Gaza, also called Gaza City, is a city in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. As of 2022, it was the largest city in the State of Palestine, with 590,481 inhabitants in 2017. The city is spread across an area of 45 square kilometres (17 sq mi). Gaza is one of the principal coastal cities in the country, home to Palestine's only port. Located some 76.6 kilometres (47.6 mi) southwest of the country's proclaimed capital East Jerusalem, the city is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Prior to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, it was the most populous city in the State of Palestine, when massive displacement happened during the war.
Beit Lahia or Beit Lahiya is a city in the Gaza Strip, north of Jabalia, in the North Gaza Governorate of the State of Palestine. It sits next to Beit Hanoun and close to the border with Israel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 89,838 in 2017.
Lions' Gate, also St Stephen's Gate, is one of the seven open Gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It leads into the Muslim Quarter of the Old City.
The Great Mosque of Gaza, also known as the Great Omari Mosque, was the largest and oldest mosque in all of Gaza, Palestine, located in Gaza City.
Umm al-Nasr Mosque or Beit Hanoun Mosque was the oldest mosque in the Palestinian city of Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip, located in the center of the city.
Omar Mukhtar Street is the main street of Gaza City, in the State of Palestine, running from Palestine Square to the Port of Gaza in the Rimal district, separating the Old City's al-Daraj and Zaytoun quarters. Gaza's hotel strip is a part of Omar Mukhtar Street and most of Gaza's most important buildings are located along the street. Built during World War I by Ottoman governor Jamal Pasha, the street was originally named after him. However, following the ouster of Ottoman forces from Palestine in 1917, Gaza's city council headed by Fahmi al-Husseini named the street after Omar Mukhtar, a Libyan revolutionary leader.
Katib al-Wilaya Mosque or Welayat Mosque was a small historic mosque located along Omar Mukhtar Street in Gaza City in the Zaytun Quarter of the Old City. The mosque was built by the Burji Mamluks in 1432, however, the structure could date further back to 1344. Additions to the western part of the mosque were commissioned in 1584 by Ahmed Bey, the Ottoman clerk of the Damascus Vilayet. Damascus Vilayet's Arabic transliteration was Wilayat Dimashq, hence the name of the mosque Katib al-Wilaya.
Shuja'iyya, also Shejaiya, Shijaiyeh, Shujayya, Shuja'ia, Shuja'iya, is the southern quarter of Old City of Gaza, and the only quarter of the Old City located outside the historical city walls. It is one of the largest neighborhoods in Gaza, once holding 92,000 to 100,000 residents. It is located east of Gaza's city center, and its nucleus is situated on a hill located across the main Salah al-Din Road that runs north–south throughout the Gaza Strip. Shuja'iyya contains several ancient structures, mosques and tombs. The Commonwealth War Cemetery is located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north of the commercial center of the neighborhood.
The Ibn Marwan Mosque is a Mamluk-era mosque in Gaza, Palestine in the midst of a cemetery in the Tuffah neighborhood, relatively isolated from the rest of the city. Inside is the tomb of a holy man named Sheikh Ali ibn Marwan who belonged to the Hasani family. The Hasani family came from Morocco and settled in Gaza where Ibn Marwan died in 1314 CE. The cemetery is also named after Ibn Marwan. The mosque itself was built in 1324. The Ibn Marwan Mosque contains an oratory and the stones of the tombs in the adjacent cemetery are believed to contain historical inscriptions.
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.
The Ibn Uthman Mosque is a ruined mosque in Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. It is regarded as second only to the Great Mosque of Gaza in terms of beauty and status as a Friday mosque. Noted for its architectural patterns, the mosque was established in three different stages during the Burji Mamluk period of rule in Gaza. Israel destroyed the mosque in 2023, as part of its invasion of the Gaza strip.
Al-Daraj or Haraat al-Daraj is the densely populated northwestern quarter of the Old City of Gaza. Its name translates as "Quarter of the Steps." Situated on an oblong hill about 20 meters (66 ft) above sea level and higher than any other area in the city, al-Daraj likely received its name either from stairs that once led to it or from the feeling of climbing steps when attempting to reach the neighborhood. It is also referred to as the "Muslim Quarter" and contains several mosques and other Muslim edifices.
Al-Sham'ah Mosque or Bab ad-Darum Mosque is a historic mosque located in Hayy al-Najjarin of the al-Zaytun Quarter in Gaza's Old City, Palestine. Its name Sham'ah translates as "Candle," although the origin of the name is unknown. The mosque does not have a minaret. It was built on 8 March 1315 by the Mamluk Governor of Gaza, Sanjar al-Jawli.
Al-Jawali Mosque or Amir Sanjar al-Jawli Mosque is a mosque in Hebron, Palestine, located in the southwestern corner of the Old City and part of the Ibrahimi Mosque sanctuary.
Al-Aybaki Mosque is a historic mosque situated in the al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City, Palestine. Built by the Mamluks in the late 13th century, the mosque is named after Sheikh Abdullah al-Aybaki, a Muslim religious leader. According to his nisba "Aybaki", Sheikh Abdullah was a mamluk or relative of Izz al-Din Aybak, the first Mamluk sultan of Egypt. Sheikh Abdullah's son Sheikh Iyad was buried nearby at the Sayed al-Hashim Mosque in al-Daraj while his other son Ahmad al-Aybaki, a local saintly person, was buried in a sanctuary called al-Mazar ash-Sheikh Aybak.
The Mahkamah Mosque was a congregational mosque and madrasa, built in 1455, destroyed by Israeli bombing during the 2014 Gaza War. The mosque was located along Baghdad Street near the main western entrance of the Shuja'iyya district in Gaza City, Palestine.
Al-Zaytun is the southwestern and largest quarter of the Old City of Gaza. Prior to the demolition of the Old City's walls, it was one of the three walled quarters of Gaza's Old City, the other two being al-Tuffah in the northeast and al-Daraj in the northwest. Omar Mukhtar Street, Gaza City's main thoroughfare, separates al-Zaytun from al-Daraj.
Moshe Sharon is an Israeli historian of Islam.
The Old City of Gaza is the historical center of Gaza City, in the Gaza Strip. For much of recorded history it has been the southernmost coastal city in the region of Palestine, occupying a strategic position on ancient trade route of the Via Maris, between Egypt and the Levant. Throughout its history, Gaza has been ruled by various empires, including the Philistines, Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Romans, and Ottomans. Following Israeli bombardment during the ongoing Gaza–Israel conflict, the Old City has been described in 2024 as "a vast field of ruins".
Palestine 