Nablus

City and district on the west bank of the River Jordan, 50 km/31 mi north of Jerusalem; population (1995) 130,000. Nablus is a trading centre for agricultural products. Formerly Shechem, it was the ancient capital of Samaria, and a few Samaritans remain. The British field marshal Allenby's defeat of the Turks here in 1918 completed the conquest of Palestine. It was occupied by Israel in 1967 and was the scene of bitter conflict during the Intifada; Israeli troops withdrew in December 1995.

Features Jacob's Well lies just outside the eastern end of the town, below the village of Sychar. Nablus itself is long and narrow, and is traversed by two parallel suqs (markets), containing several mosques which were formerly Crusaders' or Byzantine churches. This part of the town was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1927. The Great Mosque in the eastern part of the town was originally a basilica built by Justinian and rebuilt by the Crusaders.

History Shechem is associated with the earliest period of Jewish settlement. It was here that Abraham pitched his tent on entering Canaan, and set up the first altar to Jehovah on a spot still shown on Mount Ebal. It was to Shechem, which lies in the narrow valley separating Mount Ebal from Mount Gerizim, that Joshua led the Israelites after the miraculous passage of the Jordan. Nablus was and is the main centre of the Samaritans. It was captured by the Crusaders under Tancred, and an important ecclesiastical council was held here in the reign of Baldwin II. Many Jews were murdered here in the Arab revolt of 1929 and Nablus became a centre of Arab nationalism.