City Detail

Nablus ( NA(H)B-ləs; Arabic: نابلس, romanized: Nābulus [ˈnæːblʊs, -lɪs] (listen); Samaritan Hebrew: ࠔࠬࠥࠊࠝࠌ, romanized: Šăkēm; Jewish Hebrew: שכם, romanized: Šəḵem, ISO 259-3: Škem; Greek: Νεάπολις, romanized: Νeápolis) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank, located approximately 49 kilometres (30 mi) north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a commercial and cultural centre of the State of Palestine, home to An-Najah National University, one of the largest Palestinian institutions of higher learning, and the Palestine Stock Exchange. Nablus is under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority as part of Area A of the West Bank. The city traces its modern name back to the Roman period, when it was named Flavia Neapolis by Roman emperor Vespasian in 72 CE.