00:00This green liquid is what olive oil soap looks like before it hardens.
00:06Workers follow centuries-old techniques to handcraft nearly 8 million bars every year at this factory in southern Turkey.
00:16Handmade olive oil soap isn't only found here.
00:19It's still made in Lebanon and the West Bank.
00:22But the craft is under pressure, as industrial soap factories are squeezing out artisanal producers.
00:31Now, in a shift, demand for more natural bath products is bringing some of these workshops back to life.
00:39In Gaziantep's Nizip district, some shops export their bars to 25 countries around the world.
00:47So what does it take to make olive oil soap by hand?
00:50And how is this craft still standing?
00:56Dr. Olu Soaps is one of the largest producers of handmade olive oil soaps in Turkey.
01:10Erhan's grandfather started this factory in 1965.
01:14And today, it makes 8 tons of soap daily.
01:18The process of making these bars begins in fields like this one across Turkey.
01:24Here, olives are hand-picked from November to March.
01:30The first press extracts extra virgin olive oil, which is expensive and typically reserved for food.
01:36The leftover pulp is pressed again to produce palm oil.
01:43This is what soap makers use as their base.
01:46They boil it at nearly 180 degrees Celsius in these tanks, that are heated by steam instead of a direct
01:54flame.
01:55The mixture also contains trace amounts of palm oil.
02:10The third key ingredient is caustic soda, which causes the fat in the palm oil to break down and turn
02:17into soap.
02:21After two days of boiling in these 20-ton tanks, the mixture thickens into a smooth, glossy paste.
02:30Then, workers prepare for the next step, pouring the hot mixture onto the floor.
02:36They cover the surface with thin sheets of paper.
02:46Emin has been doing this for over 40 years, so he knows how dangerous this step can be.
03:00Workers guide the flow until it's evenly distributed across each row.
03:11That overnight rest allows the soap to cool, settle, and begin to harden.
03:18It's one of the many steps in the process that can't be rushed.
03:22So, for workers like Emin, being patient is part of the job.
03:27If you don't like it, you don't like it, you don't like it.
03:29Because you don't like it.
03:32Workers sweep the surface and scrape away any excess material before cutting begins.
03:38And the leftovers don't go to waste.
03:41They're used in the next batch.
03:44For this step, they wear soft leather shoes called meshed.
03:48They are handcrafted right here in Nizip.
03:51And prevent the craftsmen from slipping or carrying dirt onto the soaps.
04:02Cutting is a team effort.
04:04They use a simple farming tool called a harrow to slice the soap into cubes.
04:10A physically demanding task.
04:26Every movement is precise.
04:29They cut each row called a mashara into roughly 1,400 to 2,500 soaps.
04:37Next comes stamping the bars with Dr. Olu's logo.
04:47Soap has been doing this for 18 years.
04:50These days, it takes him under 10 minutes to stamp one rope.
04:59This entire floor is covered with soaps that have dried to the perfect consistency.
05:04And once they cut it, the smell of olives really hits you.
05:09Soap has been around in some shape or form for thousands of years.
05:13Some of the earliest versions date back to ancient civilizations like Babylon and Egypt,
05:19where people mixed fats with ash to create a basic cleansing substance.
05:25Olive oil soap came later, around the 10th century, in cities like Aleppo and Nablus,
05:30which have remained at the center of the craft even to this day.
05:35By the 19th century, towns like Nizip, where olives grew in abundance,
05:40had established soap workshops, reflecting a growing local industry.
05:45Olive oil soap was no longer just a household item.
05:49It became a traded good.
05:52But in the 20th century, production methods changed.
05:56Industrial soaps and synthetic detergents began to take over.
06:00These products were faster and cheaper to make and didn't require months of drying or skilled manual labor.
06:07The rise of liquid soap added another challenge.
06:10It was seen as a more convenient and seemingly more hygienic alternative,
06:16shifting everyday use away from bar soap.
06:19But these mass-produced products can contain around 20 ingredients,
06:24including synthetic fragrances and coloring agents.
06:29While the formula for handmade olive oil soap has remained simple.
