Gaza

Gaza
Skyline of Gaza, 2007
Coat of arms of Gaza
Gaza
Arabic	غزة
Governorate	Gaza
Government	City (from 1994[1])
Also spelled	Ghazzah (officially) Gaza City (unofficially)
Coordinates	31°31′N 34°27′E / 31.517°N 34.45°E / 31.517; 34.45Coordinates: 31°31′N 34°27′E / 31.517°N 34.45°E / 31.517; 34.45
Population	409,680 (2006)
Jurisdiction	45,000  dunams (45[2] km²)
Founded in	15th Century BCE
Head of Municipality	Rafiq Tawfiq al-Makki

Gaza (Arabic: غزة‎ Ghazza; also referred to as Gaza City) is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 410,000, making it the largest city under the control of the Palestinian National Authority.

Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC, Gaza has been dominated by several different people and empires throughout its history. The Philistines made it a part of their pentapolis after the Ancient Egyptians had ruled it for nearly 350 years. Under the Romans and later the Byzantines, Gaza experienced relative peace and its port flourished. In 635, it became the first city in Palestine to be conquered by the Rashidun army and quickly developed into a center of Islamic law. However, by the time the Crusaders invaded the city, it was in ruins. In later centuries, Gaza experienced several hardships - from Mongol raids to floods and locusts, reducing it to a village by the 16th century when it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire. During the first half of Ottoman rule, the Ridwan dynasty controlled Gaza and under them the city went through an age of great commerce and peace.

Gaza fell to British forces during World War I, becoming a part of the British Mandate of Palestine. As a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Egypt administered the newly-formed Gaza Strip territory and several improvements were undertaken in the city. Gaza was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War in 1967, but in 1993, the city was transferred to the Palestinian National Authority. Hamas took over the city in 2007 after months of clashes with its rival Fatah, and since then Gaza has been under a blockade by Egypt and Israel.

The primary economic activities of Gaza are small-scale industries, agriculture and labor. However, the economy has been devastated by the blockade and recurring conflicts. Most of Gaza's inhabitants adhere to Islam, although there exists a Christian minority. Gaza has a very young population with roughly 75% being under the age of 25, and today the city has one of the highest population densities in the world—refugees make up over half of the residents.

Etymology

According to Zev Vilnay, the name "Gaza," from the Arabic "Ġazza", originally derives from the Canaanite/Hebrew root for "strong" (ʕZZ), and was introduced to Arabic by way of the Hebrew, "ʕazzā", i.e. "the strong one (f.)"; cpr. English stronghold.^[3] According to Mariam Shahin, the Canaanites gave Gaza its name, the Ancient Egyptians called it "Ghazzat" ("prized city"), and the Arabs often refer to it as "Ghazzat Hashim", in honor of Hashim, the great-grandfather of Muhammad, who is buried in the city, according to Islamic lore.^[4]

History

Gaza's history of habitation dates back 5,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world.^[5] Located on the Mediterranean coastal route between North Africa and the Levant, for most of its history it served as a key entrepot of southern Palestine and an important stopover on the spice trade route traversing the Red Sea.^[5][6]

Ancient period

Statue of Zeus unearthed in Gaza

Settlement in the region of Gaza dates back to Tell as-Sakan, an Ancient Egyptian fortress built in Canaanite territory to the south of present-day Gaza. The site went into decline throughout the Early Bronze Age II as its trade with Egypt sharply decreased.^[7] Another urban center known as Tell al-Ajjul began to grow along the Wadi Ghazza riverbed. During the Middle Bronze Age, a revived Tell es-Sakan became the southernmost locality in Palestine, serving as a fort. In 1650 BCE, when the Canaanite Hyksos occupied Egypt, a second city developed on the ruins of the first Tell as-Sakan. However, it was abandoned by the 14th century BCE, at the end of the Bronze Age.^[7] Gaza later served as Egypt’s administrative capital in Canaan.^[8] During the reign of Tuthmosis III, the city became a stop on the Syrian-Egyptian caravan route and was mentioned in the Amarna letters as "Azzati". Gaza remained under Egyptian control for 350 years until it was conquered by the Philistines in the 12th century BCE, becoming a part of their "pentapolis".^[9]

In Judeo-Christian religions, Gaza was the place where, according to the Book of Judges, Samson was imprisoned and met his death.^[10] After being ruled by the Israelites, Assyrians, and then the Egyptians, Gaza achieved relative independence and prosperity under the Persian Empire. Alexander the Great besieged Gaza, the last city to resist his conquest on his path to Egypt, for five months before finally capturing it 332 BCE;^[9] the inhabitants were either killed or taken captive. Alexander brought in local Bedouins to populate Gaza and organized the city into a polis (or "city-state"). Greek culture consequently took root and Gaza earned a reputation as a flourishing center of Hellenic learning and philosophy.^[11] Gaza experienced another siege in 96 BCE by the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus who "utterly overthrew" the city, killing 500 senators who had fled into the temple of Apollo for safety.^[12] Josephus notes that Gaza was resettled under the rule of Antipas, who cultivated friendly relations with Gazans, Ascalonites and neighboring Arabs after being appointed governor of Idumea by Jannaeus.^[13] Rebuilt after it was incorporated into the Roman Empire in 63 BCE under the command of Pompey Magnus, Gaza was temporarily ruled by Herod the Great before becoming a part of the Roman province of Syria.^[9] It was targeted by the Jews during their rebellion against Roman rule in 66 and was partially destroyed.^[14] It nevertheless remained an important city, even more so after the destruction of Jerusalem.^[15]

Throughout the Roman period, Gaza was a prosperous city and received grants and attention from several emperors.^[9] A 500-member senate governed Gaza, and a diverse variety of Philistines, Greeks, Romans, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Jews, Egyptians, Persians, and Bedouin populated the city. Gaza's mint issued coins adorned with the busts of gods and emperors.^[16] During his visit in 130 CE,^[17] Emperor Hadrian personally inaugurated wrestling, boxing, and oratorical competitions in Gaza's new stadium, which became known from Alexandria to Damascus. The city was adorned with many pagan temples; the main cult being that of Marnas. Other temples were dedicated to Zeus, Helios, Aphrodite, Apollo, Athene and the local Tyche.^[9] Christianity began to spread throughout Gaza in 250 CE, last in the port of Maiuma.^{[18][19][20][21]} Conversion to Christianity in Gaza was accelerated under Saint Porphyrius between 396 and 420. In 402, he ordered all eight of the city's pagan temples destroyed,^[9] and four years later Empress Aelia Eudocia commissioned the construction of a church atop the ruins of the Temple of Marnas.^[22]

Islamic era

Following the division of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century BCE, Gaza remained under control of the Byzantine Empire. In 635 CE, Gaza was quickly besieged and captured by the Arab Rashidun Caliphate under general 'Amr ibn al-'As following the Battle of Ajnadayn in central Palestine.^[11] Believed to be the site where Muhammad's great grandfather Hashim ibn Abd Manaf was buried, the city was not destroyed by the victorious Rashidun army. The arrival of the Muslim Arabs brought drastic changes to Gaza; its churches were transformed into mosques, including the present Great Mosque of Gaza (the oldest in the city), the population swiftly adopted Islam, and Arabic became the official language.^[23] In 767, Muhammad ibn Idris ash-Shafi'i was born in Gaza and lived his early childhood there; al-Shafi'i founded a prominent Sunni Muslim legal philosophy (or fiqh) called Shafi'i, in his honor.^[24] In 796, Gaza was destroyed during a civil war between the Arab tribes of the area.^[25] However, by the 10th century CE the city had been rebuilt by a third Arab caliphate ruled by the Abbasids; Arab geographer al-Muqaddasi described Gaza as "a large town lying on the highroad to Egypt on the border of the desert."^[26] In 977 CE, a fourth Arab caliphate ruled by the Fatimids established an agreement with the competing Seljuk Turks, whereby the Fatimids would control Gaza and the land south of it, including Egypt.^[27]

European Crusaders conquered Gaza from the Fatimids in 1100 and King Baldwin III built a castle there in 1149. After the castle's construction, Baldwin granted it and the surrounding region to the Knights Templar.^[22] He also had the Great Mosque converted into the Cathedral of Saint John.^[17] In 1154, Arab traveler al-Idrisi wrote Gaza "is today very populous and in the hands of the Crusaders."^[28] In 1170, King Amalric I of Jerusalem withdrew Gaza's Templars to assist him against an Islamic Ayyubid force led by Saladin at the nearby city of Deir al-Balah; however, Saladin evaded the Crusader force and assaulted Gaza instead, destroying the town built outside the castle. Seven years later, the Templars prepared for another defense of Gaza against Saladin, but this time the Islamic forces attacked Ascalon. In 1187, Saladin captured Gaza and ordered the destruction of the city's fortifications in 1191. Richard the Lionheart apparently refortified the city in 1192, but the walls were dismantled again as a result of the Treaty of Ramla agreed upon months later in 1193.^[22] The Ayyubid period of rule ended in 1260, after the Mongols under Hulagu Khan completely destroyed Gaza, which became his southernmost conquest.^[23]

Following Gaza's destruction by the Mongols, Muslim slave-soldiers based in Egypt known as the Mamluks began to administer the area in 1277. The Mamluks made Gaza the capital of the province that bore its name, Mamlakat Ghazzah ("the Governorship of Gaza"). This district extended along the coastal plain from Rafah in the south to just north of Caesarea, and to the east as far as the Samaria highlands and the Hebron Hills. Other major towns in the province included Qaqun, Ludd, and Ramla.^[23][29] In 1294, an earthquake devastated Gaza, and five years later the Mongols again destroyed all that had been restored by the Mamluks.^[23] However, circa 1300, Syrian geographer al-Dimashqi described Gaza as a "city so rich in trees it looks like a cloth of brocade spread out upon the land."^[16] In 1348, the Bubonic Plague infested the city, killing the majority of its inhabitants and in 1352, Gaza suffered from a destructive flood, which was rare in that arid part of Palestine.^[30] However, when Arab traveler and writer Ibn Batutta visited the city in 1355, he noted that it was "large and populous, and has many mosques."^[31] The Mamluks contributed to Gazan architecture by building mosques, Islamic schools, hospitals, caravansaries, and public baths.^[7]

