Last week I ventured into the West Bank or as I prefer to call it Palestine. It seems unfair to refer to it as the West Bank when India and 135 other countries recognise Palestine as a state. Honestly, more than six months in this country has made me more sensitive to such nomenclature, the communities involved and their perspectives in general.

Nablus is the third largest city in the Palestinian Territories after Gaza City and Hebron. It is located about 130km east of Tel Aviv and can be reached from Tel Aviv in about 90 minutes. I am not an authority on what route to take to get there, although an Arab cab driver from East Jerusalem is whom you should hire if you plan a trip to any of the Palestinian Territories. Or a Palestinian public bus from the Damascus Gate bus depot in Jerusalem.

The drive to Nablus was event-less. I was expecting to be stopped at a check-post and asked for my passport and questioned on my purpose of visit etc, but that was not the case. Although you cross the Green Line without any inkling of having crossed one of the most disputed borders in the world, leaving Israeli territory and entering Palestinian territory is dramatic. When the Isareli roads do not let you feel the jolt, the Judean Hills loom over making you take notice of the transition.

It was during the drive from Jerusalem to Masada/Dead Sea that I first saw The Wall and felt the sharp change in geography and demography. Clotheslines with white shirts and black pants disappeared and were replaced by barbed wire restricting Palestinians access to the ‘Israeli’ highway; residential buildings faded away and the dry and rocky Judean Hills took their place along the roads. The drive to Nablus was similar. Unless you stay awake and look out of the window, when you reach the shock will come to you as a punch in your gut. The scenery eases the transition.

Nablus is one of the eight cities that is classified under Area A, meaning it is completly under Palestinian control, barring nearby settlements of course. The sights and sounds of Nablus’ city centre reminded me of a busy Indian city or even East Jerusalem for that matter. Making me feel more at home in this Palestinian city were huge hoardings of Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Emran Hashmi promoting cosmetics. The city centre is lined with shopping complexes, eateries, banks and everything else a modern city centre constitutes. Tall modern shopping complexes that dominate the city’s skyline here are just a modern facade of the old city of Nablus itself.

SRK promoting fairness cream in Palestine

Negotiating random traffic which comprised mules and Volkswagens alike, we entered a narrow covered market street. Everything about the market street reminded me of Jerusalem’s old city. The arches, the colour of the walls, the meditative azaan, colourful and aromatic spices on display and even the carts that shopkeepers use to transport goods inside the old city. After a short walk through the old city’s market we entered the maze of Nablus’ old city.

Nablus City Centre                                                      Nablus Old City

The old city of Nablus is similar to that of Jerusalem in many ways and is radically different is an equal number of ways. The political graffiti calling for a united Palestine, posters of civilian fighters brandishing weapons and plaques on houses with photos of family members who were either martyrs or victims of Israeli military form the main narrative here. Locals point to particular windows and houses and retell how Israeli military holed up in those houses shot and killed innocent civilians. The old city was under siege by the Israeli military as part of Operation Defensive Shield in 2002. During this time strict curfew was imposed on the old city residents and the military entered many houses by boring holes in walls. The curfew lasted more than three months. A who was in his late teens during this period says, “We did not have enough supplies to last so many days. People who broke curfew to procure food and water were gunned down by snipers.” From a roof top a local points to a vacant space that looks like a parking lot inside the old city, “There used to be a soap factory here. The military suspected that terrorists were hiding in there and brought the building down. It later turned out that just a small Palestinian family was living there.”

In its days of glory, Nablus was a business centre famous for its soaps made from olive oil. The city’s economy sustained a huge blow with the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The number of soap factories has dwindled over the years and only two or three are still functional. If you are lucky to visit the city at the right time of the day, you could visit a soap factory inside the old city.

If you peel away the layers of violence that the old city has sustained and witnessed as recently as the second Intifada (2000-2005), you would be able to uncover the charm and majesty of this historical city. Standing on one of the roof tops, I see the old crumbling old city buildings against the backdrop of the modern houses built on the hills surrounding the city. Those who could afford to leave their houses in the old city for new houses have done so, turning the old city into a magnificent time capsule.The market of Nablus’ old city is one where I finally bought kajal as I was running out of my desi supply. The market here is most famous for the best kanafeh in all of Palestine. A nondescript hole in the wall bakery is one of the many bakeries here that make the most tasty Middle-Eastern dessert I have tasted so far.

Two workers pass huge circular trays around spreading semolina and cheese, the key ingredients of kanafeh, on the trays. A third takes it to the kitchen to cook it and a fourth is busy crumbling big blocks of white Nablusi cheese into small pieces. With an indulgent slathering of sugar syrup, the rust-coloured gooey kanafeh is ready. A queue has formed in the meantime, the previous batch of customers are getting ready to leave and make space for the next batch. It took less than ten minutes for the rather large tray of kanafeh to be served to around 30 eager customers. The dessert is juicy, cheesy, and even has a little crunch to it because of the upper crust of semolina. A generous chunk of the dessert cost me just 4 shekels! I don’t even get a bar of chocolate for 4 shekels in Tel Aviv!

Entry to Nablus is forbidden for Israelis; if you own a non-Israeli passport there is no reason you should miss a short day trip to Nablus. It is easy to visit to Nablus, just hop on to a taxi from East Jerusalem near Damascus Gate. The city also has a couple of non-political spots of interest. Tel Balata is an archealogical site where excavators have found the remains a massive Cannaite city wall (1700 BC) and a temple. Jacob’s Well is not far from Tell Balata. Go inside and take a sip of water from the well where Jesus is said to have had water offered by a Samaritan woman. The well is inside an Greek Orthodox Monastery. A lone priest is the sole keeper of this Biblical site.