Nābulus

Nābulus, also Nablus, city, southwestern Asia, in the West Bank region, near the Jordan River. The city is the trading center for the surrounding region in which grapes, olives, and wheat are grown and livestock is raised. The chief products of Nābulus are olive oil, soap, and wines. In the area are the supposed sites of the tomb of the Hebrew patriarch Joseph and of the well of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob. The city was founded in the 1st century ad on the site of the ancient city of Shechem. Formerly part of Jordan, Nābulus was occupied by Israeli forces as a result of the Six-Day War of 1967. At the end of 1995, Israeli troops withdrew from the city, and the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) assumed limited administrative control. Population (1997) 100,231.