Gold Market
Encyclopedia
The Gold Market is a narrow covered passageway located in the old quarter of Gaza
; it is both a center for trading and buying gold, and location for foreign exchange. The Market lies along the southern edge of the Great Mosque of Gaza
, beside the main Omar Mukhtar Street
. The Market is configured with a pointed and vaulted roof above the central road, which is lined on both sides by small shops that are themselves roofed by the cross vaults of the covered central road.
rule in Palestine
. The Market originally formed a part of a much larger covered market, but most of the area was destroyed by the British Army
during World War I
.
Throughout most of the 20th and 21st centuries, the market was visited mostly by men and women engaged to be married, to pick out gold jewellery, and by mothers-in-law to purchase gifts for their daughters-in-law. However, because of food shortages arising in Gaza from the Israel
i blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Gold Market presently is used chiefly by elderly Gazans selling family heirlooms to raise cash.
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
; it is both a center for trading and buying gold, and location for foreign exchange. The Market lies along the southern edge of the Great Mosque of Gaza
Great Mosque of Gaza
The Great Mosque of Gaza also known as the Great Omari Mosque is the largest and oldest mosque in the Gaza Strip, located in Gaza's old city....
, beside the main Omar Mukhtar Street
Omar Mukhtar Street
Omar Mukhtar Street is Gaza City's main street, running from Palestine Square to the Port of Gaza in the Rimal district, separating the Old City's al-Daraj and Zaytoun quarters. Gaza's hotel strip is a part of Omar Mukhtar Street and most of Gaza's most important buildings are located along the...
. The Market is configured with a pointed and vaulted roof above the central road, which is lined on both sides by small shops that are themselves roofed by the cross vaults of the covered central road.
History
Gazan judge Sheikh Shams ad-Din al-Himsi ordered the construction of the Gold Market in 1476 CE, under MamlukMamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
rule in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. The Market originally formed a part of a much larger covered market, but most of the area was destroyed by the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
Throughout most of the 20th and 21st centuries, the market was visited mostly by men and women engaged to be married, to pick out gold jewellery, and by mothers-in-law to purchase gifts for their daughters-in-law. However, because of food shortages arising in Gaza from the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Gold Market presently is used chiefly by elderly Gazans selling family heirlooms to raise cash.