NABLUS (SHECHEM)

The area around modern Nablus featured prominently in the lives of the Patriarchs for there was a settlement here called Shechem (its ruins have been uncovered on the eastern edge of the town).

It was here that Abraham built an altar after God had promised this land to his descendants (Genesis 12:7). Here, too, Jacob bought land from the Canaanites, pitched his tent and also built an altar (Genesis 33:18-20). Joseph's body was brought here from Egypt and buried in Jacob's plot (Joshua 24:32).

After the conquest of Canaan, Joshua fulfilled Moses' command and assembled the Israelites here, encouraging them to keep their faith by relating the blessings that would follow, and warning them of the curses that would befall them if they transgressed the Mosaic laws (Joshua 8:30-35).

Abimelech was crowned king here during the period of the Judges (Judges 9:6), and the country split into the kingdoms of Israel and Judaea when the northerners at Shechem rejected Solomon's arrogant son, Rehoboam, and seceded from the kingdom (I Kings 12:19-20).

Biblical Shechem was destroyed by the Assyrians in the 8th century BCE but became a powerful city when the Samaritans built their Temple on Mt. Gerizim in the 4th century BCE. Their shrine was converted into a Temple to Zeus by Antiochus II in 170 BCE, and this and the city were razed and levelled several decades later by the Hasmonaean leader, John Hyrcanus.

Modern Nablus, which since 1987 has been under curfew more often than not, derives its name from the Roman town founded in 72 CE close to the ruins of biblical Shechem. Known as Flavia Neapolis, its name was corrupted to Nablus following the Arab conquest in 636 CE.

The Crusaders renamed it Naples in the 12th century when they built a palace and a citadel and raised its status to the second capital of their kingdom.

Jews had lived in Nablus during many periods but they abandoned the town after the 1929 riots. The Samaritans, however, clung to this area and their present quarter lies at the foot of Mt. Gerizim. Nablus today is famous for its soap manufacturers. It is also an administrative centre of the Palestinian Authority, being the largest town in the area.

Sites

Mt. Gerizim: 881 m. above sea level. Tarred road well signposted to summit. Sacred to Samaritans for at least 2,300 years and site of their Passover pilgrimage for ritual slaughter of sheep. Sites on summit include modern Samaritan synagogue fenced-off slab of rock said by Samaritans to be site over which Abraham intended sacrificing Isaac stones marking Samaritan version of place where Joshua built an altar (the Bible says this was Mt. Ebal) ruins of octagonal Byzantine church tomb of 12th-century Sheikh Ghanem, built over one of several mountain lookout posts erected by Samaritans to signal each other with bonfires to warn of approaching enemies.

Jacob's Well: near eastern base of Mt. Gerizim. Believed to have been dug by the Patriarch Jacob. Also the site where Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman. Modern Greek Orthodox church stands over the site. Open: 7 a.m.-12 noon, 3-6 p.m.

Joseph's Tomb: just north of Jacob's Well and clearly signposted. Domed tomb set behind huge mulberry tree.

Samaritan Quarter: west of Mt. Gerizim. There are only a few hundred Samaritans today. Synagogue contains Samaritan Torah Scroll said to date from thirteenth year of settlement of Israelites in Canaan.

Shechem: ruins of biblical cities on mound west of, and close to, Joseph's Tomb, in village of Balata. Remains of defensive wall from time of Patriarchs, 3,600-year-old Hyksos temple, and relics from Israelite occupation during period of Judges and of Kings of Israel.

As you drive west along Road No. 60 out of Nablus towards Sebastia (Samaria), note the broad, clean streets of the city, with stone houses that are often inviting to the eye because of their coloured wooden shutters, wrought-iron work, red-tiled roofs and vines growing over patio roofs.

After a short while take the fork to the right that leads north on Road No. 60. A short distance later, on your left, is the new settlement of Shavei Shomron take the road to the right that skirts the ancient hill of Sebastia.

The road leads through the Arab village of Samaria. The situation permitting, you may want to stop outside the open-air cafe and walk over to the adjacent mosque in a 12th-century Crusader cathedral. It was built here because early Christians associated this site with the burial-place of the head of John the Baptist.
Inside the courtyard you will find steps leading down to a darkened room with four slits for windows. Pilgrims in the Middle Ages trekked here to see what were described as the tombs of the prophets Obadiah and Elisha. However, there are no tombs to be seen nowadays.

Continue through the narrow village streets until you reach the entrance to the National Parks site of Sebastia. It is open daily 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. (4 p.m. in winter). An entrance fee is paid.