 |publisher=Institute for International Sport c/o International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517120702/http://www.internationalsport.com/sa-hist/2000med.cfm <!--Added by H3llBot--> |archive-date=2008-05-17}}</ref>
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* {{cite book|title=Archaeological Encyclopedia of the Holy Land|first1=Avraham|last1=Negev|first2=S.|last2=Gibson|author-link2=Shimon Gibson|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year=2005|isbn=9780826485717}}
*{{cite book|title=Village Statistics of 1945: A Classification of Land and Area ownership in Palestine|url=http://www.palestineremembered.com/Articles/General-2/Story3150.html|first=S.|last=Hadawi|author-link=Sami Hadawi|year=1970|publisher=Palestine Liberation Organization Research Center}}
*{{cite book
| last1 = Hütteroth |first1=W.-D.|author-link1=Wolf-Dieter Hütteroth
| last2 = Abdulfattah|first2=K. |author-link2=Kamal Abdulfattah
| title = Historical Geography of Palestine, Transjordan and Southern Syria in the Late 16th Century
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=wqULAAAAIAAJ
| year = 1977
| publisher = Erlanger Geographische Arbeiten, Sonderband 5. Erlangen, Germany: Vorstand der Fränkischen Geographischen Gesellschaft
|isbn= 3-920405-41-2}}
*{{cite book | editor = Mills, E. | title = Census of Palestine 1931. Population of Villages, Towns and Administrative Areas |url=https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas | publisher = Government of Palestine | location = Jerusalem | year = 1932}}
{{refend}}
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* [https://www.welcometopalestine.com/destinations/nablus/nablus-city/ Nablus City], Welcome to Palestine
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051023194849/http://mepc.org/public_asp/journal_vol7/0010_denoeux.asp A site explaining the reasons for the devastated Palestinian economy]
* [http://www.nablusculture.ps Nablus the Culture, reviving cultural life in Nablus] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415155442/http://nablusculture.ps/ |date=15 April 2022 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080409050230/http://www.humanitarianinfo.org/opt/docs/UN/OCHA/OCHAoPt_NblsRprt05_En.pdf Nablus after Five Years of Conflict] December 2005 report by [[Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs|OCHA]] (PDF).
* [http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=12074 Archaeological Remains Found in Nablus]
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