Al-BAdr Soap Factory
This soap factory is one of only five that remain in operation, maintaining a relatively modest production capacity compared to its historical heyday. According to the factory's manager, this craft has been passed down within the family for hundreds of years. The current overseer inherited the business from his late father, Muath al-Nabulsi, who previously served as the head of the Nablus Chamber of Commerce before the directorship was transferred to one of his sons.
The architectural design of the factory adheres to the prevailing Ottoman-era style for such industrial facilities. The building itself comprises two full floors, with some having an additional third level that historically served as living quarters for the soap factory's owner. Constructed using local limestone and featuring intersecting arched ceilings supported by thick stone foundations, the factory's layout is divided into distinct functional zones.
The ground floor houses the owner's office, large copper cooking vats weighing up to a ton each, and numerous underground oil wells with a combined capacity of 50 tons. These cauldrons, covered in stone and fireclay bricks, are situated adjacent to a small water reservoir and a combustion oven that would fuel the week-long soap-making process. This level also includes storage areas for raw ingredients like caustic soda and dried olives used as fuel.
The second story, referred to as the "Al-Mufrad," is dedicated to the final stages of soap production. Here, the freshly cooked soap is poured, cooled, cut, stamped with the factory's trademark, dried, and then packaged for export. The owner has carefully preserved all the traditional tools and equipment utilized throughout these various manufacturing steps.
It is worth noting that each soap factory in Nablus historically employed over 15 workers under the owner's management, making this industry a significant source of local employment. At the industry's peak, the city was home to approximately 40 such soap factories. However, this number has dwindled over time, with many facilities succumbing to the 1927 earthquake that struck Nablus, the rising costs of olive oil, and the advent of modern liquid and scented soaps. Additionally, the 2002 occupation invasion further destroyed several of the remaining factories. Consequently, only a handful of these traditional operations continue producing soap at a modest scale.