Tourist Trails The Soap Factory

The Soap Factory

In the Mamluk era, the Lower Church and its outbuildings were converted into a large soap manufacturing facility, connected with the transformation of Shobak, from a Crusader castle into an Islamic city.

First, a paste was made with water and ash, from particular local alkali plants in these twelve rectangular basins. Then, this paste was boiled with olive oil in the large cylindrical tub, heated by a furnace housed in a former Crusader subsidiary chapel. The resulting hot mixture, while still soft, was spread on the church floor to dry, and finally cut into bars of soap.

This facility stands as a rare example of a manufacturing site for a then luxury item that was exported throughout the Mediterranean.

 

Here's the recipe: first, a paste was made in these twelve rectangular basins by mixing water and ash from a particular local herb. Then, this paste was boiled with olive oil in the large cylindrical tub, heated by a furnace housed in a repurposed Crusader chapel. The resulting hot mixture, while still soft, was spread on the church floor to dry, and finally cut into soap bars.