Ottoman rule

Muslims studying the Qur'an with Gaza in the background, painting by Harry Fenn

Painting of Gaza by David Roberts, 1839

In 1516, Gaza—by now a small town with an inactive port, ruined buildings and reduced trade—was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire.^[30] The Ottoman army quickly and efficiently crushed a small-scale uprising,^[32] and the local population generally welcomed them as fellow Sunni Muslims.^[30] The city was then made the capital of Sanjak Gaza, part of the larger Province of Damascus.^[33] The Ridwan family, named after governor Ridwan Pasha, was the first dynasty to govern Gaza and would continue to rule the city for over a century.^[34]

Although no explanation is provided in the biographies of the Ridwan family, they chose Gaza as their home and the location of their castle, Qasr al-Basha.^[34] Husayn Pasha, a member of the Ridwan family, inherited the impoverished governorship of Gaza in the 17th century. His period in office was peaceful and prosperous for Gaza and he gained a good reputation for considerably reducing the strife between the nearby Bedouins and the settled population. In 1660, Gaza was designated the capital of Palestine, indicating the city's rapid recovery. The Great Mosque was restored, and six other mosques constructed, while Turkish baths and market stalls proliferated.^[30] Anonymous petitions sent to Istanbul complaining about Husayn's failure to protect the Hajj caravan, however, served as an excuse for the Ottoman government to depose him. After the death of Husayn's successor, Ottomans officials were appointed to govern in place of the Ridwans. The Ridwan period was Gaza's last golden age during Ottoman rule. After the family was removed from office, the city itself went into gradual decline.^[35]

Gaza was briefly occupied by the French Army under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799, but they abandoned the city after the failed siege of Acre that same year.^[30] Starting in the early 1800s, Gaza was culturally dominated by neighboring Egypt; Muhammad Ali of Egypt conquered Gaza and most of Palestine in 1832.^[17] American scholar Edward Robinson visited Gaza in 1838, describing it as a "thickly populated" town larger than Jerusalem, with its Old City lying upon a hilltop, while its suburbs laid on the nearby plain.^[36] Gaza's port was inactive in the mid-19th century, however, the city benefited from trade and commerce because of its position on the caravan route between Egypt and Syria as well as from producing soap and cotton for trade with the Bedouin.^[37] Robinson noted that virtually all of Gaza's vestiges of ancient history and antiquity had disappeared due to constant conflict and occupation.^[38] The Bubonic Plague struck again in 1839 and the city, lacking political and economic stability, went into a state of stagnation. In 1840, Egyptian and Ottoman troops battled outside of Gaza. The Ottomans won control of the territory, effectively ending Egyptian rule over Palestine. However, the battles brought about more death and destruction in Gaza whilst the city was still recovering from the effects of the plague.^[30]

Modern era

Gaza after surrender to British forces, 1918

While leading the Allied Forces during World War I, the British won control of the city during the Third Battle of Gaza in 1917.^[30] After the war, Gaza was included in the British Mandate of Palestine.^[39] In the 1930s and 1940s, Gaza underwent major expansion. New neighborhoods were built along the coast and the southern and eastern plains. International organizations and missionary groups funded most of this construction.^[40] In the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan, Gaza was assigned to an Arab state but was later administered by Egypt following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Gaza's growing population was augmented by an influx of refugees fleeing nearby cities, towns and villages that were captured by Israel. In 1957, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser made a number of reforms in Gaza, which included expanding educational opportunities and the civil services, providing housing, and establishing local security forces.^[41]

Gaza was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War following the defeat of the Egyptian Army. Frequent conflicts have erupted between Palestinians and the Israeli authorities in the city since the 1970s. The tensions lead to the First Intifada in 1987. Gaza was a center of confrontation during this uprising,^[30] and economic conditions in the city worsened.^[42] In September 1993, leaders of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed the Oslo Accords. The agreement called for Palestinian administration of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho, which was implemented in May 1994. Israeli forces withdrew from Gaza, leaving a new Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to administer and police the city.^[11] The PNA, led by Yasser Arafat, chose Gaza as its first provincial headquarters. The newly-established Palestinian National Council held its inaugural session in Gaza in March 1996.^[40]

Palestinians in a Gaza neighborhood during the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza Conflict (Source: Al Jazeera English)

Since the Palestinian organization Hamas won a surprise victory in the Palestinian elections of 2006, it has been engaged in a violent power struggle with its rival Palestinian organization Fatah. In 2007, Hamas overthrew Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip and Hamas members were dismissed from the PNA government in the West Bank in response. Currently, Hamas has de facto control of the city and Strip.^[43]

In March 2008, a coalition of human rights groups charged that the Israeli blockade of the city had caused the humanitarian situation in Gaza to have reached its worst point since Israel occupied the territory in the 1967 Six-Day War,^[44] and that Israeli air strikes targeting militants in the densely populated areas have often killed bystanders as well.^[45] In 2008, Israel commenced an assault against Gaza.^[46] Israel stated the strikes were in response to repetitive rocket and mortar attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel since 2005, while the Palestinians stated that they were responding to Israel's military excursions and blockade of the Gaza Strip. In January 2009, the BBC reported that a total of more than 1,300 Palestinians were killed and a further 5,500 had been injured in the conflict. In addition, 4,000 buildings have been destroyed and 20,000 damaged throughout the Gaza Strip.^[47]

Geography

Beach in Gaza City

Central Gaza is situated on a low-lying and round hill with an elevation of 45 feet (14 m) above sea level.^[48] Much of the modern city is built along the plain below the hill, especially to the north and east, forming Gaza's suburbs. The beach and the port of Gaza are located 3 kilometers (2 mi) west of the city's nucleus and the space in between is entirely built up on low-lying hills.^[36]

Gaza is 78 kilometers (48 mi) southwest of Jerusalem, 71 kilometers (44 mi) south of Tel Aviv,^[49] and 30 kilometers (19 mi) north of Rafah.^[50] Surrounding localities include Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia to the north, and the village of Abu Middein, the refugee camp of Bureij, and the city of Deir al-Balah to the south.^[51]

The municipal jurisdiction of the city today constitutes about 45 square kilometers (17.4 sq mi).^[2] In the British Mandate era, Gaza's urban or "built-up" area consisted of 7,960 square kilometers (3,073.4 sq mi), while its rural area was 143,063 square kilometers (55,236.9 sq mi).^[52] Irrigated land made up 24,040 square kilometers (9,281.9 sq mi) and lands planted with cereals made up 117,899 square kilometers (45,521.1 sq mi).^[53]

The population of Gaza depends on groundwater as the only source for drinking, agricultural use, and domestic supply. The nearest stream is Wadi Ghazza to the south, sourced from Abu Middein along the coastline. It bears a small amount of water during the winter and virtually no water during the summer.^[54] Most of its water supply is diverted into Israel.^[55] The Gaza Aquifer along the coast is the main aquifer in the Gaza Strip and it consists mostly of Pleistocene and sandstone. Like most of the Gaza Strip, Gaza is covered by quaternary soil; clay minerals in the soil absorb many organic and inorganic chemicals which has partially alleviated the extent of groundwater contamination.^[54]

A well-known hill southeast of Gaza, known as Tell al-Muntar, has an elevation of 270 feet (82 m) above sea level. For centuries it has been claimed as the place to which Samson brought the city gates of the Philistines. The hill is crowned by a Muslim shrine (maqam) dedicated to Ali al-Muntar ("Ali of the Watchtower"). There are old Muslim graves around the surrounding trees,^[56] and the lintel of the doorway of the maqam has two medieval Arabic scriptures.^[9]

Old City and districts

A mosque in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood

The Old City forms the main part of Gaza's nucleus. It is roughly divided into two quarters; the northern Daraj Quarter (also known as the Muslim Quarter) and the southern Zaytoun Quarter (also known as the Christian Quarter). Most of the structures date from the Mamluk or Ottoman era ans some are built atop earlier structures. The ancient part of the Old City is about 1.6 square kilometers (0.6 sq mi).^[40]

There are seven historic gates to the Old City: Bab Asqalan (Gate of Ashkelon), Bab al-Darum (Gate of Deir al-Balah), Bab al-Bahr (Gate of the Sea), Bab Marnas (Gate of Marnas), Bab al-Baladiyah (Gate of the Town), Bab al-Khalil (Gate of Hebron), and Bab al-Muntar (Gate of Tell al-Muntar).^[57] Some of the older buildings use the ablaq style of decoration which features red and white masonry, prevalent in the Mamluk era. A few of Gaza's main markets, such as the Gold Market as well as its oldest mosque, the Great Mosque of Gaza, are located here.^[58] In the Zaytoun Quarter is the Church of Saint Porphyrius, the Welayat Mosque, and Hamam as-Sammara ("the Samaritan's Bathhouse").^[59]

Gaza is composed of eleven districts (hai) outside of the Old City.^[60][61] The first extension of Gaza beyond the city center was the district of Shuja'iyya, built on an eastern hill during the Ayyubid period of rule.^[62] In the 1930s and 1940s, a new spacial residential district, Rimal, was constructed on the sand dunes west of the city center, and the district of Zeitoun was built along Gaza's southern and southwestern borders, while Shuja'iyya expanded into the east to form the al-Judeide ("the New") and al-Turukman districts.^[40][63]

The areas between Rimal and the Old City became the districts of al-Sabra and al-Daraj.^[61] To the northwest is the district of al-Nasser, built in the early 1950s and named in honor of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser.^[64] To the northeast is the district of Tuffah,^[61] which is roughly divided into eastern and western halves.^[58] The district of Sheikh Radwan is 3 kilometers (2 mi) to the north of the Old City and is named after Sheikh Radwan—the tomb of whom is located within the district.^[61][65] Gaza has absorbed the village of al-Qubbah near the the border with Israel, as well as the Palestinian refugee camp of al-Shati along the coast,^[51] although the latter is not under the city's municipal jurisdiction. In the late 1990s, the PNA founded the more affluent neighborhood of Tel al-Hawa along the southern edge of Rimal.^[66] Along the southern coast of the city is the neighborhood of Sheikh Ijlin.^[60]

Climate

Gaza has a relatively temperate Mediterranean climate with mild winters and dry, warm to hot summers.^[48] Spring arrives around March-April and the hottest months are July and August, with the average high being 33 °C (91 °F). The coldest month is January with temperatures usually at 7 °C (45 °F). Rain is scarce and generally falls between November and March, with annual precipitation rates approximately at 11.6 inches (295 mm).^[67]

