Aleppo soap (also known as savon d'Alep, laurel soap, Syrian soap, or ghar soap, the Arabic word غَار, meaning 'laurel') is a handmade, hard bar soap associated with the city of Aleppo, Syria. Aleppo soap is classified as a Castile soap as it is a hard soap made from olive oil and lye, from which it is distinguished by the inclusion of laurel oil.
The origin of Aleppo soap is unknown. Unverified claims of its great antiquity abound,[1][2] such as its supposed use by Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and Queen Zenobia of Syria.[3] Although it has been claimed that soap-making was introduced to the West from the Levant after the First Crusades, in fact, soap was known to the Romans in the first century AD and Zosimos of Panopolis described soap and soapmaking in c. 300 AD.[4]
Today most Aleppo soap, especially that containing more than 16% of laurel oil, is exported to Europe and East Asia.[5]
Traditional Aleppo soap is made by the "hot process". First, the olive oil is brought into a large, in-ground vat along with water and lye. Underneath the vat, there is an underground fire that heats the contents to a boil. Boiling lasts three days while the oil reacts with the lye and water to become a thick liquid soap.
Soap cooling
The laurel oil is added at the end of the process, and after it is mixed in, the mix is taken from the vat and poured over a large sheet of waxed paper on the floor of the factory. At this point, the soap is a large, green, flat mass, and it is allowed to cool down and harden for about a day. While the soap is cooling, workers with planks of wood strapped to their feet walk over the soap to try to smooth out the batch and make it an even thickness.
Final result
The soap is then cut into cubes. The cubes of soap are stacked in staggered cylinders to allow maximum air exposure. Once they have dried sufficiently, they are put into a special subterranean chamber to be aged for six months to a year. While it is aging, the soap goes through several chemical changes. The free alkaline content of the soap (the alkaline which did not react with the oil during saponification) breaks down upon slow reaction with air. The moisture content of the soap is also reduced, making the soap hard and long-lasting. And lastly, the color of the outside of the soap turns pale gold, while the inside remains green.
Modern Aleppo soaps are manufactured using a "cold process" and contain olive and laurel oils, and may contain a variety of herbs and/or essential oils.
Ingredientsedit
Aleppo soap is made with olive oil, the oil of the laurel berry (zeit ghar), water, and lye; the concentration of laurel oil, typically 2–20%, determines the quality and cost of the soap.[citation needed] Aleppo soap is biodegradable.[6]
In the 20th century, with the introduction of cold process soap making, soap artisans from Aleppo began introducing a variety of herbs and essential oils to their soaps.
Unlike most soaps, some Aleppo soap will float in water.[citation needed]
Skin care propertiesedit
Aleppo soap can be used daily as soap for washing and shampooing, as face mask, as shaving cream, and for bathing infants and babies.[7] Laurel oil is an effective cleanser, with some antimicrobial,[8] antifungal[9] and anti-itching properties.
^Simić, A.; Soković, M. D.; Ristić, M.; Grujić-Jovanović, S.; Vukojević, J.; Marin, P. D. (2004). "The chemical composition of some Lauraceae essential oils and their antifungal activities". Phytotherapy Research. 18 (9): 713–7. doi:10.1002/ptr.1516. PMID 15478207. S2CID 8172910.
Bibliographyedit
Cynthia Zaferatos (2008). (PDF). EUROMED Sustainable Connections Policy Analysis. Anna Lindh Foundation. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-07. Retrieved 2011-10-01 – via Western Washington University.
Nayak, Shivananda; Nalabothu, Poorna; Sandiford, Steve; Bhogadi, Vidyasagar; Adogwa, Andrew (2006). "Evaluation of wound healing activity of Allamanda cathartica. L. And Laurus nobilis. L. Extracts on rats". BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 6: 12. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-6-12. PMC1456996. PMID 16597335.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aleppo soap.
Arthur, Golda. Aleppo soap: War threatens an ancient tradition BBC News, 15 May 2013.
