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Al-Daraj or Haraat al-Daraj ( ar, حارة الدرج) is the densely populated northwestern quarter of Gaza's Old City. Its name translates as "Quarter of the Steps." Situated on an oblong hill about above sea level and higher than any other area in the city, al-Daraj likely received its name either from stairs that once led to it or from the feeling of climbing steps when attempting to reach the neighborhood. It is also referred to as the "Muslim Quarter" and contains several mosques and other Muslim edifices. Among them are the city's largest mosque, the Great Omari Mosque, as well as the
29
/ref> Al-Daraj is separated from the southern
251
cited in Cohen and Lewis, 1978, pp. 119
Al-Daraj or Haraat al-Daraj ( ar, حارة الدرج) is the densely populated northwestern quarter of Gaza's Old City. Its name translates as "Quarter of the Steps." Situated on an oblong hill about above sea level and higher than any other area in the city, al-Daraj likely received its name either from stairs that once led to it or from the feeling of climbing steps when attempting to reach the neighborhood. It is also referred to as the "Muslim Quarter" and contains several mosques and other Muslim edifices. Among them are the city's largest mosque, the Great Omari Mosque, as well as the al-Sayed Hashem Mosque
The Sayed al-Hashim Mosque ( ar, مسجد السيد هاشم ''Masjid as-Sayed Hāshim''; tr, Seyyid Haşim Camii) is one of the largest and oldest mosques in Gaza, located in the ad-Darrāj Quarter of the Old City, off of al-Wehda Street. Th ...
, the Sheikh Zakariya Mosque
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonly designates a chief of a ...
, the Sheikh Faraj Mosque and Madrasa al-Zahrah.Sharon, 2009, p29
/ref> Al-Daraj is separated from the southern
Zaytun Quarter
Al-Zaytun (also spelled Zeitoun or Harat az-Zaytoun; ar, الزيتون; Arabic translation: "the Quarter of Olive trees") is the southwestern and largest quarter of Gaza's Old City.Sharon, 2009, p 29/ref> Prior to the demolition of the Old Cit ...
by Omar Mukhtar Street Omar Mukhtar Street ( ar, شارع عمر المختار) is the main street of Gaza City, in the State of Palestine, running from Palestine Square to the Port of Gaza in the Rimal district, separating the Old City's al-Daraj and Zaytoun quarters. ...
.
It is the oldest populated area of the city, being built over the site of ancient Gaza. The remnants of the city's ancient past are visible in many of the neighborhood's stone houses where marble columns and slabs have been reused as building materials. According to Ottoman tax records, al-Daraj was a relatively large neighborhood in 1525, with 141 households. Containing Qasr al-Basha
Qasr al-Basha ( ar, قصر الباشا), also known as Pasha's Palace Museum, Radwan Castle and Napoleon's Fort, is a historical palace situated in the Old City of Gaza, now housing a museum and a girls' school. It served as a seat of power in t ...
, it was the seat of power for the provincial governors of Gaza and much of Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
during Mamluk and Ottoman rule over the city by at least the 17th century. At the end of the 19th century, it was called ''Haret ed-Deredj''.Guérin, 1884, p251
cited in Cohen and Lewis, 1978, pp. 119
References
Bibliography
* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daraj Neighborhoods of Gaza City Philistine cities