Demographics

Population

According to Ottoman tax records in 1557, Gaza had 2,477 male tax payers.^[75] The statistics from 1596 show that from the Muslims there 456 household heads, 115 bachelors, 59 religious persons, and 19 disabled persons. In addition to the Muslim figure were 141 Jundiyan or soldiers in the Ottoman army. Of the Christians there 294 household heads and 7 bachelors and there were 73 Jewish household heads 8 Samaritan household heads. In total, an estimated 6,000 people lived in Gaza, making the third largest city in Palestine after Jerusalem and Safad.^[68]

In 1838, there were roughly 4,000 Muslim tax payers and 100 Christian ones, implying a population of about 15,000 or 16,000—making it larger than Jerusalem at the time. The total number of Christian families was 57.^[37] Before the outbreak of World War I, the population of Gaza had reached 42,000; however, the fierce battles between Allied Forces and those of the Ottomans and the Germans in 1917 in Gaza resulted in a massive population decrease.^[70]

According to a 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Gaza and the adjacent al-Shati camp had a population of 353,115 inhabitants, of which 50.9% were males and 49.1% females. Gaza has an overwhelmingly young population with more than half being between the ages of infancy to 19 (60.8%). About 28.8% were between the ages of 20 to 44, 7.7% between 45 and 64, and 3.9% were over the age of 64.^[73]

A significant number of Gaza's pre-1948 residents were Egyptians or their descendants who had fled political turmoil in Muhammad Ali's Egypt.^[76] A massive influx of Palestinian refugees swelled Gaza's population after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. By 1967, the population had grown to about six times its 1948 size.^[40] In 1997, 51.8% of Gaza's inhabitants were refugees or their descendants.^[77] The city's population has continued to increase since that time to 409,680 in 2006, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.^[74] Gaza has one of the highest overall growth rates and population densities in the world, with about 5,261 people per square mile.^[40] Poverty, unemployment and poor living conditions are widespread and many residents rely on United Nations food aid to survive.^[40][78]

Natives of Gaza

Religion

The population of Gaza is overwhelmingly composed of Arabic-speaking Muslims, who entirely adhere to Sunni Islam.^[40] While held by the Fatimids, Shia Islam was dominant in Gaza, but after Saladin conquered the city, he promoted a strictly Sunni religious and educational policy, which at the time was instrumental in uniting his Arab, Kurdish, and Turkish soldiers.^[7]

There exists a small minority of about 3,500 Arab Christians in the city.^[79] The majority of Gaza's Christians live in the Zaytoun Quarter of the Old City and belong to the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Baptist denominations.^[80] In 1906, there were only 750 Christians, of which 700 were Greek Orthodox and 50 were Roman Catholic.^[69]

Gaza's Jewish community was roughly 2,000 years old,^[40] and in 1481 there were sixty Jewish households.^[81] Most of them left Gaza after the 1929 Palestine riots, when they consisted of fifty families.^[40] In Sami Hadawi's land and population survey, Gaza had a population of 34,250, including 80 Jews in 1945.^[52] Most of them left the city after the 1948 War, due to mutual distrust between them and the Arab majority.^[82]

Economy

Nineteenth century

Gaza was among six soap-producing cities in Palestine, overshadowed by Nablus. Gaza's factories purchased qilw from merchants from Nablus and Salt, Jordan.^[83] Gaza's port was eclipsed by the ports of Jaffa and Haifa, however, it retained its fishing fleet.^[40] Although its port was inactive, commerce thrived because of its strategic location. Most caravans and travelers coming from Egypt stopped in Gaza for supplies, likewise Bedouins from Ma'an, east of the Wadi Araba, bought up all sorts of provisions from the city to sell to Muslim pilgrims coming from Mecca. The bazaars of Gaza were well-supplied and were noted by Edward Robinson as "far better" than those of Jerusalem.^[84] Its principal commercial crop was cotton which was sold to the government and local Arab tribes.^[36]

Modern era

Backyard industry

Since occupying Gaza in the Six-Day War, Israel has controlled Gaza's borders and restricted the flow of goods and people into and out of Gaza. Israel greatly intensified its blockade of Gaza in June 2007, when Hamas took over. Since then, according to the BBC, "there are high levels of poverty, deprivation and unemployment in Gaza City ... Only basic humanitarian items have been allowed in [the Gaza Strip], and virtually no exports permitted, paralyzing the economy."^[45]

Following the Six-Day War, Israel closed down Gaza's port and consequently, the city lost its fishing income. There were previous Palestinian and international attempts to construct a major port in Gaza for the benefit of the planned State of Palestine, but objections from Israel prevented such attempts. The major agricultural products are strawberries, citrus, dates, olives, flowers, and various vegetables. Pollution and massive population pressure on water have reduced the productive capacity of the surrounding farms, however.^[40]

Small-scale industries in the city include the production of plastics, construction materials, textiles, furniture, pottery, tiles, copperware, and carpets. Following the Oslo Accords, thousands of residents were employed in the various government ministries and security services, while others were employed by the UNRWA and other international organizations that support development of the city.^[40] Gaza contains some minor industries, including textiles and food processing. A variety of wares are sold in Gaza's street bazaars, including carpets, pottery, wicker furniture, and cotton clothing; commercial development in the city is minimal.

There are six hotels in Gaza: Palestine, Adam, al-Amal, al-Quds, Cliff, and Marna House. All, except the Palestine Hotel, are located along the coast. The United Nations (UN) has a beach club on the same street. Gaza is not a frequent destination for tourists, and most foreigners who stay in hotels are journalists, aid workers, UN and Red Cross personnel. Al-Quds Hotel is regarded as the most up-market hotel in the city, and is the most recently built.^[85]

Many Gazans worked in the Israeli service industry when the border was open, but part of Israel's 2005 disengagement stipulated that Gazans will no longer be able to work in Israel and few Gazans are presently allowed to enter Israel. Gaza has serious deficiencies in housing, educational facilities, health facilities, infrastructure, and an inadequate sewage system, all of which have contributed to serious hygiene and public health problems.^[86]

According to a recent report by OXFAM, unemployment in Gaza is close to 40% and is set to rise to 50%. The private sector which generates 53% of all jobs in Gaza has been devastated, businesses have been bankrupted and 75,000 out of 110,000 workers are now without a jobs. In 2008, 95% of Gaza's industrial operations were suspended due to lack of access inputs for production and the inability to export what is produced. In June 2005, there were 3,900 factories in Gaza employing 35,000 people, but by December 2007, there were just 195 remaining, employing only 1,700 people. The construction industry was paralyzed with tens of thousands of laborers out of work. The agriculture sector has also been damaged severely and nearly 40,000 workers who depend on cash crops now have no income.^[86]

Gaza's economic conditions have been stagnant in the long-term and most development indicators are in decline. Food prices have risen during the blockade, with wheat flour going up 34%, rice up 21%, and baby powder up 30%. The number of Gazans who live in absolute poverty has increased sharply, with 80% relying on humanitarian aid in 2008 compared to 63% in 2006. In 2007, households spent an average of 62% of their total income on food, compared to 37% in 2004. In less than a decade, the number of families depending on UNRWA food aid has increased ten-fold.^[86]

Culture

Skyline of Gaza

Cultural centers and museums

The Rashad Shawa Cultural Center, located in Rimal, was completed in 1988 and named after its founder, former mayor Rashad al-Shawa.^[87] A two-story building with a triangular plan, the cultural centers performs three main functions: a meeting place for large gatherings during annual festivals, a place to stage exhibitions, and a library.^[88] The French Cultural Center is a symbol of French partnership and cooperation in Gaza. It holds art exhibits, concerts, film screenings, and other activities. Whenever possible, French artists are invited to display their artwork, and more frequently, Palestinian artists from the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are invited to participate in art competitions.^[89]

Established in 1998, the Arts and Crafts Village is a children's cultural center with the objectives of promoting comprehensive, regular and periodic documentation of creative art in all of its forms. It interacted on a large scale with a class of artists from different nationalities and organized around 100 exhibitions for creative art, ceramics, graphics, carvings and others. Nearly 10,000 children from throughout the Gaza Strip have benefited from the Arts and Crafts Village.^[90]

Gaza has one film theater, the Gaza Theater, which opened in 2004 using donated equipment and movies from Norway.^[91] The theater is not properly equipped and does not receive much funding from the PNA, depending mostly on donations from foreign aid agencies. The Qattan Foundation, a Palestinian arts charity, runs several workshops throughout Gaza that helps the local youth find artistic skills and give teachers basic drama skills. In 2005, the Gaza Theater Festival was held, playing in makeshift venues, although no foreign theater companies attended, as well as any company from the West Bank or Israel's Arab community.^[92]

The Gaza Museum of Archaeology, founded by Jawdat N. Khoudary, was opened in the summer of 2008. The exhibition is in a hall made partly of stones from old houses, discarded wood ties of a former railroad, and bronze lamps and marble columns uncovered by Gazan fishermen and construction workers. The museum collection features thousands of items, but some will not go on display, including a statue of a full-breasted Aphrodite in a diaphanous gown, images of other ancient deities and oil lamps featuring menorahs.^[93]

Cuisine

Gaza's cuisine is characterized by its generous use of spices and chillies. Other major flavors and ingredients include dill, chard, garlic, cumin, lentils, chickpeas, pomegranates, sour plums and tamarind. Many of the traditional dishes rely on clay-pot cooking, which preserves the flavor and texture of the vegetables and results in fork-tender meat. Traditionally, most Gazan dishes are seasonal and rely on ingredients indigenous to the area and its surrounding villages. Poverty has also played an important role in determining many of the city's simple meatless dishes and stews, such as saliq wa adas ("chard and lentils") and bisara (skinless fava beans mashed with dried mulukhiya leaves and chilies).^[94]

Seafood is a key aspect of Gaza life and a local staple,^[95] but in recent years, due to Israeli restrictions on Palestinian fishing zones off Gaza’s coast, the industry has been in decline, and seafood prices have skyrocketed. Some well-known seafood dishes include zibdiyit gambari, literally, "shrimps in a clay pot", and shatta which are crabs stuffed with red hot chili pepper dip, then baked in the oven. Fish is either fried or grilled after being stuffed with cilantro, garlic, chillies and cumin, and marinated with various spices. It is also a key ingredient in sayyadiya, rice cooked with caramelized onions, a generous amount of whole garlic cloves, large chunks of well-marinated fried fish, and spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin.^[94]

