Qasr al-Basha



Qasr al-Basha (قصر الباشا), also Pasha's Palace Museum, Radwan Castle, and Napoleon's Fort, is a historic building in the Old City of Gaza, now housing a museum. It served as a seat of power in the Mamluk and Ottoman periods and as a police station under the British Mandate.

Mamluk period
The first floor of Qasr al-Basha was built by the Mamluk sultan Zahir Baibars in the mid-13th century. The façade bares the landmark of Baibars which is a relief sculpture of two lions facing each other. The geometrical patterns and domes, fan and cross vaults are typical Mamluk architecture under Bahri rule. According to local legend, in the 13th century CE, when Baibars was still general fighting the Crusaders and Mongols throughout the Levant, he passed through Gaza on several occasions. During one of his visits, Baibars is believed to have married in Gaza and built a grand mansion for his Gazan wife and children. It is said that Qasr al-Basha is what remains of this home.

Ottoman period
The second floor of the building is largely of Ottoman-era construction. In the 17th century, Qasr al-Basha served as the fortress home of the ruling Radwan dynasty (hence the name "Radwan Castle") and later pashas of Gaza, who were governors appointed by the Ottoman governor of the Damascus Province. During this era, the fortress was provided with arrow slits and underground passages as means of defense. Within the complex were soldier's lodgings, a mosque, granary, an armory, and cannons. The height of the structure made Qasr al-Basha a strategic point in Gaza. This, along with its fortifications, was the probable reason Napoleon Bonaparte spent three nights at the palace during his campaign that ended at Acre in 1799, hence the name "Napoleon's Fort".

Turkish traveller Evliya Çelebi wrote of Qasr al-Basha in 1649, saying "the Citadel was built in ancient times and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The present citadel derives from a later time. It is small and rectangular and lies one hour distant, east of the sea. Its walls are twenty yards high. It has a metal door which opens in the direction of the qibla. The commander and the garrison must always be present here to fulfill their guard duties because it is in a dangerous place, here the Arab tribes and the enemy are numerous."

British Mandate
During the British Mandate for Palestine it was used as a police station. During the Occupation of the Gaza Strip by the United Arab Republic, Qasr al-Basha was used as a school, Princess Ferial School for Girls. After Farouk I of Egypt was deposed, the school was renamed al-Zahra Secondary School for Girls.

Modern era
Funded by a grant from the German Development Bank (KfW), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) converted Qasr al-Basha into a museum. After building new facilities for the girls school, restoration began under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority Department of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage. During the first phase of the project, workers landscaped the museum grounds, installed new doors, windows and gates, and restored the facade of the palace. In the second phase of the project, display cases were installed and exhibitions were held of Neolithic, Ancient Egyptian, Phoenician, Persian, Hellenistic, and Roman artifacts. The smaller building in front of the palace became a gateway to the museum. A 4,500 year old statue of Anat, the Canaanite goddess of beauty, love and war, was recently on display.

Qasr al-Basha was heavily damaged after Israeli bombardment during the invasion of the Gaza Strip.