Rimal
Rimal
حي الرمال | |
---|---|
Neighborhood | |
Remal | |
Coordinates:31°31′12″N34°26′35″E/ 31.52000°N 34.44306°E | |
Grid position | 097/103PAL |
Country | ![]() |
Governorate | Gaza Governorate |
City | Gaza |
Government | |
• Body | Hamas |
Time zone | UTC+2(EET) |
• Summer (DST) | +3 |
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RimalorRemal(Arabic:حي الرمال,lit. 'sands') is a neighborhood inGaza Citylocated 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from the city center. Situated along the coastline, it was considered the most prosperous neighborhood of Gaza.[1]The main street that runs through Gaza,Omar Mukhtar Streetruns northwest–southeast in the district and the main coastal road, Ahmad Orabi/Rasheed Street northeast-southwest.[2]Rimal is divided into the city districts of southern Rimal and northern Rimal.[3]The neighborhood is the site of multiple government ministries and has been severely damaged during the ongoing2023 Israel–Hamas war.[4]
History
Rimal is built on the ancient port city of Gaza calledMaioumas.[5]The intense rivalry between Christian Gaza andPaganMaioumas continued throughout theByzantineera, even after the population of Maioumas had been converted to Christianity by Imperial decree and the Pagan sanctuaries destroyed byPorphyry of Gaza.[6][7][8][9]The coastline of Gaza consisted mostly of sand dunes around the bustlingPort of Gazaup until the mid-20th century.[10][11]In the 1930s and 1940s, foreign missionary institutions financed the establishment of a residential neighborhood along the coast. This new district became known asRimal( "Sand" or "Beach" ) and today covers most of Gaza City's coastline and much of the area between the coastline and theOld City.Most of the buildings were detached houses built in European style. After the neighborhood's construction, the center of commercial activity shifted from the Old City to Rimal.[12]
Landmarks
Rimal contains the Palestinian Presidential Palace, the Governor's Palace, theGaza Mall,the Roots Club, theUnited Nationsbeach club, thePalestinian Centre for Human Rights,the mainal-Shifa Hospital,thePalestinian Legislative Council,and a number of foreign government offices, four hotels, and all of the city's well-known restaurants.[2]TheMidan Jundi(Soldier's Square), dedicated to an indigenous Arab soldier who died fighting in the1948 Arab-Israeli War,is located in Rimal.[1]The port of Gaza is in the Rimal district and home to the Palestinian Naval Police force.[10]Rimal is the lone elite district of the city.
References
- ^abJacobs, 1998, p.455.
- ^abSheehan, 2000, p.428.
- ^Balsamo, 2013, p. 103.
- ^Adwan, Issam (October 10, 2023)."Unprecedented Israeli bombardment lays waste to upscale Rimal, the beating heart of Gaza City".apnews.Archivedfrom the original on October 13, 2023.RetrievedOctober 13,2023.
- ^Butt, 1995, p.9.
- ^Hevelone-Harper, 1997, pp.11-12.
- ^Sivan, 2008, p.337.
- ^Sterk, 2004, p.207.
- ^Butt, 1995, p.70
- ^abRimal is the lone elite district of the city. For millennia, until shortly after World War I, it was a crowded port, a shipping point along trade roads Dick Doughty, Mohammed El Aydi (1995) Gaza: legacy of occupation--a photographer's journey Kumarian Press,ISBN1-56549-044-4p 13
- ^"BBC".January 12, 2002.Archivedfrom the original on July 6, 2004.RetrievedMarch 13,2009.
- ^Abu-Lughod and Dumper, 2007, p.156.
Bibliography
- Abu-Lughod, J.;Dumper, Michael (2007).Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia.ABC-CLIO.ISBN978-1-57607-919-5.
- Balsamo, Franca (2013).Violence Against Women in Difficult Contexts, A Network Between Three Cities: Gaza, Haifa and Torino.University of Torino - CIRSDe.ISBN9788890555664.
- Butt, Gerald (1995).Life at the crossroads: a history of Gaza.Rimal Publications.ISBN1-900269-03-1.
- Hevelone-Harper, Jennifer Lee (1997),Disciples of the Desert: Monks, Laity, and Spiritual Authority in Sixth-century Gaza,JHU Press,ISBN0-8018-8110-2
- Winter, Dave (2000),Israel Handbook: With the Palestinian Authority Areas,Footprint Travel Guides,ISBN978-1-900949-48-4
- Jacobs, Daniel (1998).Israel and the Palestinian territories.Rough Guides.ISBN978-1-85828-248-0.
- Sivan, Hagith (2008).Palestine in Late Antiquity.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-928417-7.
- Sterk, Andrea (2004).Renouncing the World Yet Leading the Church: The Monk-bishop in Late Antiquity.Harvard University Press.ISBN0-674-01189-9.