Nablus

Our delightful and informative guide Mohammad drove us from Jerusalem to Nablus using the old roads so we could see the ancient caravan routes. We stopped at a vantage point to admire the view and an old woman in wonderfully colourful dress appeared. Her land was just down the slope but she had constant harassment from settlers and frequently had to appeal to the Israeli military for help. M explained that because of historical circumstances there exist 5 forms of law re land and property - Ottoman, Jordanian, Palestinian, British and Israeli. The Israelis choose which suits. There's an Ottoman law which says if you haven't worked your land for 7 years it becomes the property of the state. So this is what the settlers are trying to bring about.

On to Nablus and a tour of the old city - Shechem - its Old Testament name. Evidence of 800 year old houses bulldozed during the second intifada so that tanks could get through! Visited an old soap factory, another making sweets, a fantastic spice store and then on to the hamam. Much sweet tea and welcomes everywhere. At the entrance to the sweet store I bumped into Alessandra, an Italian Londoner whom I'd met two years ago. Mohammad then took us to see the preparation of kenafeh and sample this local speciality. It's a sort of pancake, the base of which is made with flour I think but it's yellow and looks more like grain, then on top they put goats cheese. When one side's done (and the whole thing is huge) they flip it over and pour syrup over. We watched a stream of people coming to buy slices. The turnover is non stop during the day. It's absolutely delicious.