Video of the making of Aleppo Soap, Insider 2019
February 16, 2024
aleppo, soap, also, known, savon, alep, laurel, soap, syrian, soap, ghar, soap, arabic, word, ار, meaning, laurel, handmade, hard, soap, associated, with, city, aleppo, syria, classified, castile, soap, hard, soap, made, from, olive, from, which, distinguished. Aleppo soap also known as savon d Alep laurel soap Syrian soap or ghar soap the Arabic word غ ار meaning laurel is a handmade hard bar soap associated with the city of Aleppo Syria Aleppo soap is classified as a Castile soap as it is a hard soap made from olive oil and lye from which it is distinguished by the inclusion of laurel oil Aleppo soap Contents 1 History 2 Manufacturing process 3 Ingredients 4 Skin care properties 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksHistory editThe origin of Aleppo soap is unknown Unverified claims of its great antiquity abound 1 2 such as its supposed use by Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and Queen Zenobia of Syria 3 Although it has been claimed that soap making was introduced to the West from the Levant after the First Crusades in fact soap was known to the Romans in the first century AD and Zosimos of Panopolis described soap and soapmaking in c 300 AD 4 Today most Aleppo soap especially that containing more than 16 of laurel oil is exported to Europe and East Asia 5 Manufacturing process editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message nbsp Soap in a vatTraditional Aleppo soap is made by the hot process First the olive oil is brought into a large in ground vat along with water and lye Underneath the vat there is an underground fire that heats the contents to a boil Boiling lasts three days while the oil reacts with the lye and water to become a thick liquid soap nbsp Soap coolingThe laurel oil is added at the end of the process and after it is mixed in the mix is taken from the vat and poured over a large sheet of waxed paper on the floor of the factory At this point the soap is a large green flat mass and it is allowed to cool down and harden for about a day While the soap is cooling workers with planks of wood strapped to their feet walk over the soap to try to smooth out the batch and make it an even thickness nbsp Final resultThe soap is then cut into cubes The cubes of soap are stacked in staggered cylinders to allow maximum air exposure Once they have dried sufficiently they are put into a special subterranean chamber to be aged for six months to a year While it is aging the soap goes through several chemical changes The free alkaline content of the soap the alkaline which did not react with the oil during saponification breaks down upon slow reaction with air The moisture content of the soap is also reduced making the soap hard and long lasting And lastly the color of the outside of the soap turns pale gold while the inside remains green Modern Aleppo soaps are manufactured using a cold process and contain olive and laurel oils and may contain a variety of herbs and or essential oils Ingredients editAleppo soap is made with olive oil the oil of the laurel berry zeit ghar water and lye the concentration of laurel oil typically 2 20 determines the quality and cost of the soap citation needed Aleppo soap is biodegradable 6 In the 20th century with the introduction of cold process soap making soap artisans from Aleppo began introducing a variety of herbs and essential oils to their soaps Unlike most soaps some Aleppo soap will float in water citation needed Skin care properties editAleppo soap can be used daily as soap for washing and shampooing as face mask as shaving cream and for bathing infants and babies 7 Laurel oil is an effective cleanser with some antimicrobial 8 antifungal 9 and anti itching properties See also editAzul e branco soap Castile soap Marseille soap Nabulsi soap Vegan soap African black soapReferences edit Mosquin Daniel 2008 03 26 Laurus nobilis Botany Photo of the Day Botanicalgarden ubc ca Archived from the original on 2012 04 02 Retrieved 2012 07 09 Aleppo Soap The True Natural Soap Natural Cosmetic News Archived from the original on 2012 09 02 Retrieved 2012 07 09 Giuliani Alessandra 2007 Developing Markets for Agrobiodiversity Securing Livelihoods in Dryland Areas London Earthscan ISBN 9781849770972 Partington James R 1960 A history of Greek fire and gunpowder JHU Press p 307 ISBN 9780801859540 Yacoub Khaled 2010 10 22 Modern threat to Syria s ancient Aleppo soap industry Reuters Retrieved 2012 07 09 Al Darbi M M Saeed N O Islam M R Lee K 2003 Biodegradation of Natural Oils in Seawater PDF Energy Sources 27 1 2 21 CiteSeerX 10 1 1 497 4049 doi 10 1080 00908310490448073 S2CID 7615677 Kiechl Kohlendorfer Ursula Berger Cindy Inzinger Romy 2008 The Effect of Daily Treatment with an Olive Oil Lanolin Emollient on Skin Integrity in Preterm Infants A Randomized Controlled Trial Pediatric Dermatology 25 2 174 8 doi 10 1111 j 1525 1470 2008 00627 x PMID 18429773 S2CID 19920016 Fukuyama Noriaki Ino Chieko Suzuki Yumiko Kobayashi Noritada Hamamoto Hiroshi Sekimizu Kazuhisa Orihara Yutaka 2011 Antimicrobial sesquiterpenoids from Laurus nobilis L Natural Product Research 25 14 1295 303 doi 10 1080 14786419 2010 502532 PMID 21678158 S2CID 20697261 Simic A Sokovic M D Ristic M Grujic Jovanovic S Vukojevic J Marin P D 2004 The chemical composition of some Lauraceae essential oils and their antifungal activities Phytotherapy Research 18 9 713 7 doi 10 1002 ptr 1516 PMID 15478207 S2CID 8172910 Bibliography editCynthia Zaferatos 2008 The History Of Olive Oil PDF EUROMED Sustainable Connections Policy Analysis Anna Lindh Foundation p 2 Archived from the original PDF on 2012 04 07 Retrieved 2011 10 01 via Western Washington University Nayak Shivananda Nalabothu Poorna Sandiford Steve Bhogadi Vidyasagar Adogwa Andrew 2006 Evaluation of wound healing activity of Allamanda cathartica L And Laurus nobilis L Extracts on rats BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 6 12 doi 10 1186 1472 6882 6 12 PMC 1456996 PMID 16597335 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aleppo soap Arthur Golda Aleppo soap War threatens an ancient tradition BBC News 15 May 2013 Video of the making of Aleppo Soap Insider 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aleppo soap amp oldid 1193504243, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
