KHAN AL SABOUN / OF THE SOAPS

 Built around a square courtyard with a fountain in the middle during the late 15^th Century, it was used first as a barrack for the Ottoman army, it was turned to a traditional Khan for traders and merchants. Tripoli was known by its olive oil soap production that was exported to Marseille in France which copies the soap traditional production known today as the famous soap of Marseille. The place is an attraction for the tourists as the handcraft factories compete with a range of products and fragrance mixed to the traditional product in order to innovate and to modernize this heritage.

The raw material used for these kinds of soap is olive oil, honey, natural fragrances extracted from flowers, petals, and herbs. The soaps are dried in the sun, in a dry atmosphere, allowing the evaporation of the water that served to mix the different ingredients. The drying operation lasts for almost three months. Then, the craftsmen brushe the soap very carefully to eliminate any kind of oxydation.