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Production

Aleppo Ghar Soap is an indigenous Syrian product, with its production centres mainly concentrated in Aleppo and the surrounding olive oil producing regions.

There are almost 50 fully equipped soap workshops producing as much as 20,000 tons of Aleppo Ghar Soap in a season. While a few establishments operate in Idlib and Ifreen, the majority are in Aleppo - some occupying premises as old as the industry itself.

Most of the olive oil (approximately 80%) used in Aleppo Ghar Soap manufacture is locally produced pumice oil and second quality oil. Bayberry oil is mostly imported from Turkey, as local supplies are insufficient for the needs of the industry.

Manufacture

Pure aleppo olive oil soap can only be produced in the cold months - December through to March. It is manufactured using a simple process that has changed little over the centuries. Production is usually in batches of five tons. The percentage of bayberry oil normally varies from 4 up to 25 as desired. Aleppo Ghar Soap with as much as 60% bayberry oil has been produced.

Preparation

Olive oil is mixed in large cauldrons with an aqueous solution of an alkali - soda ash. Originally the soda ash was obtained from a desert plant, the salsola kali. But recently this has been replaced by industrially produced soda ash.

The mixture is heated to more than 200 degrees Celsius and stirred until the oil fully decomposes yielding glycerin and the sodium salt of olive oil. This process is called ‘saponification’. Towards the end of the initial process, bayberry oil is added to the mixture and further saponification takes place.

The caustic soda solution is drained from the cauldron and the soap mixture is washed with fresh water until tested free of any alkalinity. It is drained again and left overnight to slightly cool and to further drain excess water.

Forming

The still-warm soap paste (light green in colour) is spread evenly onto a pre-prepared floor surface and left for several hours to harden. By the use of a manual cutting machine the raw soap is cut into cubes (the famous rough cubes of the Souk) and stamped with the manufacturer’s name and the quality of the soap.

Drying

Before being sold the soap needs a period of at least six months to fully dry. During this “aging” process, the soap is stored in piles, with spaces left between the individual soap cubes, in specially aerated rooms where it acquires its characteristic crust: the surface of the originally green soap oxidizes to an ochre colour. The thickness of the ochre layer being an indication of the age of the soap.

Packaging

The soap, fully dried and aged, is now ready to be sold. It is weighed and packed in jute sacks and stored before being transported to market.