Publication Date
End of the 13th/19th century
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;16;ar
Library Location
It is located in the southwestern corner of Tuta Square in the middle of Al-Qaryun Neighborhood, Nablus, Palestine
Date
End of the 13th/19th century
Notes
The factory consists of a large stone building with a rectangular plan and consisting of two floors. The main facade of the building is sparsely decorated, and a large entrance opened in the middle of the lower section to facilitate the entry and exit of loads of oil from which soap is made. Above the opening of this entrance is a pointed arch, on either side of which many small windows open. The upper part of this façade is occupied by large windows ending in pointed arches, which were intended to illuminate and ventilate the second floor of the factory to help dry and ventilate the soap. The first (ground) floor of the factory can be accessed through a large door (description provided). This floor consists of a long hall with a high ceiling supported by intersecting arches, which in turn are supported by stone supports. Soap is made on this floor, in a spacious place called the court. The soap making process takes place in a large copper pot. There is a well in which the oil used to make soap is kept and stored. There is a staircase located on the southeastern side of the factory that leads to the second floor. The second floor consists of a large hall called a mattress, because it is the place where the sticky soap substance is spread. The ceiling of this floor consists of successive shallow domes supported by arches that are in turn supported by supports. Soap making in the city of Nablus is considered an ancient and important traditional industry, as the number of soap factories in the city at the beginning of the twentieth century reached about thirty soap factories. The owners of the wounded in the city of Nablus were leaders, nobles, scholars, and major merchants. They were interested in advertising their soap, which led to its spread in foreign markets, especially in Arab countries such as Egypt and Syria.
Sample Text
Yusuf al-Natsheh “Touqan Soapbox” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;16;ar
