Soap making is a centuries old tradition in the Levant region due to the abundance of olive oil that is used in soap making. Olive trees hold a tremendous value for the people of Bilad Al Sham (The Levant), not only from historical, cultural and social standpoints, but also from a political one especially for Palestinians, where the olive tree has become a symbol of deep rootedness, steadfastness and resistance. The abundance of olive oil gave rise to what is known as the “Soap Cities” that became central locations for soap production. Among the most famous ones are Nablus in Palestine, Aleppo in Syria and Tripoli in Lebanon.
With the main elements of production available, soap manufacturing in Nablus flourished in the 19th century. These elements were olive oil brought from the surrounding villages, water, and “qeli” which is an alkaline product derived from a semidesert plant that grows east of the Jordan Riverand was sold to soap manufacturers by Bedouin communities. Soap factories also served as olive oil banks, where farmers would store their olive oil to be either sold by the soap factory on their behalf or for later use, reflecting the trust based relationship between the factory owners and farmers.It is in that golden age and largely due to the soap industry that economic and social activities flourished in Nablus, representing a remarkable model of economic and social complementary relationship between the rural and the urban, and highlighting ethical and fair transactions between farmers and manufacturers. The olive oil soap eventually became known as ‘Nabulsi Soap’.
As is the case with all industries in Palestine, the olive oil soap industry suffers under occupation due to the division and confiscation of lands and the uprooting of olive trees by the Israeli army and settlers alike, which limits accessibility to markets and leads to an increase in price of olive oil. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, soap factories started importing cheaper olive oil from Lebanon and Syria, and then Spain and Italy. The cheaper imported olive oil, named ‘industrial olive oil’ is of a much lower quality, resulting in lower quality soap product.
In Nablus, the Al-Nabulsi family is one of the main families involved in the olive oil soap industry, in which they have worked for more than 200 years and owned around 43% of the soap factories back in the 19th century. The family opened Muath Al-Nabulsi Soap Factory (formerly known as Al Bader) in the 1930’s in a rented 800 year old building, from the outset constructed as a soap factory, in the old city.
Concerned about the low quality of soap products and honouring the legacy of soap making in his family, the owner, Mu’ath Al-Nabulsi, decided in 2003 to reintroduce the production of the traditional pure olive oil soap as was the case in the golden age, when virgin olive oil from local farmers was used. The transformation faced many difficulties, which varied from reestablishing relations of trust with local farmers to changing the perception of the consumers who got used to cheaper soaps. To their pride, the ingredients of soap making are once again sourced locally, and with high quality, except for the alkaline product that is not available anymore in the local market.
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