The Rashad Shawa Cultural Center was a cultural center built in 1985, in Rimal, Gaza, State of Palestine. [1] The place was named after its founder Rashad al-Shawa, the city's Palestinian mayor who served in office for 11 years. The building was completed 1988, [2] formally opened in 1992, and destroyed by Israel in 2023. [3]
The building was two-story tall, with triangular roof. The center had a meeting place, where people meet for celebrations, the Tamari Sabbagh Library, and a stage for films and performances. [2]
It was designed by Syrian architect Sa’ad Mohaffel. Mohaffel was influenced by tropical architecture and the proximity to the Mediterranean sea, with the design aligned on a west-east access to naturally ventilate the building, a shaded southern terrace for sun protection, and an open-grid suspended ceiling for air circulation. He chose concrete as the primary construction material both for aesthetics and because it was the most affordable material available in Gaza. Mohaffel believed that despite the availability of concrete, builders in Gaza had not had opportunity to learn specialized techniques and their participation in the project would advance craftmanship in the community. [4]
Artist Laila Shawa designed the stained glass panels in the large foyer and library. [3]
In September 2009, the cultural center had a three-day festival, that featured training workshops. The workshops were designed for filmmakers to learn from the films exhibited. [5]
The stage hosted performances from Mohammed Assad, Reem Talhami, and other iconic Palestinian musicians. International leaders, including Nelson Mandela, Jacques Chirac, and Bill Clinton, gave speeches there. [3]
During a brief truce in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war it was found that Rashad Shawa Cultural Center had been reduced to rubble. Gaza City Municipality told reporters that Israeli forces intentionally targeted landmarks for destruction. [6]
Gaza, also called Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip. Prior to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, it was the most populous city in the State of Palestine, with 590,481 inhabitants in 2017.
Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in the southern Levant region of West Asia. It encompasses two disconnected territories — the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, collectively known as the Palestinian territories — within the larger region of Palestine. The country shares its borders with Israel to north, west and south, Jordan to the east and Egypt to the southwest. It has a combined land area of 6,020 square kilometres (2,320 sq mi) while its population exceeds five million people. Its proclaimed capital is Jerusalem while Ramallah serves as its administrative center and Rafah is currently its largest city. Arabic is the official language. The majority of Palestinians practice Islam while Christianity also has a significant presence.
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Al-Aqsa University is a public university with campuses in Gaza City and Khan Younis, Palestine. Established in 1955 as a teachers' institute before later expanding its curriculum, it is the first and oldest public higher education institution in the Gaza Strip. It caters for some 26,000 students and has some 1400 employees, 300 of whom are lecturers and professors.
The Islamic University of Gaza, also known as IUG and IU Gaza, is an independent Palestinian university established in 1978 in Gaza City. It was the first higher education institution to be established in the Gaza Strip. The university has 11 faculties capable of awarding BA, BSc, MA, MSc, MD, PhD, diplomas and higher diplomas, in addition to 20 research centers and institutes and the affiliated Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital.
Palestinian art is a term used to refer to paintings, posters, installation art and other visual media produced by Palestinian artists.
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Rashad al-Shawwa was the Palestinian mayor of Gaza for eleven years from 1971 to 1982. Before becoming mayor he was an outgoing local activist in the city. He was known by Israelis and Palestinians as the pro-Jordanian "father figure" of the Gaza Strip. He is the father of artist Laila Shawwa.
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Sheikh Radwan is a district of Gaza City located nearly 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) northwest of the city center. It borders al-Shati camp to the southwest, Rimal to the south, and Jabalia to the east. The Sheikh Radwan Cemetery is located in the district. It contains hundreds of graves for Palestinians killed in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, including Hamas leaders Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi, and Said Siam.
Laila Shawa, was a Palestinian visual artist whose work has been described as a personal reflection concerning the politics of her country, particularly highlighting perceived injustices and persecution. She was one of the most prominent and prolific artists of the Arabic revolutionary contemporary art scene.
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The Egypt–Palestine border, also called Egypt–Gaza border, is the 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) long border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. There is a buffer zone along the border which is about 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) long.
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Rawya Rashad Said al-Shawa was a Palestinian journalist and politician. She was one of the first group of women elected to the Legislative Council in 1996.
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