Kurdish Gazan families interwoven in Palestine’s national fabric
Kurds came to Palestine for several purposes over the centuries. They then continued to flock for trade and work in the Ottoman and Mamluk eras, when they merged and built archeological sites in Palestine.
Kurds are one of the most prominent ethnic groups in Palestinian society, going back to the era of Saladin al-Ayyubi, when they flocked to Palestine to liberate it from the crusaders.
They also headed to Palestine during the rule of Najm al-Din Ayyub, the Ottoman Caliphate, and the Mamluks era. They are mostly concentrated in Gaza, which was the trade link between Damascus, Cairo and Europe.
Kurds flocked to Gaza from northern Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. Today, Kurdish families in Gaza speak both Kurdish and Arabic and have become part of the Palestinian social fabric, fully embracing its customs, traditions, and social specificity.
The most important Kurdish edifice in Gaza is the Hathat Palace, built in the 12th century AH by Ibrahim Hathat, a Kurdish merchant who married the Ottoman Sultan's sister.
