www.visit-palestine.com Nablus, approximately 63 kilometers north of Jerusalem, is the second largest city in the West Bank. It is a thriving industrial and trade center fill of archeological sites and ruins in varying stages of excavation. Visitors have been particularly enthralled with the Roman Theater near the heart of the city. It has a steady stream of visitors throughout the year.

Nablus is known around the world for its exquisite olives, olive oil, and olive wood products. In the Old City, one can wander for hours through the market. Nablus is known for it appetizing sweets. Sampling Knaffe, made from a delicate combination of melted cheese, shredded grain, and sugary honey sauce, is a must for any visitor to Nablus.

Another significant site is Jacob's Well, 2 kilometers east of Nablus by the village of Balata. It is the site where Jesus is said to have asked a Samaritian woman to draw water from a well for him. Today Jacob's Well is located in a Greek Orthodox monastery and is open to the public.

Nablus has a Samaritian Quarter west of town. The Samaritans history dates back to 721 B.C.E. Samaritans follow the Torah but they differ from northern Judaism about the sites of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac and Joshua's altar. Samaritans have identified sites on Mount Gerzim in the Nablus region as the locations for these events. Accordingly they are separate and a small community of Hebrew and Arabic speaking Jewish Palestinians.

Soap in Nablus has been made for years from soda and olive oil. Although the manufacturing methods have changed slightly over the years, soap made in Nablus is still renowned for its purity and is exported throughout markets in the Middle East. Several traditional soap factories in Nablus offer tours of their soap making process. The soap is made of olive oil, so it's a slippery tour. After the soap tour you can test your samples at one of the city's recently restored Turkish Baths.