Many of the 1948-era refugees were fellahin ("peasants") who would rely on eating seasonally, based on what they grew and these refugees highly influenced the basic cuisine of Gaza. Due to its geographic isolation from the rest of Palestine, as a result of decades of occupation, many of its dishes have not been heard of outside of Gaza. One of the most popular dishes is called sumaghiyyeh.^[94]

Gaza has several restaurants, most of the well-known located in the Rimal district. Al-Andalus, which specializes in fish and seafood, is particularly popular with tourists, as is al-Sammak. Throughout the Old City there are street stalls that sell cooked beans, hummus, roasted sweet potatoes, falafel, and kebabs. Coffeehouses (qahwa) regularly accommodate locals with hookah (sheesha), Arabic coffee, and tea. Gaza's well-known sweet shops, Saqqala and Arafat, sell common Arab sweet products and are located off Wehda Street. Alcohol is a rarity, found only in the United Nations Beach Club.^[96]

Costumes and embroidery

Gauze is reputed to have originated in Gaza. Cloth for the Gaza thob was often woven at nearby Majdal (Ascalon). Black or blue cottons or striped pink and green fabric that had been made in Majdal continued to be woven throughout the Gaza Strip by refugees from the coastal plain villages until the 1960s. Thobs here had narrow, tight, straight sleeves. Embroidery was much less dense than that applied in Hebron. The most popular motifs included: scissors (muqass), combs (mushut) and triangles (hijab) often arranged in clusters of fives, sevens and threes, as the use of odd numbers is considered in Arab folklore to be effective against the evil eye.^[97]

In recent decades, Hamas and other Islamic movements sought to increase the use of the hijab ("headscarf") among Gazan women, especially urban and educated women, and the hijab styles since introduced have varied according to class and group identity.^[98]

Sports

Palestine Stadium, the Palestinian national stadium, is located in Gaza and has a capacity for 10,000 people. It serves as the home of the Palestine national football team, but after an Israeli air strike that severely damaged the stadium's field, home games have been played in Doha, Qatar.^[99] Gaza has several local football teams that participate in the Gaza Strip League. They include Khidmat al-Shatia (al-Shati Camp), Ittihad al-Shuja'iyya (Shuja'iyya neighborhood), Gaza Sports Club, and al-Zeitoun (Zeitoun neighborhood).^[100]

Government

Today, Gaza serves as the administrative capital of the Gaza Governorate.^[101] It contains the Palestinian Legislative Council building, as well as the headquarters of most of the Palestinian Authority ministries.

The first municipal council of Gaza was formed in 1893 under the chairmanship of Ali Khalil Shawa. Modern mayorship, however, began in 1906 with his son Said al-Shawa, who was appointed mayor by the Ottoman Authorities.^[102] Al-Shawa oversaw the construction of Gaza's first hospital, several new mosques and schools, the restoration of the Great Mosque, and the introduction of the modern plow to the city.^[103]

On July 24, 1994, the PNA proclaimed Gaza the first city council in the Palestinian territories.^[1] The 2005 Palestinian municipal elections were not held in Gaza, nor in Khan Yunis or Rafah. Instead, Fatah party officials selected the smaller cities, towns, and villages to hold elections, assuming they would do better in less urban areas. The rival Hamas party, however, won the majority of seats in seven of the ten municipalities selected for the first round with voter turnout being around 80%.^[104] 2007 saw violent clashes between the two parties, ultimately resulting in Hamas taking over the city.^[105] Normally, Palestinian municipalities with populations over 20,000 and that serve as administrative centers have municipal councils consisting of fifteen members, including the mayor. The current municipal council of Gaza, however, consists of fourteen members, including the mayor, Rafiq al-Makki.^[106]

Mayors

Education

The main conference hall of the Islamic University of Gaza

According to the PCBS, in 1997, approximately over 90% of Gaza's population over the age of 10 was literate. Of the city's population, 140,848 were enrolled in schools (39.8% in elementary school, 33.8% in secondary school, and 26.4% in high school). About 11,134 people received bachelor diplomas or higher diplomas.^[108]

In 2006, there were 210 schools in Gaza; 151 were run by the Education Ministry of the Palestinian National Authority, 46 were run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, and 13 were private schools. A total of 154,251 students were enrolled and 5,877 teachers were employed.^[109] The currently downtrodden economy has affected education in the Gaza Strip severely. In September 2007, a UNRWA survey in the Gaza Strip revealed that there was a nearly 80% failure rate in schools grades four to nine, with up to 90% failure rates in mathematics. In January 2008, the United Nations Children's Fund reported that schools in Gaza had been canceling classes that were high on energy consumption, such as information technology, science labs and extra curricular activities.^[86]

Gaza has four universities: al-Azhar University - Gaza, al-Quds Open University, al-Aqsa University and the Islamic University of Gaza. The Islamic University, consisting of ten facilities, was founded by Ahmed Yassin and a group of businessmen in 1978, making it the first institution of higher education in Gaza. In 2006-07, it had an enrollment of 20,021 students.^[110] Al-Azhar is generally secular and was founded in 1992. Al-Aqsa University was established in 1991. Al-Quds Open University established its Gaza Educational Region campus in 1992 in a rented building in the center of the city originally with 730 students. Because of the rapid increase of the number of students, it constructed the first university owned building in the Nasser District. In 2006-07, it had an enrollment of 3,778 students.^[111]

The Public Library of Gaza is located off al-Wahda Street and has a collection of nearly 10,000 books in Arabic, English and French. A total area of about 1,410 square metres (15,200 sq ft), the building consists of two floors and a basement. The library was opened in 1999 after cooperation dating from 1996 by Gaza under mayor Aoun Shawa, the municipality of Dunkerque, and the World Bank. The library's primary objectives are to provide sources of information that meets the needs of beneficiaries, provide necessary facilities for access to available information sources, and organizing various cultural programs such as, cultural events, seminars, lectures, film presentations, videos, art and book exhibitions.^[112]

Local infrastructure

Landmarks

The Great Mosque of Gaza is the oldest mosque in the city

Landmarks in Gaza include the Great Mosque in the Old City. Originally a pagan temple, it was consecrated a Greek Orthodox church by the Byzantines,^[113] then a mosque in the 8th century by the Arabs. The Crusaders transformed it into a church, but it was reestablished as a mosque soon after Gaza's reconquest by the Muslims.^[58] It is the oldest and largest in the Gaza Strip and was identified as the "only structure of historical importance" in the city by some 19th century Western travelers.^[114]

Other mosques in the Old City include the Mamluk-era Sayed Hashem Mosque that believed to house the tomb of Hashem ibn Abd al-Manaf in its dome.^[115] There is also the nearby Welayat Mosque that dates back to 1334. In Shuja'iyya, the Ibn Uthman Mosque was built by Nablus native Ahmad ibn Uthman in 1402 and the Ibn Marwan Mosque, housing the tomb of a holy man, was built in 1324.^[63]

Gaza War Cemetery

The Soldier's Square, located in Rimal, is a monument dedicated to an unknown Palestinian fighter who died in the 1948 War. In 1967, the monument was torn down by Israeli forces and remained a patch of sand,^[116] until a public garden was built there with funding from Norway. Qasr al-Basha, originally a Mamluk-era villa that was used by Napoleon during his brief sojourn in Gaza, is located in the Old City and is today a girl's school. The Commonwealth Gaza War Cemetery, often referred to as the British War Cemetery, that contains the graves of fallen Allied soldiers in World War I is in the Tuffah neighborhood.^[58][117]

Utilities

According to the 1997 census by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, 98.1% of Gaza's residents were connected to the public water supply while the remainder used a private system.^[118] About 87.6% were connected to a public sewage system and 11.8% used a cesspit.^[119]

The blockade on Gaza has severely restricted the water supply to the city and its sewage system. The six main wells for drinking water for no longer function, and roughly 50% of the population is without access to water on a regular basis. The municipality claims it is forced to pump water to the citizens though "salty wells" because of the unavailability of electricity in some of the wells fails to meet the needs of the citizens. Most sewage plants struggle to work, and more than 75% of the untended sewage in the city, has periodically led to a rash of waste water to the homes of residents. About 20 million liters of raw sewage and 40 million liters of partially treated water per day leak to the Mediterranean Sea due to the lack of electricity, fuel and spare parts at Gaza's treatment plants. The municipality claims that accumulation of garbage in the streets, roads, wells, and sewage overflow cause the risk of disease outbreaks and insect epidemics, as well as mice and in residential areas.^[120]

Health care

One of the first hospitals in Gaza was al-Shifa ("the Cure") founded in the Rimal District by the British Mandate government in the 1940s. Housed in an army barracks, it originally provided quarantine and treatment for febrile diseases. When Egypt administered Gaza, this original department was relocated and al-Shifa became the city's central hospital.^[121] When Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip after occupying it in the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser had al-Shifa hospital expanded and improved. He also ordered the establishment of a second hospital in the Nasser District with the same name. In 1957, the quarantine and febrile disease hospital was rebuilt and named Nasser Hospital.^[64] Today, al-Shifa remains Gaza's largest medical complex.^[122]

Throughout the late 1950s, a new health administration, Bandar Gaza ("Gaza Region"), was established and headed by Haidar Abdel-Shafi. Bandar Gaza rented several rooms throughout the city to set up government clinics, but they were fairly basic, just providing essential curative care.^[64]

The Ahli Arab Hospital, originally founded in 1907 by the Christian Missionary Society, was destroyed in World War I.^[123] It was rebuilt as the Southern Baptist Hospital in the 1950s.^[124] In 1982, the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem took leadership and the original name was restored.^[123] Al-Quds Hospital, located in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood and managed by the Palestine Red Crescent Society, is the second largest hospital in Gaza.^[125]

As a result of fuel and electricity restrictions, hospitals currently experience power cuts lasting for 8–12 hours daily. There is currently a 60-70 percent shortage reported in the diesel required for power generators. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the proportion of patients given permits to exit Gaza for medical care decreased from 89.3% in January 2007 to 64.3% in December 2007, an unprecedented low.^[86]

Transportation

The Yasser Arafat International Airport, located in the southern corner of the Gaza Strip, is currently inoperable

The Rasheed Coastal Road runs along Gaza's coastline and connects it with the rest of Gaza Strip's coastline north and south. The main road of the Gaza Strip, Salah ad-Din Street (the modern Via Maris) runs through the middle of Gaza City, connecting it with Deir al-Balah, Khan Yunis, and Rafah in the south and Jabalia and Beit Hanoun in the north.^[58] The northern crossing of Salah ad-Din Street into Israel is the Erez Crossing and the crossing into Egypt is the Rafah Crossing. The crossings have been closed by Israel and Egypt since 2007.