06:34Just olive oil, water, and caustic soda.
06:38Today, as consumers look for more natural products,
06:42these bars are finding a global market once again,
06:45especially among those with sensitive skin.
06:49And that's helping traditional soap makers in Lebanon and Palestine.
06:54These places are widely considered the birthplace of olive oil soap,
06:58with some workshops dating back a thousand years.
07:03But decades of conflict in the region, even till today,
07:07has hurt the industry.
07:09While the West Bank once had nearly 40 workshops,
07:13Al-Shaka soap factory is one of 15 still operating.
07:25We visited it in 2020.
07:29Here, workers don't have hoses to spread the soap,
07:31so they carry the boiling hot liquid one bucket at a time.
07:36Then they individually measure and mark the surface before cutting.
07:40Bars from Nablus are more expensive because ingredient costs are higher.
07:45When someone comes to buy three bottles of soap,
07:48and they find five bottles of soap in Turkey or Chinese in the country,
07:54and in all the stores, they take five bottles of soap in three bottles.
07:59Over in Lebanon,
08:01Masbanat Awaita is also one of the last soap makers operating in the region.
08:06Here, workers use powdered soap flakes instead of paper
08:11to keep the liquid from sticking to the cement.
08:15They bring buckets back and forth from the tanks about 700 times.
08:21It takes three hours to cover the floor with one batch of soap.
08:27Before cutting,
08:28they mark the boundaries by soaking this cord in dye
08:31and stretching it across the floor.
08:41Back in Turkey,
08:43museums like this one play a role in telling that story.
08:51This 400-year-old building was once a working soap factory.
08:56Now, it attracts thousands of visitors a year.
09:08Each room reflects a different stage of the process,
09:12from the initial molding and cutting to the finished bars.
09:25This kind of craftsmanship still exists in traditional soap factories today.
09:30And even as methods evolve,
09:33the need for soap hasn't changed.
09:57That's what Dr. Olus is counting on to keep its factory going.
10:01Once workers finish down here,
10:04they place the bars on wooden trays,
10:07load them onto carts,
10:09and transfer them upstairs using this elevator.
10:14This is where they stack them in towering formations,
10:18carefully placing one bar at a time.
10:21They're very beautiful.
10:29Each dome holds about 7,500 soaps.
10:33The design allows air to circulate evenly around every bar.
10:38So, as you can see,
10:39every soap has some space between it,
10:42and this is also empty in the middle.
10:45Over time, you can see the transformation.
10:48As the soap dries and ages,
10:50it actually changes color.
10:51This stack is a little lighter in color.
10:55This has been aging for a few weeks now,
10:57whereas this one is brand new,
10:59and it has this deep olive oil color.
11:02It's one of the clearest signs the soap has been made,
11:05the traditional way.
11:07Drying it for six months gives the soap its hardness
11:10and its shelf life.
11:21The factory sells them in packs of 24 to distributors
11:25who set their own price.
11:27Workers evenly group the bars in rows
11:30and cover them with coffee sacks.
11:33The packaging protects the soap from humidity
11:36while allowing it to breathe and dry.
11:39They sew each bag by hand
11:42and load the trucks to prepare for distribution.
11:47Most of these soaps are sold in Turkey,
11:49but Dr. Olu also exports to countries
11:52such as Russia and China.
12:01But they can't make them all year round,
12:04only for the three to five months
12:06when olives are in season.
12:08So to stay competitive,
12:09they also produce some machine-made varieties
12:12with different ingredients
12:13like rose, clay, and honey.
12:17For the workers here,
12:18keeping this tradition alive
12:20is a generational responsibility.
12:45Now, Erhan hopes his family's business
12:48and this craft will continue to grow.
12:51I agree with that.
12:55I believe in it that nature will lead to a house
12:58to a place where we need to grow.
12:59I believe that the nature will lead to a house
13:04but if it is not here,
13:07I believe that it is for a very high school
13:07and the nature of the house
13:08then that the nature will lead to a house
13:10which is the ndak ofuna
13:14The nature of the earth
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