Understand
Nablus is one of the oldest cities in the world, possibly first established 9000 years ago. It was originally called "Shechem" by its Canaanite inhabitants. The Romans built a new city Flavia Neapolis, in honor of Flavius Vespasian a short distance from Shechem. The name Nablus comes from Neapolis. The old city of Nablus is located on the site of Neapolis, but in modern times the city has grown to include the site of Shechem as well.
Nablus is distinguished by its location in a narrow valley between the two mountains Gerizim and Ebal. This makes for an impressive view when you are within the city itself.
Schools were first established in the middle of the 19th century during the short reign of Ibrahim Pasha, but maintained their existence in the following years when the Ottomans regained control of the region. On 11 July 1927 the town suffered a major earthquake. Much of the consequent damage to buildings was never repaired, and the ruinous condition of many of them may well have encouraged the inhabitants to move outside the old city to build their new houses, although some new building to the north and west of the old city had already been undertaken before 1927. The arrival of the motor car has increased emigration to the slopes of Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, where new roads allow vehicles the easy access denied them in the hilly and partly-stepped streets of the old city.
During the British Mandate 1918-1948, Nablus became the core of Palestinian Nationalism, and it was the center of resistance against the British. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli war Nablus came under Jordanian authority, and 2 refugee camps were built near the city. In 1967, Nablus was occupied by the Israeli army, the occupation damaged the infrastructure of the city. The hard years of the occupation caused much damage to the city, 3 refugee camps were added to accommodate the people who fled to the city.
Nablus was invaded and occupied in 2002 during the Second Intifada, and has been raided frequently ever since. Nablus has a particularly high concentration of open anti-Israeli sentiments for a major West Bank city; you can see many memorials to Palestinians killed during Israeli attacks in the old city, and the IDF and Palestinian militants occasionally clash in some parts of greater Nablus such as the refugee camps. There are many damaged buildings and debris-filled fields around Nablus, the result of past Israeli aerial bombing, but the residents of Nablus have been working hard on repairing their city and there's less and less visible damage every day. Israeli restrictions on the city are generally looser than they used to be, and a visit to Nablus in the daytime is a safe and worthwhile trip.
