“The photographs in the Yawm al-Firak exhibition were taken in Jenin and Nablus, two cities in the West Bank. And I want to say a few things about them—because in many ways, they tell the story of all of Palestine.

Sakir’s family is from Nablus, and my father was born there too. It’s a stunning, historic city that I’ve had the chance to visit a few times. On one of those visits, I was given a tour of a traditional soap factory. Picture this: inside a vast hall, small white blocks of are stacked in a perfect circle. Another layer is carefully placed on top, and then another, and another. Slowly, massive white cylinders take shape—tall as chimneys, almost like an art installation.

But this isn’t some modern installation—it’s a tradition that has been alive here for over a thousand years, dating back to the 10th century. The soap industry of Nablus is world-famous. As-sābun an-Nabulsi is often called the finest soap in the world, made from nothing but olive oil, water, and lye.

At its peak, Nablus had thirty soap factories. Today, only two remain. They are being strangled. Just this past December, UNESCO declared Nabulsi soap an endangered cultural heritage, as Israel’s occupation and economic restrictions have made exports nearly impossible.

And so I stood there, staring at the floor beneath me—completely tiled with those bright white soap blocks. My guide, a warm and witty Palestinian man with a thick mustache, stood on the other side of the room. ‘Come,” he said, motioning for me to cross. But I hesitated. It felt wrong to step onto them with my shoes.

’Don’t worry, Ramsey,’ his voice echoed through the hall. ‘It’s soap—it will clean itself.’”