Dismantling Nablus: the Samaritans, orientalism and the Mandate Department of Antiquities

The Samaritans of Nablus were an integral part of the city until British Mandate rule in Palestine, but the 1927 earthquake caused a major rupture in the community’s presence. This ‘natural’ disaster devastated the Samaritan quarter of Nablus, forcing many to leave and eventually detaching the Samaritans from central Nablus, leading to their settlement on Mount Jarzim. This chapter focuses on the controversy between Samaritan community leaders and the mandatory Department of Antiquities over repair and rebuilding in the Samaritan quarter, especially at their synagogue, exploring this confrontation through issues such as British archaeologists’ ideas about race, the politics of government departments, and the wishes of the Samaritans themselves. The colonial archive bears witness to confused attempts by British officials to impose ideas about hygiene and modernity whilst upholding notions of authenticity and antiquity, hampering Samaritan efforts to rebuild and distorting the future built environment and communal relations of Nablus.