Beit Hammad: Al-Nabulsi Castle
Words and photos Mohammed Hammad
If anyone is visiting Nablus it’s probably not to see a castle. Apart from its cheese, Nablus is particularly sought after for its landscape. The city stretches between the northern and southern mountains – Eibal and Gerzim – which the main streets leading in and out of it wind around from its north entrance coming from the Jordan Valley, its southern entrance leading to Jerusalem, and its western entrance which connects it with the coast line. This all sounds very poetic, because in reality, all of these roads are blocked with checkpoints, and the best one can do is to go up to one of the surrounding hills on a clear day, and catch a glimpse of the Mediterranean water glowing beneath the sun.
In fact, even while touring Nablus’ main sites, chances are slim that hear about Beit Hammad, which has also gone by the name of Al-Nabulsi Castle. Despite its historical presence and important location at one of the entrances to the city, only a few tour guides might mention it to you. This old house lies in the middle of Askar town, at the eastern side of the city. It used to be the connecting point for everyone coming from the Jordan Valley, and all the eastern and northern villages around Nablus. It first belonged to the Al-Nabulsi family, and remained so until circa 1950. Then Ata Al-Hammad – the great grandfather of the family who used to work for Haj Al-Nabulsi – bought half of the property from them. The other parts were then bought by his sons, and the house now belongs to their heirs. But the Hammads (a branch of Al-Dweikat family) in turn left the house abandoned and partially ruined.
What is Beit Hammad today was back then the only building of its size in the eastern part of Nablus. Haj Nimer Al-Nabulsi built this structure around 1900 (based on family oral history). He was a renowned local builder and maker of stone decorations, and has also built the mosque by his name (Haj Nimer Al-Nabulsi) in the old city of Nablus. He built the entire house on a system of cross arches, boasting perfection in design. The exterior stone of the building is made of solid and distinguished Zultanite stones. The house is spread over three floors and a basement. According to family stories, in the basement – which was used mainly for storage – were tombs from Roman times. These are nowhere to be seen due to the theft and vandalism that the site endured.
Beit Hammad is located on a hill looking down at the central part of the village and the rest of the fields beyond. Under it runs a natural water spring that has public access in the center of the village, and it has gardens in the backyard and a bigger garden on its eastern side that’s connected to its main front entrance. There are large stone stairs leading from the main entrance to the first floor. This floor is made of a sizable hall – which mostly served as a guest hall – with large windows. Sadly, this floor is damaged, not only since it hasn’t been taken care of, but also and for the most part because of informal excavations by people who believed that treasures hid underneath the house. The ministry of tourism also got engaged in an excavation process based on what turned out to be inaccurate information, which resulted in nothing except leaving the house in sand and ruins without offering any restoration from the damages.
The second and third floors are similar in design. Nowadays, you have to access the third floor from a backdoor due to damages in some parts of the house. There you will find yourself in a large hall that extends into separate rooms on the sides, each of which was occupied by one of the children and their family. At the end of the hall is a small terrace that overlooks the house and the field of Askar village.
After acquiring the property, the Hammad family lived in it until the early 90s, before each family went to live in a separate house in the village. They removed the original pavement of the castle and transferred it to their new premises.
Today, the house is in dire condition due to negligence and lack of maintenance, and some parts of it are likely deteriorating to collapse. One can be granted a short visit by a member of the Hammad family who will take visitors around the location and share some background stories. Beit Hammad is a true treasure that is still standing in the middle of the village, yet is entirely abandoned. It’s a castle that could be cherished as an important element in the urban history of Nablus city, and become a prominent attraction for visitors.