The Camel: Nabulsi Soap

The Camel / al-Jamal, made in the Shaka'a family-owned workshop in Nablus, is the most iconic imprint of Nablus soap -- often people refer to 'al-Jamal soap' to mean Nablus soap in the same way that people talk of Jacuzzi for hot tubs or Xerox for copy machines. Its main market is in southern Palestine around Hebron.

The imprint took its mascot from the camel trains used to carry in gilw soda ash and olive oil to Nablus from neighboring countrysides.

Nablus soap has a history dating back 4500 years to ancient Syria and Iraq. It's the ancestor of famous European soaps like Castile and Marseilles.