Aleppo Savon

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Fourth-generation Syrian refugees bring centuries-old art of soap making to Calgary

Abdulfatah Sabouni is a fourth generation soap maker. Making soap has been his family business for more than 125 years. Even his last name, Sabouni, means soap maker.

The centuries-old tradition of Aleppo soap making — which uses no chemicals or other additives —involves secret family recipes handed down for generations. In the 11th century, the Crusaders brought Aleppo soap back to Europe, starting a centuries-long love affair with the olive-oil and laurel oil based soap said to be intensely moisturizing. Aleppo soap is thought to be one of the world’s oldest types of soap, and also said to have been the inspiration for the equally famous Marseille soap of France. Although claims of its great antiquity abound, such as references in the popular press to Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Queen Zenobia of Syria using Aleppo soap, these claims have yet to be verified by Scholarly method.

Traditional soap factories in Aleppo were either destroyed or abandoned, creating a worldwide shortage of Aleppo soap. Newspaper headlines appeared in Europe, Saudi Arabia and Japan, where the soap is highly coveted.

When Sabouni arrived in Calgary two years ago, his entrepreneurial dreams were never far from his thoughts. He threw himself into learning English and got the ball rolling, and opened Aleppo Savon to great success. The business continues to grow, and they have big plans for distribution across Canada and North America.

For Sabouni, making the world-famous Aleppo soap is his way of giving back to a city and country that has given him and his family so much