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Nablus
Situated 63 km north of Jerusalem
between the mountains of Gerzim and Ebal, Nablus was founded in 72 AD by
the Roman Emperor Tetus in honor of his father Flavius Vespasian. It was
called Flavia Neapolis, the 'New City', until 636 AD when the Arabs took
the town, changing its name to Nablus.
Today, Nablus is considered the
major commercial, industrial and agricultural center in the northern West
Bank.
Olive oil soap, produced from olive
oil and caustic soda, is a Nablus specialty with some of the city's soap
factories operating for more than 250 years. Nablus is also renowned for
its crafty goldsmiths and its Kenafa, a tasty oriental pastry.
Jacob's WellLocated 1.6 km south of
Nablus,
Jacob's Well is where Christ met the Samaritan woman who offered Him a
drink of water and believed in Him. Jacob dug the well for himself, his
children, and his flock on a plot of land he bought upon his return from
Mesopotamia. The Crusaders destroyed and later restored the old church
over the well. Today, it stands within the walled complex of the Greek
Orthodox Monastery.
Tell BalataLocated 3 km east of Nablus, Tal
Balata, or Shechem, is one of the earliest and most powerful Canaanite
cities. Destroyed and rebuilt several times, the ruins of this ancient
city occupy a hill rising 525m above sea level. A fortress temple on the
summit of the hill is the largest and most impressive surviving Canaanite
temple in Palestine. Other visible ruins include two monumental gates,
massive city walls, and a governor's palace with a small private temple,
guardrooms, an assembly, living quarters, and a kitchen
Old Town of Nablus
This remarkable old town in the city center
is a bustling market, or Souq, with impressive mosques, Turkish baths,
and traditional soap factories. The Great Mosque, al-Kabir, on the eastern
edge of the Old Town reportedly stands on the spot where Joseph's brothers
presented Jacob with the multi-colored bloodstained coat, to persuade him
that his youngest son was dead. West of the Great Mosque lies al-Shifa
Turkish bath. Built around 1840, it is the oldest operating Turkish bath
in Palestine.
Sabastia (Samaria)
The ancient royal city of Sebastia, or Samaria,
is considered one of the largest archeological sites in Palestine. Located
12-km northwest of Nablus, the ruins of ancient Sebastia
extend on a hill overlooking the present village of Sebastia.
The visible remains at ancient Sebastia include
Roman tombs, a Hellenistic tower, a Severan basilica, and Herodion gate
towers at the entrance of a colonnaded street with 600
columns on both sides. According to religious tradition, the head of John
the Baptist was found in Sebastia and a Crusader
church, later converted to a mosque, was built in his honor.
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Burqin Church
Located
three km west of Jenin, the village of Burqin contains the ruins of a Byzantine
church and the cave where the lepers once lived. The church has been restored several
times and is still being used by the village's Christian Greek Orthodox community. It is composed of the leper cave and
an 18th century hall and nave.
Tradition suggests that on His way to Jerusalem,
Jesus passed by the village and miraculously healed the lepers. |
Mt. Gerzim
Standing at 881m above sea level, Mt. Gerzim offers a magnificent panoramic
view of Nablus and the surrounding area.
Ancient ruins at the summit include an octagonal church built by Zeno
in the fifth century, and the remains of a mosque and a castle dating back
to the time of Salah ad-Din. A small Samaritan community, inhabiting the
plateau below the summit for the past 2500 years, holds Mt. Gerzim sacred.
Believing that Mt. Gerzim fitted Abraham's description better than Mt.
Moriah; the
Samaritans built a rival temple to the one in Jerusalem. Though the
temple has long been destroyed, the Samaritans still point out a rock that
they believe is the place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac. |
Joseph's Tomb
A little to the north of Jacob's Well is the
traditional site of Joseph’s tomb, an Ottoman building with a white
dome marks
the site.
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Zababdeh
Located six km south of Burqin, Zababdeh is built
over the site of a Byzantine village. A beautiful mosaic of a sixth century
church can be found at the convent of the Rosary Sisters, as well as a
Roman building, known as boubariya.
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Khirbet Belame
Kh. Belame is located at the southern entrance
of Jenin and is the site of the Canaanite City of Ibleam whose residents
resisted the tribe of Manasseh. The tunnel was apparently
cut during the late Bronze Age-Early Iron Age and was reused during the Roman Byzantine period. The entrance of the tunnel
has a large Roman Vault, probably rebuilt during the Crusader period. At
its entrance, a large cistern was found that might be identified with Bir-es-Sinjib/Sinjil,
a corruption of the Crusader name St. Job.
The second part of the tunnel shows evidence
of reuse from the medieval period, while the end part yielded mainly Early
Roman pottery. A large number of lamps were found, mostly in the second
part of the tunnel. |
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PALESTINE 
