Glimpses Of Syria In Ancient City Of Nablus

Often dubbed "Little Damascus", West Bank's ancient city of Nablus has preserved its Syrian-influenced architecture and traditions, and residents recall days of vibrant merchant trade.

NABLUS, WEST BANK (SEPTEMBER 8, 2013) (REUTERS) -  As fighting rages in Syria and bombardment in the capital has not only taken lives but fractured a metropolis, a Palestinian city in the West Bank offers a vestige of what is being destroyed in ancient Damascus.

A city dating back 2,000 years and wedged in between two mountains, Nablus in the West Bank has often been called "Little Damascus", with its similarities to the Syrian capital evident in Ottoman-style buildings, winding alleyways, and a vibrant market."In the old city, there are the same customs and traditions as Damascus - the old architecture, it has old markets and bath houses. There are many similarities," saidspice shop owner Majdi Al-Shantir, who has visited the Syrian capital.

Nablus's old city has a population of about 113,000. The walled city has been continuously inhabited since it flourished in the Roman and Ottoman periods, and today, residents still frequent its market, restaurants and bath houses -- much likeDamascus in Syria.

With a busy trade route established from the 16th century between Nablus and economic hubs like Aleppo, Cairo and Baghdad, it was not uncommon for Nablusmen to marry and bring home Syrian women.

In present-day Nablus, residents who have travelled to Syria speak of warm ties with their northern neighbour.

"I visited Aleppo before. Believe me, the neighbours there made me feel like I am inNablus, especially when it comes to making the food. They do it like how we do it, so I felt at home. And they help with everything you need, I felt right at home," saidNablus resident Najwa Al Raie.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says Nablus "represents a distinctive example of traditional urban architecture in Palestine but it has suffered considerably in recent years as a result of Israeli military incursions and destructions."

Its historical pathways from the Levantine hills have also been cut off by Israeli checkpoints.

Nablus was a flashpoint of violence during the second intifada, as Israeli Defence Forces bombarded the city, from where many Palestinian attacks were being mounted.

The old city's architecture suffered from air and ground raids, and several heritage buildings including an Ottoman-era residential complex, a school, a public bath house and a mosque were destroyed, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) said.

Architect Naseer Arafat is restoring and preserving old buildings around Nablus, and has conducted a historical survey of the city. In a book he published last year, he touches on how the destruction of buildings has frayed Nablus's cultural and economic life.

"What is happening around Syria now is heart-rending. Nablus is known as 'LittleDamascus' not only because of architecture of the buildings, but also for the traditions of its residents and if we go back to the past, we can recall how fruits fromSyria used to be sold in the markets of Nablus each morning. They used to bring the Syrian fruits from the countryside around Damascus to Nablus," Arafat said.

Nablus became a major trade centre when the city flourished in the Ottoman period, producing olive oil and costumes exported to Europe. Olive trees and cotton grew in Nablus' verdant fields, with four water springs in the area. Silk fromDamascus and Aleppo were sold in its market.

"The traditions of bathing, and the activities in the bath houses- celebrations, women coming together, smoking nargila, and gathering around the fountain yard, also the wooden window that look out to the street -- all of these things are similarities (between Damascus) and Nablus," Arafat said.

About a decade after the second intifada, economic activity is picking up in Nablus, with Arab Israelis frequenting its hillside groves on weekends.

But people-to-people exchange with other major cities in the region has waned since the 1967 war. Bus services travelling from Nablus to Beirut, Damascus,Jerusalem and Amman have not been re-established since Israel suspended them and the old trade routes are memories.