AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Qasr al-Basha—'the Pasha's Palace'—was Gaza's layered seat of power, a two-story fortress whose stones stacked seven centuries of history: a Mamluk foundation under Sultan Baibars, an Ottoman governor's stronghold built by the Radwan dynasty, a British-era police station, and finally a treasure-filled museum set in the Old City's al-Daraj quarter on Al-Wahda Street. It was the last surviving palace of its kind in Gaza City and a favorite stop for travelers tracing the city's deep past.↗↗↗

Its story now has a painful final chapter: the palace and its museum were destroyed during the war that began in late 2023, and Google Maps lists it as permanently closed. What remains is a ruin being slowly cleared after the ceasefire, and a collection scattered abroad through touring exhibitions and digital archives, making this a place to remember and learn about as much as to visit.↗↗↗