History of
Gaza
The History of Gaza spans 4,000 years during which it was
ruled and populated by various dynasties, empires, and peoples.
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.
After its incorporation into the Roman Empire in 63 BCE, Gaza was rebuilt under the command of Pompey Magnus, and granted to Herod the Great thirty years later. Throughout the Roman period, Gaza maintained its prosperity, receiving grants from several different emperors. A 500-member senate governed the city, and a diverse array of Philistines, Greeks, Romans, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Jews, Egyptians, Persians and Arabs populated the city. Conversion to Christianity in the city was spearheaded and completed under Saint Porphyrius, who destroyed its eight pagan temples between 396 and 420 CE.
Gaza was the first city in Palestine to be conquered by
the Arab Rashidun Caliphate in 635 CE. The arrival of the Muslim
rulers brought drastic changes, as its churches were transformed
into mosques, the population swiftly adopted Islam as their
religion, and Arabic became the official language. Under the Arab
Muslims, the city went through periods of prosperity and decline.
The Crusaders wrested control of Gaza from the Fatimids in 1100,
and ruled until 1187, when the city was conquered by Saladin and
the Ayyubids. Gaza was in Mamluk hands by the late 13th century,
and became the capital of a province that stretched from the Sinai
Peninsula to Caesarea. By the time of its incorporation into the
Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, it was but a small
village.
The Ottomans charged the Ridwan family with governance over the city in the early 16th century. In 1660, under Husayn Pasha, Gaza went through another "golden age" and was proclaimed the capital of Palestine. From the early 1800s, Gaza was culturally dominated by neighboring Egypt and Muhammad Ali of Egypt conquered it in 1832. His brief rule ended in 1840, after the Ottomans defeated his forces outside the city. In 1917, the forces of the Triple Entente captured the city after a third battle against the Ottoman forces there.
The 20th century began in Gaza with two destructive
earthquakes in 1903 and 1914. The city also expanded in the first
half of this century under the rule of the British Mandate in
Palestine, and as part of the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan,
Gaza was assigned to the Arab state. As a result of the 1948
Arab-Israeli War, it was held and administered by Egypt, until the
1967 Six-Day War when it was occupied by Israel. Gaza was a center
of political resistance in the First Intifada, and under the Oslo
Accords of 1993, it was assigned to be under the direct control of
the newly-established Palestinian National Authority. In 2007,
Hamas emerged as the victor in Palestinian factional fighting with
Fatah in the city and in the wider Gaza Strip and has since been
the sole governing authority there. Israel has blockaded the Strip
ever since and launched an assault in 2008-2009, which it
characterized as a response to Qassam rocket attacks. The
bombardment and ground assault left over 1,300 people dead in the
territory, and destroyed over 4,000 buildings. (via
Wikipedia)
The History of Gaza spans 4,000 years during which it was
ruled and populated by various dynasties, empires, and peoples.
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.After its incorporation into the Roman Empire in 63 BCE, Gaza was rebuilt under the command of Pompey Magnus, and granted to Herod the Great thirty years later. Throughout the Roman period, Gaza maintained its prosperity, receiving grants from several different emperors. A 500-member senate governed the city, and a diverse array of Philistines, Greeks, Romans, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Jews, Egyptians, Persians and Arabs populated the city. Conversion to Christianity in the city was spearheaded and completed under Saint Porphyrius, who destroyed its eight pagan temples between 396 and 420 CE.
Gaza was the first city in Palestine to be conquered by
the Arab Rashidun Caliphate in 635 CE. The arrival of the Muslim
rulers brought drastic changes, as its churches were transformed
into mosques, the population swiftly adopted Islam as their
religion, and Arabic became the official language. Under the Arab
Muslims, the city went through periods of prosperity and decline.
The Crusaders wrested control of Gaza from the Fatimids in 1100,
and ruled until 1187, when the city was conquered by Saladin and
the Ayyubids. Gaza was in Mamluk hands by the late 13th century,
and became the capital of a province that stretched from the Sinai
Peninsula to Caesarea. By the time of its incorporation into the
Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, it was but a small
village.The Ottomans charged the Ridwan family with governance over the city in the early 16th century. In 1660, under Husayn Pasha, Gaza went through another "golden age" and was proclaimed the capital of Palestine. From the early 1800s, Gaza was culturally dominated by neighboring Egypt and Muhammad Ali of Egypt conquered it in 1832. His brief rule ended in 1840, after the Ottomans defeated his forces outside the city. In 1917, the forces of the Triple Entente captured the city after a third battle against the Ottoman forces there.
The 20th century began in Gaza with two destructive
earthquakes in 1903 and 1914. The city also expanded in the first
half of this century under the rule of the British Mandate in
Palestine, and as part of the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan,
Gaza was assigned to the Arab state. As a result of the 1948
Arab-Israeli War, it was held and administered by Egypt, until the
1967 Six-Day War when it was occupied by Israel. Gaza was a center
of political resistance in the First Intifada, and under the Oslo
Accords of 1993, it was assigned to be under the direct control of
the newly-established Palestinian National Authority. In 2007,
Hamas emerged as the victor in Palestinian factional fighting with
Fatah in the city and in the wider Gaza Strip and has since been
the sole governing authority there. Israel has blockaded the Strip
ever since and launched an assault in 2008-2009, which it
characterized as a response to Qassam rocket attacks. The
bombardment and ground assault left over 1,300 people dead in the
territory, and destroyed over 4,000 buildings. (via
Wikipedia)
