Description of the site: The importance of the building lies in two critical aspects of the city's history and its traditional industries and crafts; the Nabulsi soap industry, the profession of apothecaries, and the medical field and food and sweets preparation. The building was a soap shop and factory owned by the Al-Khammash family and managed by the Abdul-Haqq family. It stopped manufacturing in 1985 AD and was neglected and abandoned until 1991 AD. Then the owners of the Braik Mill restored it and rehabilitated it as a mill while preserving the shape of the original soap factory's layout.The factory consists of two floors: the first includes the gate in its northern frontispiece leading to the owner's room on the eastern side. At the same time, the items and soap ingredients were all over the ground floor. It contained the soap pot below the top of the fire, an oven in which solid materials, especially olive dried, were placed to heat the soap mixture. The ground floor includes olive oil tanks in the form of wells under the ground of the factory and fuel stores such as peat and other ingredients. The upper floor was designated for pouring, drying, cutting, and packaging the soap mixture before it was prepared for export, which is a complex and lengthy process. The soap industry formed the backbone of the city's economy and its industry, and its fame reached all Arab and European countries. Based on it, the city of Nablus became an essential economic center in Palestine.The new function of the soap factory is a spice mill. It highlights the most essential traditional craft in the city, which is the profession of Apothecary, which is related to medical prescriptions for treating various diseases. It used to replace a pharmacy and sell spices of all kinds, as well as wild plants needed in cooking, food, and popular drinks.The Braik family is the oldest Nabulsi family working in this field, especially the owner's father, Haj Abdel-Fattah Braik, since 1936 AD. Then his sons developed the profession after they opened the mill in 1991 AD. Currently, they have more than 150 varieties of spices, local, and imported medicinal plants from Southeast Asian countries that are used in food, beverages, medical prescriptions, cosmetics, etc. Due to the availability of these items, their quality, and the beautiful presentation offered by the mill, it has attracted many people from the city and outside, including foreign tourists.
The mill is located at the beginning of Sabanat Street from the western side within the Al-Yasmina neighborhood. It is bordered on the east by the roofed Yasmina road, and the palace of Hussein Abd al-Hadi. From the north, Al-Sabanat Street and Al-Sa...
Nablus - Al-Yasmina Neighborhood - Al-Sabanat street- opposite Al-Satoun Mosque.
PS-NBS
Palestinian Territories