Population

According  to  the  recent  estimates  of  the  Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics for the year 2011, the totalpopulation of Nablus governorate is estimated at 348,023 inhabitants.  While  Nablus  city  population  including  the refugee camps is 170,069. Nablus governorate includes 61  population  localities  (including  Nablus  city)  with

total  population  of  192,103   inhabitants  in  the  urban areas, 122,474 inhabitants in the rural areas, and 33,446 inhabitants in the refugee camps (Askar, Balata, and Ein Beit El-Maa’).24The total size of Nablus District land area is approximately 605 km , while the size of Nablus city land area is 29 km2 only. As for the total built area, it is about 8.7 km 2 represents 30% of overall land size of the city.

Land Area

Located  within  the  Mediterranean  region,  Nablus  enjoys  a  moderate  climate  with  average  maximum  temperature reaches 13.1 centigrade during the coldest month (January), while the minimum temperature reads 6.2 centigrade. As for the month of August, the average maximum temperature reaches 29,4 centigrade, while the minimum reaches 19,5 centigrade. North west is the dominant wind with average speed of 10 km/hr, while humidity average reaches 61%.

Many researches, historical and religious resources referred to Nablus or (Shekem) as an important holy place, due to its contribution in a number of important historical events, such as the story of Jesus Christ with the Samaritan women at Jacob’s Well. This is a true evidence that the city enjoys a prominent and important status at both religious and historical levels.

Accordingly, such status of Nablus manifested itself in its social network and the reality of life where three religions’ followers;  Moslems,  Christians,  and  Samaritans,  are  peacefully  co-existing,  living  in  cohesion  since  hundreds  of  years, demonstrating a very unique case that rarely exists elsewhere. The three religions’ followers are very aware and sensitive to their responsibilities towards their city, working homogeneously for the cause of different issues of concern to their city and local citizens. 

Al-Naser mosque Jacob’s Well Church .The Samaritan minority in Nablus counts the least population of 345 people, and they only lives in Nablus with similar community of 400 living in Holon-Tel Aviv. Samaritans believe that the summit  of  Mount  Jerzim,  where  they  are  settled,  is  the  most holy place on earth, on which the Samaritans’ temple exists. This forms the core difference between their beliefs and that of other Jewish religion followers.As  for  the hristians’  followers  whose  population counts 750 people, they mostly live in Rafidia area and belong to six churches managed by different Christian communities.  The  Jacobs’  church  in  the  east  part  of the  city  regarded  as  one  of  the  major  Christian  and holy landmarks at the both local and global levels. Samaritan Festival of Huts