Nablus: Old City, Clock Tower and Soapmaking

Nablus offers concrete points of interest for a journey through history and crafts: an Ottoman clock tower in the central square of the Old City, mosques with different building histories, and a soapmaking tradition that has been practiced for more than a millennium. There is also knafeh, for which Nablus is described as the place of origin. Architecture, traditions and food offer different ways to get to know the city.

The Clock Tower at the Center of the Old City

Al-Manara Square lies in the heart of the Old City and forms its central hub. The Al-Manara Clock Tower stands on this square, on Al-Naser Street. It was built in 1900 and restored in 2013. As an architectural landmark, it reflects the late Ottoman period. Here, a prominent point of reference in the cityscape meets a building from a specific era. Visitors interested in Nablus’s history will find a tangible starting point at the tower, without reducing the city’s development to a single building phase.

The Building History of the Mosques

At 1,460 square meters, the Great Mosque is the largest mosque in the city. Its history spans several building phases at the same site: first, there was a Roman basilica, which was converted into a Byzantine church in the 5th to 6th century. In 1167, the Crusaders rebuilt it as a church. After Saladin’s victory, it was converted into a mosque in 1187. This sequence brings together Roman, Byzantine and later building history in one place. The history of the Great Mosque therefore tells not only of a single building, but also of changes in how it was used.

The present-day An-Nasr Mosque also has its own building history. It was built on the remains of an older mosque of the same name. That older mosque had been demolished after the 1927 earthquake; before that, it had been built on the remains of a Crusader church dating from 1187. Taken together, the two mosques show different historical sequences: at the Great Mosque, the focus is on several conversions at the same site, while at the An-Nasr Mosque, it is on the succession of older buildings beneath the present structure.

A Residence and Market in the Old City

The Touqan Palace in the Old City is an important historic residence. It was built by prominent families such as Al-Touqan, Abd al-Hadi and al-Nimr, who enjoyed considerable political and economic standing during the Ottoman period. The palace thus offers a different perspective on the city’s history from the mosques: here, the focus is on a residence and the families who built it.

Another distinctive feature is Khan Al-Tujjar, a covered market with around 50 shops, most of which sell clothing. Trade there is active year-round. A street about 200 meters long runs between two rows of shops facing each other and is covered along its entire length by intersecting stone vaults. Each vault has an opening for sunlight and ventilation. These details give the market its own architectural character: the length of the street, the facing rows of shops and the repeating vaults can be understood as parts of a unified design.

Soapmaking, Knafeh and Planning Your Trip

Nablus’s soapmaking tradition has been practiced for more than a millennium and was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in December 2024. Knafeh adds another dimension to this look at local traditions: Nablus is described as the place of origin of the sweet. Crafts and food thus offer distinct travel themes alongside the city’s buildings. Those who want to bring together different interests can explore historical building phases, the market’s architecture, soapmaking and knafeh as separate points of focus, rather than getting to know the city through its architecture alone.

When looking for a holiday apartment in Nablus, it may help to first consider which of these themes will shape your trip most. If your main interest is history, the clock tower, mosques and palace offer different historical perspectives. Crafts, the market and knafeh offer other points of interest.

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