Omar Mukhtar Street is the main road in the city of Gaza running north-south, branching off Salah ad-Din Street, stretching from the Rimal coastline and the Old City where it ends at the Gold Market.^[58] Prior to the Blockade of the Gaza Strip, there existed regular lines of collective taxis to Ramallah and Hebron in the West Bank.^[126]

The Yasser Arafat International Airport near Rafah opened in 1998 and is 40 kilometers (25 mi) south of Gaza. Its runways and facilities became significantly damaged during the Second Intifada. The Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel is located roughly 75 kilometers (47 mi) northeast of the city.^[126]

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Gaza is twinned with:

See also

• List of cities in Palestinian National Authority areas
• Little Gaza

References

Bibliography

External links

Wikinews has related news: Gaza

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gaza

• WebGaza.net: Gaza, Palestine
• GAZA Museum "Al Mat'haf"
• Municipality of Gaza
• Gaza at Google Maps
• Rashdan, Abdelrahman (2008-04-29), Myths and Facts about Gaza (FAQs)IslamOnline.net
• Gaza Strip and Jews in Gaza until 1929 (history) - highest density of population worldwide since 1949 (from Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971)

v • d • e Gaza Gaza Topics History of Gaza · Economy of Gaza · Education in Gaza Neighborhoods al-Daraj · Judeide · al-Nasser · Old City · Rimal · al-Sabra · al-Shati Camp · Sheikh Ijlin · Sheikh Radwan · Shuja'iyya · Tel al-Hawa · al-Tuffah · al-Turukman · Zeitoun Places of Worship Great Mosque of Gaza · Ibn Marwan Mosque · Ibn Uthman Mosque · Roman Catholic Church of Gaza · Saint Porphyrius Church · Sayed al-Hashim Mosque · Welayat Mosque Historic buildings  · Cultural centers Ancient Synagogue of Gaza · Hamam al-Sammara · al-Mathaf · Palestine Stadium · Qasr al-Basha · Qissariya Market · Palestinian Centre for Human Rights · Palestinian Legislative Council · Rashad Shawa Cultural Center · Shuja'iyya Market Hospitals  · Universities Ahli Hospital · al-Aqsa Hospital · al-Aqsa University · al-Azhar University · Islamic University · al-Shifa Hospital Public Squares Palestine Square · Unknown Soldier's Square Streets Ahmad Orabi Street · Izz al-Din al-Qassam Street · Jamal Abdel Nasser Street · Omar Mukhtar Street · Wehda Street Transportation Port of Gaza

v • d • e Cities in Palestinian National Authority areas West Bank Bethlehem · Beit Jala · al-Bireh · ad-Dhahiriya · Dura · Halhul · Hebron · Jenin · Jericho · Nablus · Qalqilyah · Ramallah · Tubas · Tulkarm · Yatta Gaza Strip Bani Suheila · Beit Hanoun · Beit Lahia · Deir al-Balah · Gaza · Jabalia · Khan Yunis · Rafah

v • d • e Gaza Governorate Cities Gaza Municipalities Al-Zahra' Villages Juhor ad-Dik · Madinat al-Awda · al-Mughraqa Refugee camps al-Shati

Additional info - part 2

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC",^[1] is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world.^[2] The BBC is a publicly owned corporation that operates under a Royal Charter issued by the British Crown and its operations are overseen by twelve Governors who are appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Government.^[3] It is funded principally by an annual television licence fee, which is charged to all United Kingdom households, companies and organisations using equipment capable of recording and/or receiving live television broadcasts ^[4]; the level of the fee is set by the UK Government and agreed by the UK Parliament under a multi-year agreement with the Corporation.

BBC News

BBC News is the department of the BBC responsible for news and current affairs output. The world's largest broadcast news organisation,^[1] it generates each day about 120 hours of radio and television, as well as online news coverage.^[2] The service maintains 44 foreign news bureaux and has correspondents in almost all the world's 240 countries.

Bahri dynasty

The Bahri dynasty or Bahriyya Mamluks (al-Mamalik al-Bahariyya المماليك البحرية ) was a Mamluk dynasty of mostly Kipchak Turkic origin that ruled Egypt from 1250 to 1382 when they were succeeded by the Burji dynasty, another group of Mamluks. Their name means 'of the sea', referring to the location of their original residence on Al-Rodah Island in the Nile (Bahr al-Nil) in Cairo^[1] at the castle of Al-Rodah which was built by the Ayyubid Sultan as-Salih Ayyub^[2][3]

Baldwin III of Jerusalem

Baldwin III of Jerusalem (1130 – 10 February 1162) was king of Jerusalem from 1143–1162. He was the eldest son of Melisende and Fulk of Jerusalem, and the grandson of Baldwin II of Jerusalem.

Barcelona

Barcelona (Catalan pronunciation: [bəɾsəˈlonə], Spanish: [barθeˈlona]) is the capital and the most populous city of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia and the second largest city in Spain, with a population of 1,615,908 in 2008. It is the 11th-most populous municipality in the European Union and sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union after Paris, London, Rhine-Ruhr Area, Madrid and Milan, with a population of 4,185,000.^[1] 4.9 million^[2][3][4] people live in Barcelona metropolitan area. The main part of a union of adjacent cities and municipalities named Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB) with a population of 3,186,461 in area of 636 km² (density 5.010 hab/km²).

Bazaar

A bazaar (Azerbaijani: bazar, Turkish: pazar, Persian/Urdu: بازار; Hindi: बाज़ार, Greek: παζάρι (pazari), Cypriot Greek: pantopoula^[1]) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The word derives from the Persian word bāzār, the etymology of which goes back to the Middle Persian word baha-char (بهاچار), meaning "the place of prices".^[2] Although the current meaning of the word is believed to have originated in Persia, its use has spread and now has been accepted into the vernacular in countries around the world.^[3] In North America, the term can be used as a synonym for a "rummage sale", to describe charity fundraising events held by churches or other community organizations, in which donated, used goods, such as books, clothes, and household items are sold for low prices, or else the goods may be new and handcrafted (or home-baked), as at a church's Christmas bazaar. The bazaar has been the subject of many books, including: The Persian Bazaar: Veiled Space of Desire (Mage Publications) by Mehdi Khansari and The Morphology of the Persian Bazaar (Agah Publications) by Azita Rajabi.

Beit Lahia

Beit Lahia (Arabic: بيت لاهيا‎) is a city located north of Jabalia, near Beit Hanoun and the 1949 Armistice Line with Israel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 59,540 in mid-year 2006.^[1] Hamas, an Islamist party, took control of it during the 2005 municipal elections.

Beit Lahiya

Beit Lahia (Arabic: بيت لاهيا‎) is a city located north of Jabalia, near Beit Hanoun and the 1949 Armistice Line with Israel. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the city had a population of 59,540 in mid-year 2006.^[1] Hamas, an Islamist party, took control of it during the 2005 municipal elections.

Ben Gurion International Airport

Ben Gurion International Airport (Hebrew: נמל התעופה בן גוריון‎, Namal HaTe'ūfa Ben Gūryōn, (IATA: TLV, ICAO: LLBG), also referred to by its Hebrew acronym Natbag (Hebrew: נתב"ג‎), is the largest and busiest international airport in Israel, with over 11.5 million passengers in 2008.^[1] It was named the best airport in the Middle East by the ACI organisation.^[2]

Blockade of the Gaza Strip

Since June 2007 Egypt and Israel have imposed a blockade on the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip, part of the Palestinian territories.^[1][2][3][4] The blockade consists of a land blockade along Gaza's borders with Egypt and Israel and a sea blockade maintained by the Israeli navy from three nautical miles offshore. It immediately followed the 2006-2007 economic sanctions against the Palestinian National Authority following the election of Hamas to the Palestinian government.

Book of Judges

The Book of Judges (Hebrew: Sefer Shoftim ספר שופטים) is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. It appears in the Tanakh and in the Christian Old Testament. Its title refers to its contents; it contains the history of Biblical judges (not to be confused with modern judges), who helped rule and guide the ancient Israelites, and of their times.

British Army

The British Army is the land armed forces branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England and Scotland and was administered by the War Office from London. It has been managed by the Ministry of Defence since 1963.

Bubonic Plague

Bubonic plague is the best known manifestation of the bacterial disease plague, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Yersinia pestis (formerly known as Pasteurella pestis). It belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae. The term "bubonic plague" was often used synonymously for plague, but it does in fact refer specifically to an infection that enters through the skin and travels through the lymphatics, as is often seen in flea-borne infections. Bubonic plague kills about half of infected patients in 3–7 days without treatment, and may be the Black Death that swept through Europe in the 1340s, killing tens of millions.^[1]

Byzantine Empire

The Byzantine Empire or Eastern Roman Empire, was the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centered on the capital of Constantinople, and ruled by Emperors. It was called the Roman Empire, and also as Romania (Greek: Ῥωμανία, Rhōmanía), by its inhabitants and its neighbours. As the distinction between "Roman Empire" and "Byzantine Empire" is purely a modern convention, it is not possible to assign a date of separation, but an important point is the Emperor Constantine I's transfer in 324 of the capital from Nicomedia (in Anatolia) to Byzantium on the Bosphorus, which became Constantinople (alternatively "New Rome").^{[n 1]}

CNN

Cable News Network, almost always referred to by its initialism CNN, is an U.S. cable news network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner.^[1][2] Upon its launch, CNN was the first network to provide 24-hour television news coverage,^[3] and the first all-news television network in the United States.^[4] While the news network has numerous affiliates, CNN primarily broadcasts from its headquarters at the CNN Center in Atlanta, the Time Warner Center in New York City, and studios in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. CNN is owned by parent company Time Warner, and the U.S. news network is a division of the Turner Broadcasting System.^[5]

Caesarea

Caesarea (Hebrew: קֵיסָרְיָה‎; Arabic: قيسارية‎, Kaysaria) is a town in Israel on the outskirts of Caesarea Maritima, the ancient port city. It is located mid-way between Tel Aviv and Haifa (45 km), on the Israeli Mediterranean coast near the city of Hadera. Modern Caesarea as of December 2007 has a population of 4,500 people,^[1] and is the only Israeli locality managed by a private organization, the Caesarea Development Corporation, and also one the most populous localities not recognized as a local council. It lies under the jurisdiction of the Hof HaCarmel Regional Council.

