Omar Mukhtar Street

Omar Mukhtar Street (Arabic: شارع عمر المختار) is the main street of Gaza City, in the State of Palestine, 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 street.^[1] Built during World War I by Ottoman governor Jamal Pasha, the street was originally named after him. However, following the ouster of Ottoman forces from Palestine in 1917, Gaza's city council headed by Fahmi al-Husseini named the street after Omar Mukhtar, a Libyan revolutionary leader.^[2][3]

The British Mandatory Palestine turned Omar Mukhtar Street into a main street in 1937, using the zoning plan of the urban planner, Henry Kendall.^[4]

Important buildings

Gaza's Central Library before its destruction

• Great Mosque of Gaza
• Welayat Mosque
• Public Library of Gaza (destroyed by Israel in 2024)
• Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
• Gaza Municipal Hall
• Saint Porphryrius Church
• Gold Market (Souk ad-Dahab)
• Rashad Shawwa Cultural Centre^{[citation needed]}

References

1. Lee, Risha Kim. Let's Go Incorporate pp.361-366.
2. Sharon, Moshe (2009). Handbook of oriental studies: Handbuch der Orientalistik. The Near and Middle East. Corpus inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae (CIAP). BRILL. p. 30. ISBN 978-90-04-17085-8.
3. Jacobs, Daniel (1998). Israel and the Palestinian territories Rough Guides, p.453.
4. רנה הברון, ‏מוחמד רוּשדי – משרתם של שני שלטונות, קתדרה 63, אפריל 1992, עמ' 107-98