The Old City of Nablus

Nablus fills its valley between Gerizim and Ebal with the region's most appetising old city: lanes where the famous olive-oil soap factories still stack their towers of curing cubes as they have for centuries, khans and spice markets run at full aromatic volume, Ottoman-era hammams steam on their old schedules, and the kanafeh - the cheese-and-semolina dessert the city considers its ambassador - emerges from vast trays to queues that constitute civic life. Samaritan heritage keeps its ancient community on Gerizim above, and the old city's stone character rewards unhurried wandering with tea stops as punctuation.

What you actually see

• The soap factories - curing towers of the olive-oil craft.
• The kanafeh trays - the city's molten-cheese signature.
• The spice khans - Ottoman lanes at aromatic volume.
• The hammams - steam traditions on centuries-old schedules.

When to go

Spring and autumn suit the walking; mornings fill the markets and the kanafeh trays emerge through the day. Regional travel practicalities follow current local advice as standard.

Honest expectations

Plan by current local practicalities as standard for the region. In the lanes: courtesy and permission-first photography, especially in workshops; the kanafeh queue is the correct queue, and calories here are cultural participation.

Nearby

Mount Gerizim's Samaritan quarter, Sebastia and the northern hills.