Canaan

Canaan (Phoenician: , Kana'n, Hebrew: כנען kna-an, Arabic: كنعان Kanaʿān) is an ancient term for a region encompassing modern-day Israel, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Jordan, Syria and northeastern Egypt. In the Hebrew Bible, the "Land of Canaan" extends from Lebanon southward across Gaza to the "Brook of Egypt" and eastward to the Jordan River Valley, thus including modern Israel and the Palestinian Territories. In far ancient times, the southern area included various ethnic groups. The Amarna Letters found in Ancient Egypt mention Canaan (Akkadian: Kinaḫḫu) in connection with Gaza and other cities along the Phoenician coast and into Upper Galilee. Many earlier Egyptian sources also make mention of numerous military campaigns conducted in Ka-na-na, just inside Asia.

Cascais

Cascais (Portuguese pronunciation: [kɐʃˈkajʃ]) is a coastal town in Cascais Municipality in Portugal, 30 kilometres west of Lisbon, with about 35,000 residents. It is a cosmopolitan suburb of the Portuguese capital and one of the richest municipalities in Portugal. The former fishing village gained fame as a resort for Portugal's royal family in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Nowadays, it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists. It is located in the Estoril Coast (named after Estoril, a civil parish), in the Greater Lisbon subregion.^[1] It has an airport for general aviation serving the Lisbon Region in Tires (S. Domingos de Rana), "Aeroporto Municipal de Cascais".

Church of Saint Porphyrius

The Church of Saint Porphyrius (or St. Porphyrius Church, Arabic: كنيسة القديس برفيريوس‎) is the Greek Orthodox church of Gaza, and the oldest active church in the city. Located in the Zaytun Quarter of the Old City, it is named after the 5th century bishop of Gaza, Saint Porphyrius, whose tomb is situated in the northeastern corner of the church.^[1]

Civil War in Palestine (793-796)

The Civil War in Palestine occurred between two Arab tribal federations in Palestine, Mudhar and Yamani, between 793-796, under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate.

Crusades

First – People's – 1101 – Norwegian – Balearic – Wendish – Second – Third – 1197 – Livonian – Fourth – Albigensian – Children's – Fifth – Sixth – Prussian – Swedish – Seventh – Eighth – Ninth – Aragonese – Alexandrian – Nicopolis – Varna

Curative care

Curative care or curative medicine is the kind of health care traditionally oriented towards seeking a cure for an existent disease or medical condition. Curative care differs from preventive care (which aims at preventing the appearance of diseases through the adoption of proper life styles, immunization, etc.) and from palliative care (which concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms).

Damascus

Damascus Skyline
Damascus University • Damascus Opera House
Four Seasons Hotel and Barada River • National Museum • Umayyad Mosque
Azm Palace • Maktab Anbar

David Roberts (painter)

David Roberts RA (24 October 1796 – 25 November 1864) was a Scottish painter. He is especially known for a prolific series of detailed prints of Egypt and the Near East that he produced during the 1840s from sketches he made during long tours of the region (1838-1840). This work, and his large oil paintings of similar subjects, made him a prominent Orientalist painter. He was elected as a Royal Academician in 1841.

Doha

Doha (Arabic: الدوحة‎, ad-Dawḥa or ad-Dōḥa) (literally: "the big tree") is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008,^[2], and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar. Doha is Qatar's largest city, with over 80% of the nation's population residing in Doha or its surrounding suburbs, and is also the economic center of the country.

Dunam

A dunam or dönüm, dunum, donum is a unit of area used in the Ottoman Empire and still used, in various standardized versions, in many countries formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. It was defined as "forty standard paces in length and breadth",^[1] but varied considerably from place to place.

Dura, Hebron

Dura (Arabic: دورا‎) is a Palestinian town located eleven kilometers southwest of Hebron in the Hebron Governorate in the southern West Bank. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of over 28,268 in 2007.^[1] The current mayor is Mustafa Khalil Rjoub.

Economy of Gaza

The Economy of Gaza is mostly dependent on small-scale industries and agriculture. Its once-thriving port has been virtually inoperable since 1967. Today, Gaza's economy is in severe decline, mostly due a blockade by Israel implemented since Hamas took power in the city in 2007.

Education Minister of the Palestinian National Authority

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education of the Palestinian National Authority is the branch of the Palestinian government in charge of managing the education in the Palestinian territories. It was established in 1994 after the formation of the Palestinian National Authority.^[1] The office of the education ministry in Gaza was destroyed in an Israeli air strike, part of offensive Operation Cast Lead.^[2]

Egypt

Egypt (pronounced /ˈiːdʒɪpt/ ( listen); Arabic: مصر‎ Miṣr, pronounced [misˤɾ]  ( listen); Egyptian Arabic: Maṣr [ˈmɑsˤɾ]; Coptic: Ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, kīmi; Egyptian: Kemet), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Thereby, Egypt is a transcontinental country, and is considered to be a major power in North Africa, Mediterranean Region, African continent, Nile Basin, Islamic World and the Red Sea. Covering an area of about 1,010,000 square kilometers (390,000 sq mi), Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.

Egyptian Army

The Egyptian Army is the largest service branch within the Egyptian military establishment. It is estimated to number around 340,000, plus around 375,000 reservists for a total of 655-715,000.^[1]

Erez Crossing

Coordinates: 31°33′29.52″N 34°32′41.42″E / 31.5582°N 34.5448389°E / 31.5582; 34.5448389 The Erez Crossing (Hebrew: מעבר ארז‎) is a pedestrian/cargo terminal on the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier. It is located in the northern end of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Israel.

Evil eye

Evil eye is a look that is believed by many cultures to be able to cause injury or bad luck on the person at whom it is directed for reasons of envy or dislike. The term also refers to the power, superstitiously attributed to certain persons, of inflicting injury or bad luck by such a look.

Fahmi al-Husseini

Fahmi Bey al-Husseini (Arabic: فهمي الحسيني‎, 1886-December 25, 1940) was the mayor of Gaza, his hometown, from 1928 to 1939 while Palestine was under the British Mandate.^[1]

Febrile

Fever (also known as pyrexia, from the Greek pyretos meaning fire, or a febrile response, from the Latin word febris, meaning fever, and archaically known as ague) is a frequent medical sign that describes an increase in internal body temperature to levels above normal. Fever is most accurately characterized as a temporary elevation in the body's thermoregulatory set-point, usually by about 1–2 °C (1.8-3.6 °F).

Fellahin

Fellah (Arabic: فِلاح‎) (plural Fellaheen or Fellahin, فِلاحين), also alternatively known as Fallah (Arabic: فَلاح‎) (plural Fallaheen or Fallahin, فَلاحين) is a peasant, farmer or agricultural laborer in the Middle East. The word derives from the Arabic word for ploughman or tiller. During the time of the spread of Islam, it was used to distinguish between Arab settlers who were usually nomadic (i.e, bedouin), and the indigenous rural population (i.e, fellahin) of the conquered territories, such as the Egyptians, the Syriacs of the Levant and the Cypriots^[1]. In later centuries, however, it came to be the ordinary term describing the rural working people, or farmers, of the region.^[2]

Folklore

Folklore culture, including stories, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The academic and usually ethnographic study of folklore is sometimes called folkloristics. The word 'folklore' was first used by the English antiquarian William Thoms in a letter published by the London Journal Athenaeum in 1846.^[1] In usage, there is a continuum between folklore and mythology. Stith Thompson made a major attempt to index the motifs of both folklore and mythology, providing an outline into which new motifs can be placed, and scholars can keep track of all older motifs.

France

France (pronounced /ˈfræns/ ( listen) or /ˈfrɑːns/; French pronunciation (help·info): [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a member state of the European Union located in its western region, with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents.^[12] France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its main ideals expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

French Army

The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre (English: Land Army), is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces and its largest. As of 2008, the army employs 133,947 regular soldiers and 24 000+ civilians^[1]. All soldiers are now considered professionals, following the suspension of conscription voted in parliament in 1997 and effective as of 2001. Just like the Armée de l'Air, the Marine Nationale and the Gendarmerie Nationale it is placed under the responsibility of the french government.

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser (Arabic: جمال عبد الناصر‎; Gamāl or Jamāl ‘Abd an-Nāṣir; 15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was the second President of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. He led the bloodless coup which toppled the monarchy of King Farouk and heralded a new period of modernization and socialist reform in Egypt together with a profound advancement of pan-Arab nationalism.

Gaza Governorate

The Gaza Governorate (Arabic: محافظة غزة‎) is one of 16 Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority located in the north central Gaza Strip which is administered by the Palestinian National Authority aside from its border with Israel, airspace and maritime territory. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the district's population was 505,700 in 2006. All of its seats were won by Hamas members in the 2006 parliamentary elections. It is governed by Mohammed Qadoura.

Gaza Museum of Archaeology

The Gaza Museum of Archaeology (Arabic: المتحف‎, Al Mat'haf, "The Museum") opened to the public in fall 2008 in Gaza. The Museum houses many rare antiquities discovered in the Gaza Strip from various historical periods, dating as far back as the Bronze Age (3500 BCE). Tools, columns, motifs, coins, glass and pottery from the Roman and Byzantine periods, the Islamic period, the Crusader periods, continuing through the modern era to the time of the Egyptian administration of the Gaza Strip, which ended in 1967. Each display features explanations of the artifacts in several languages, designed for specialists and laymen alike.

Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip (Arabic: قطاع غزة‎ Qiṭāʿ Ġazza/Qita' Ghazzah) lies on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about 41 kilometers (25 mi) long, and between 6 and 12 kilometers (4–7.5 mi) wide, with a total area of 360 square kilometers (139 sq mi). This small piece of land is home to about a million Palestinians. Many of these people lived in other parts of Palestine prior to the 1947 - 49 Israeli War of Independence, when they had to flee. These Palestinians have not been allowed to return to their former villages, in violation of international law, in particular the fourth Geneva convention which does not include descendants of refugees. The area is recognized internationally as part of the Palestinian territories.^[1][2][3][4] Actual control of the area is in the hands of Hamas, an organization that won civil parliamentary Palestinian Authority elections in 2006 and took over de facto government in the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority by way of its own armed militia in July 2007, while violently removing the Palestinian Authority's security forces and civil servants from the Gaza Strip.

