Al-Zaytun (also spelled Zeitoun or Harat az-Zaytoun; Arabic: الزيتون; Arabic translation: "the Quarter of Olive trees"[1]) is the southwestern and largest quarter of Gaza's Old City.[2] Prior to the demolition of the Old City's walls, it was one of the three walled quarters of Gaza's Old City, the other two being al-Tuffah in the northeast and al-Daraj in the northwest. Omar Mukhtar Street, Gaza City's main thoroughfare, separates al-Zaytun from al-Daraj.[3]

History

The northwestern part of al-Zaytun was known as "Dar al-Khudar" ("the Vegetable House"), which was a small subdivision that contained the open-air vegetable market known as "Suq al-Khudar". In 1525, Dar al-Khudar contained 43 households,[2] while Zaytun, the south eastern part of present Al-Zaytun, had 54 households and 30 bachelors,[4] and Nasara, close to the Church of Saint Porphyrius, had 82 households.[5]

The Christian and Jewish neighborhoods of Gaza were also a part of al-Zaytun. The 5th century Saint Porphryrius Church, belonging to the Greek Orthodox denomination, is located in al-Zaytun and stands alongside the 14th century Kateb al-Welaya Mosque, with only two meters of space in between the former's bell tower and the latter's minaret. Adjacent to the church is the old Christian graveyard.[3] Also located in al-Zaytun is the al-Shamah Mosque.[6]

The last Jewish residents of al-Zaytun were evacuated by the British army following the 1929 Palestine riots.

References

  1. ↑ Palmer, p. 359
  2. 1 2 Sharon, 2009, p. 29
  3. 1 2 Sharon, 2009, p. 30
  4. ↑ Cohen and Lewis, 1978, p. 117
  5. ↑ Cohen and Lewis, 1978, p. 119
  6. ↑ Sharon, 2009, p. 31

Bibliography

  • Cohen, Amnon; Lewis, Bernard (1978). Population and Revenue in the Towns of Palestine in the Sixteenth Century. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-09375-X.
  • Meyer, Martin Abraham (1907). History of the city of Gaza: from the earliest times to the present day. Columbia University Press.
  • Palmer, E. H. (1881). The Survey of Western Palestine: Arabic and English Name Lists Collected During the Survey by Lieutenants Conder and Kitchener, R. E. Transliterated and Explained by E.H. Palmer. Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
  • Sharon, Moshe (2009). Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, G. Vol. 4. BRILL. ISBN 90-04-17085-5.

31°29′47″N 34°27′08″E / 31.4964°N 34.4522°E / 31.4964; 34.4522


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