Geneva

Geneva (French: Genève, German: Genf Genf (help·info), Italian: Ginevra, Romansh: Genevra) is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandie (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). Situated where the Rhône River exits Lake Geneva (in French also known as Lac Léman), it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.

Geographic coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified in three coordinates, using mainly a spherical coordinate system.

Gold Market

The Gold Market (Arabic: سوق الذهب‎ Souk ad-Dahab; also known as the Qissariya Market, Arabic: سوق القيسارية‎ Souk al-Qissariya) is a narrow covered passageway located in the old quarter of Gaza; it is both a center for trading and buying gold, and location for foreign exchange.^[1] The Market lies along the southern edge of the Great Mosque of Gaza,^[2] beside the main Omar Mukhtar Street. The Market is configured with a pointed and vaulted roof above the central road, which is lined on both sides by small shops that are themselves roofed by the cross vaults of the covered central road.^[3]

Greek Orthodox Church

The Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ελληνορθόδοξη Εκκλησία, Hellēnorthódoxē Ekklēsía) is the body of several churches^[1][2][3] within the larger communion of the Orthodox Church, sharing a common cultural tradition and whose liturgy is traditionally conducted in Koine Greek,^[4] the original language of the New Testament.^[5]

Greek culture

The Culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in the Mycenaean and Minoan Civilizations, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, through the influence of the Roman Empire and its Greek Eastern successor the Byzantine Empire. The Ottoman Empire significantly influenced Greek culture, but historians credit the Greek war of independence with revitalizing Greece and giving birth to a single entity of its multi-faceted culture.

Green Line (Israel)

The term Green Line is used to refer to the 1949 Armistice lines established between Israel and its neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The Green Line separates Israel not only from these countries but from territories Israel would later capture in the 1967 Six-Day War, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Sinai Peninsula (the latter has since been returned to Egypt). Its name is derived from the green ink used to draw the line on the map during the talks.^[1][2] In March 1949 as the Iraqi forces withdrew from Palestine and handed over their positions to the smaller Jordanian legion, three Israeli brigades manoeuvred into threatening positions in Operation Shin-Tav-Shin in a form of coercive diplomacy. The operation allowed Israel to renegotiate the cease fire line in the Wadi Ara area of the northern West Bank in a secret agreement reached on 23 March 1949 and incorporated into the General Armistice Agreement. The green line was then redrawn in blue ink on the southern map to give the impression that a movement into green line had been made.^[3]

Hadrian

Publius Aelius Hadrianus^[1] (as emperor Imperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and Divus Hadrianus after his apotheosis, known as Hadrian in English; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was the fourteenth emperor of Rome from AD 117 to 138, as well as a Stoic and Epicurean philosopher. A member of the gens Aelia, Hadrian was the third of the so-called Five Good Emperors.

Haidar Abdel-Shafi

Haidar Abdel-Shafi (Arabic: حيدر عبد الشافي‎ June 10, 1919 – September 25, 2007) was a Palestinian physician, community leader and political leader who was the head of the Palestinian delegation to the Madrid Conference of 1991.

Haifa

Haifa (Hebrew: חֵיפָה‎ Ḥeifa (help·info); Arabic: حَيْفَا‎ Ḥayfā (help·info)^[2]) is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 264,900.^[3][4] Haifa has a mixed population of Jews and Arabs. The Arab population used to be predominantly Christian, while some of the Jewish population arrived from Russia.^[5] It is also home to the Bahá'í World Centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[6][7]

Hajj

The Hajj (Arabic: حج‎ Ḥaǧǧ) is a pilgrimage to Mecca. It is currently the largest annual pilgrimage in the world,^[1] and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. The Hajj is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to God (Allah in the Arabic language).^[2] The pilgrimage occurs from the 7th to 13th day of Dhu al-Hijjah, the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, eleven days shorter than the Gregorian calendar used in the Western world, the Gregorian date of the Hajj changes from year to year. In 2007, the Hajj was from December 17–21; in 2008 from December 6–10, and in 2009 it was from November 25–29. Ihram is the name given to the special state in which Muslims live whilst on the pilgrimage,

Hamam al-Sammara

Hamam al-Sammara (Arabic: حمام السمرا‎, also spelled Hamaam as-Sumara; transliteration: "the Bath of the Samaritans" or "the Brown Bath") is the only active Turkish bath remaining in Gaza, located in the Zeitoun Quarter of the Old City. It is situated 3 meters (10 ft) below street level.^[1] It is currently owned by Salim Abdullah al-Wazeer.^[2]

Hamam as-Sammara

Hamam al-Sammara (Arabic: حمام السمرا‎, also spelled Hamaam as-Sumara; transliteration: "the Bath of the Samaritans" or "the Brown Bath") is the only active Turkish bath remaining in Gaza, located in the Zeitoun Quarter of the Old City. It is situated 3 meters (10 ft) below street level.^[1] It is currently owned by Salim Abdullah al-Wazeer.^[2]

Hamas

Hamas (حماس Ḥamās, an acronym of حركة المقاومة الاسلامية Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamat al-Islāmiyyah, meaning "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Islamic socio-political organization which includes a paramilitary force, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.^[2][3] Since June 2007, after winning a large majority in the Palestinian Parliament and defeating rival Palestinian party Fatah in a series of violent clashes, Hamas has governed the Gaza portion of the Palestinian Territories. The governments of Canada,^[5] the European Union,^[6][7][8] Israel,^[9] Japan,^[10] Australia, ^[11] and the United States^[12] classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Hashim ibn Abd Manaf

Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf (Arabic: هاشم بن عبد مناف‎) (died ca. 497) was the great-grandfather of the Prophet Muhammad and his cousin, Ali ibn Abi Talib, the fourth Caliph and regarded as the first Imam in Shia Islam. Hashim ibn Abd al-Manaf was also was the originator of the Banu Hashim clan of the distinguished Quraish tribe in Mecca. His grave can be found in Jannatul Mualla cemetery, in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

Hasmonean

The Hasmoneans (/hæzməˡniən/ Hebrew: חשמונאים‎, Hashmonayim, Audio) were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom of Israel (140–37 BC),^[1] an independent Jewish state. The Hasmonean dynasty was established under the leadership of Simon Maccabaeus, two decades after his brother Judah the Maccabee defeated the Seleucid army during the Maccabean Revolt in 165 BC. The Hasmonean Kingdom survived for 103 years before yielding to the Herodian Dynasty in 37 BC. Even then, Herod the Great felt obliged to bolster the legitimacy of his reign by marrying a Hasmonean princess, Mariamne, and conspiring to have the last male Hasmonean heir drowned in his Jericho palace.

Hebron Hills

Mount Hebron (Arabic: جبل الخليل‎) (Hebrew: הר חברון‎) is a geographic region and geologic formation in the southern West Bank,^[1][2] with its western foothills extending into Israel.^[3] The area was in biblical times a center of the Israelite and Hasmonean kingdoms. The region lends its name to the Mount Hebron Regional Council.

Helios

In Greek mythology the sun was personified as Helios (pronounced /ˈhiːli.ɒs/, Greek: Ἥλιος, Latinized as Helius.) Homer often calls him simply Titan or Hyperion, while Hesiod (Theogony 371) and the Homeric Hymn separate him as a son of the Titans Hyperion and Theia (Hesiod) or Euryphaessa (Homeric Hymn) and brother of the goddesses Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn. The names of these three were also the common Greek words for sun, moon and dawn.

Hellenistic period

The Hellenistic period describes the era which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia. It is often considered a period of transition, sometimes even of decline or decadence,^[1] between the brilliance of the Greek Classical Era and the emergence of the Roman Empire. Usually taken to begin with the death of Alexander in 323 BC, the Hellenistic period may either be seen to end with the final conquest of the Greek heartlands by Rome in 146 BC; or the final defeat of the last remaining successor-state to Alexander's empire, the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt in 31/30 BC.^[2] The Hellenistic period was characterized by a new wave of colonists which established Greek cities and kingdoms in Asia and Africa.^[3]

Herod the Great

Herod (Hebrew: הוֹרְדוֹס‎, Hordos, Greek: Ἡρῴδης, Hērōdēs), also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (born 74 BC, died 4 BC in Jericho), was a Roman client king of Israel.^[1] He was described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis."^[2] He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and other parts of the ancient world, including the rebuilding of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, sometimes referred to as Herod's Temple. Some details of his biography can be gleaned from the works of the 1st century AD Roman-Jewish historian Josephus Flavius.

Highway 4 (Israel)

Highway 4 (Hebrew: כביש 4‎, Kvish 4) is an Israeli highway that runs along Israel's entire coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea, its route in the north runs from the Rosh HaNikra border crossing with Lebanon until the Erez Border Crossing with the Gaza Strip. Until the 1990s and the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces from most of the Gaza Strip due to the Oslo Accords, Highway 4 continued all the way until Rafah and the Egyptian border. The highway follows in part the route of the ancient Via Maris.

History of Gaza

The History of Gaza spans 4,000 years during which it was ruled and populated by various dynasties, empires, and peoples.^[1] Originally a Canaanite settlement, it fell under the control of the Ancient Egyptians for roughly 350 years before being conquered by the Philistines, who made it one of the principal cities of their pentapolis in the 12th century BCE. Gaza fell under the domain of the Assyrian empire in 730 BCE, and subsequently, that of the Persian Sassanid Dynasty. Alexander the Great besieged the city for five months before finally capturing it in 332 BCE. Most of the inhabitants were killed during the assault, and the city, which became a center for Hellenistic learning and philosophy, was resettled by nearby Bedouin Arabs. The city was again besieged by the Hasmoneans in 96 BCE.

Hookah

A hookah (Hindi: हुक़्क़ा, Urdu: حقّہ, hukkah) or waterpipe^[1], also nargile in Turkish, narjileh (نرجيلة) in Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinian dialects, ghalyun (kalian) (Persian: قليان) or shisha (Arabic: شيشة shee-sha‎) is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) instrument for smoking tobacco in which the smoke is cooled and filtered by passing through water.^[2] Originally from India,^{[3][4][5][6][7]} hookah has gained popularity, especially in the Middle East and is gaining popularity in North America, Europe and Australia.^[8]

Hulagu Khan

Hulagu Khan, also known as Hulagu, Hülegü or Hulegu (Mongolian: Хүлэгү, Khülegü; Chagatai/Persian: ہلاکو - Hulaku; Arabic: هولاكو‎; c. 1217 – 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Southwest Asia. Son of Tolui and the Kerait princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan, and the brother of Arik Boke, Möngke Khan and Kublai Khan. Hulagu's army greatly expanded the southwestern portion of the Mongol Empire, founding the Ilkhanate of Persia, a precursor to the eventual Safavid dynasty, and then the modern state of Iran. Under Hulagu's leadership, the Mongols destroyed the greatest center of Islamic power, Baghdad, and also weakened Damascus, causing a shift of Islamic influence to the Mamluks in Cairo. It was also in Hulagu's reign that historians switched from writing in Arabic to writing in Persian.

Ibn Batutta

Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Al Lawati Al Tanji Ibn Battuta Arabic: أبو عبد الله محمد ابن عبد الله اللواتي الطنجي بن بطوطة‎ or simply Ibn Battuta(February 25, 1304 – 1368 or 1369) was a Moroccan Berber Muslim scholar and traveler who is known for the account of his travels and excursions called the Rihla (Voyage) in Arabic. His journeys lasted for a period of nearly thirty years and covered almost the entirety of the known Islamic world and beyond, extending from North Africa, West Africa, Southern Europe and Eastern Europe in the West, to the Middle East, Indian subcontinent, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and China in the East, a distance readily surpassing that of his predecessors and his near-contemporary Marco Polo.

Ibn Marwan Mosque

The Ibn Marwan Mosque (Arabic: جامع ابن مروان‎, transl: Jami' Ibn Marwan) is a Mamluk-era mosque in Gaza in the midst of a cemetery, relatively isolated from the rest of the city.^[1] Inside is the tomb of a holy man named Sheik Ali ibn Marwan who came from Morocco and settled in Gaza where he died in 1314 CE. 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.^[2]

Ibn Uthman Mosque

The Ibn Uthman Mosque (Arabic: مسجد ابن عثمان‎ Masjid Ibn 'Uthman) is one of the oldest and largest mosques in Gaza located in the Shuja'iyya district.^[1] It is noted for its architectural patterns. It was established at different stages during the Mamluk period of rule in the city, and eventually finished in the late 14th century by Ahmed ibn Uthman, a man born in Nablus, and traveled to Gaza where he died in 1402 CE.^[1][2] An inscription dated from 1443 and honoring the Mamluk sultan Jaqmaq is situated at the mosque entrance.^[3]

Information technology

Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware."^[1] IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.

Institute for Middle East Understanding

Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organisation, not aligned to any political or government organisation. It was founded by Americans and describes its mission as entailing working "with journalists to increase the public's understanding about the socio-economic, political and cultural aspects of Palestine, Palestinians and Palestinian Americans." ^[1]

International Standard Book Number

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique^[1] numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin,^[2] for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966.^[3]

Islamic University of Gaza

Islamic University of Gaza (Arabic: الجامعة الإسلامية بغزة‎ also known as IUG, IU Gaza, or The University of Gaza) is an independent Palestinian university established in 1978 in Gaza City, Palestinian territories. The university, according to its website, has 10 faculties capable of awarding either B.A., B.Sc., M.A., M.Sc., Diploma and higher diploma in their respective disciplines.^[2] The Islamic University of Gaza is a member of four regional and international association of higher education which are the International Association of Universities, Community of Mediterranean Universities^[3], Association of Arab Universities^[4] and Association of Islamic Universities.^[5]

Israel

Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל‎, Yisra'el; Arabic: إِسْرَائِيلُ‎, Isrā'īl) officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל (help·info), Medinat Yisra'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةُ إِسْرَائِيلَ‎, Dawlat Isrā'īl), is a country in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area.^[7] Also adjacent are the West Bank to the east and Gaza Strip to the southwest. Israel is the world's only predominantly Jewish state^[8] with a population of about 7.5 million people, of whom approximately 5.62 million are Jewish.^[9][10] The largest ethnic minority group is the segment denominated as Arab citizens of Israel, while minority religious groups include Muslims, Christians, Druze, Samaritans and others, most of which are found within the Arab segment.

Israel Central Bureau of Statistics

The Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (Hebrew: הלשכה המרכזית לסטטיסטיקה‎, HaLishka HaMerkazit LiStatistika), abbreviated CBS, is an Israeli government office established in 1949 to carry out research and publish statistical data on all aspects of Israeli life, including population, society, economy, industry, education and physical infrastructure.^[1]

Israelite

In the Bible, the Israelites (sometimes referred to as "The Twelve Tribes") were the descendants of the Biblical patriarch Jacob. They were divided into twelve tribes, each descended from one of twelve sons or grandsons of Jacob.

Italy

Italy /ˈɪtəli/ (help·info) (Italian: Italia, [iˈta:lja]), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica Italiana), is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within the Italian Peninsula, and Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers 301,338 km² and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.2 million inhabitants, it is the sixth most populous country in Europe, and the twenty-third most populous in the world.

Jabalia

Jabalia also Jabalya (Arabic: جباليا‎) is a Palestinian city located 4 kilometers (2 mi) north of Gaza City. It is under the jurisdiction of the North Gaza Governorate, in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a population of 82,877 in mid-year 2006.^[1] The Jabalia refugee camp is adjacent to the city to the south.

Jericho

Jericho (Arabic: أريحا‎ Ārīḥā [ʔæˈriːħɑː]  ( listen)); Hebrew: יְרִיחוֹ‎ Yəriḥo [jeʁiˈħo]  ( listen) is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian Territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate, and has a population of over 20,000 Palestinians.^[2] Situated well below sea level on an east-west route 16 kilometres (10 mi) north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently inhabited site on earth. It is also believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of the world.^[3][4][5]

Jewish Encyclopedia

The Jewish Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901. It is now a public domain resource.

Josephus

Josephus (AD 37 – c. 100),^[2] also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph, son of Matthias) and, after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus,^[3] was a first-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 .^[4] His works give an important insight into first-century Judaism.

Juhor ad-Dik

Juhor ad-Dik (Arabic: جحر الديك‎) is a Palestinian village in the Gaza Governorate, south of Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the village had a population of 3,200 inhabitants in 2006.^[1] In the 1997 census by the PCBS, Palestinian refugees made up 72.3% of the population which at the time was 2,275.^[2]

Knights Templar

The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), commonly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple (French: Ordre du Temple or Templiers), were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders.^[3] The organization existed for approximately two centuries in the Middle Ages.

Laila el-Haddad

Laila El-Haddad is a Palestinian journalist, writer, blogger, and media activist based between Gaza and the United States, who writes principally for the al-Jazeera English website and the Guardian Unlimited. El-Haddad was born in Kuwait. She was raised primarily in Saudi Arabia while summering in Gaza. Her father, Dr. Moussa El-Haddad is from Gaza City, her mother, Dr. Maii el-Farra, from the town of Khanyounis in southern Gaza. Both are now retired and reside in Gaza City. She was educated in Bahrain and the United States. She earned her B.A. from Duke University and her Master in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, after being awarded the Clinton Scholarship for Palestinian graduate students.

Levant

The Levant (pronounced /ləˈvænt/) (Arabic: ‎, Bilad ash-Shām, also known as المشرق (Mashriq)) describes, traditionally, the Eastern Mediterranean at large, but can be used as a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia formed by the lands bordering the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, roughly bounded on the north by the Taurus Mountains, on the south by the Arabian Desert, and on the west by the Mediterranean Sea, while on the east it extends towards the Zagros Mountains. The Levant includes the countries of Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Syria, Jordan, Iraq,^{[citation needed]} and occasionally Cyprus and the Sinai. The UCL Institute of Archeology describes the Levant as the "crossroads of western Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and northeast Africa".^[1]

List of cities in Palestinian Authority areas

The following is a list of cities administered by the Palestinian National Authority, although depending on which particular area each locality is located. After the 1995 Interim Agreements, the PNA took control of civil affairs in both designated Areas, A and B where ultimately all Palestinian population centers are located (except those with in the municipal borders of East Jerusalem). Israeli Defense Forces are responsible for security in Area B. In the Palestinian territories today there is a lack of local government and a thin line between a local council or a city.

List of cities in Palestinian National Authority areas

The following is a list of cities administered by the Palestinian National Authority, although depending on which particular area each locality is located. After the 1995 Interim Agreements, the PNA took control of civil affairs in both designated Areas, A and B where ultimately all Palestinian population centers are located (except those with in the municipal borders of East Jerusalem). Israeli Defense Forces are responsible for security in Area B. In the Palestinian territories today there is a lack of local government and a thin line between a local council or a city.

List of twin towns and sister cities in Palestine

This is a list of places in Palestine having standing links to local communities in other countries. In most cases, the association, especially when formalised by local government, is known as "town twinning" (though other terms, such as "partner towns", "sister cities" or "brother cities" are sometimes used instead), and while most of the places included are towns, the list also comprises villages, cities, districts, counties, etc. with similar links.

Little Gaza

Little Gaza is an ethnic enclave in Orange County, California, United States,^[1] the center for Orange County's Arab-Americans, who number more than 24,000 (As of 2000^[update]).^[2] It is sometimes referred to as "Little Arabia." ^[3][4] Little Gaza sprouted up in the 1990s with the arrival of immigrants from the Middle East, and is the home thousands of Palestinian-Americans.^[5] The district is centered on Brookhurst Street in Anaheim.^[6] Businesses include halal butcher shops, beauty salons, jewelry stores, travel agencies, bakeries, Arab and Persian restaurants, and hookah cafes.^[4][7][8] There are also numerous mosques and a few churches in the enclave.

Lod

Lod (Hebrew: לוֹד‎; Arabic: اَلْلُدّْ‎, al-Ludd; Greco-Latin Lydda) is a city located on the Sharon Plain 15 kilometers (9 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv in the Center District of Israel. At the end of 2007, it had a population of 67,000, roughly 80 percent Jewish and 20 percent Arab.

Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. In 2008 it was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country.^[3]