Inside the Shajaiya neighborhood in the east of Gaza City, Al-Thafar Damri Mosque attests to the prestigious history of the Islamic civilization during the Mamluk period, with its facades and courtyards showing Quranic verses and embellished with decorations engraved in sandstone and pointed arches.
The Shajaiya neighborhood is named after Shuja al-Din al-Kurdi, an Ayyubid emir who was killed in one of the battles between the Ayyubids and the Crusaders in 1239 AD. The neighborhood was built during the Ayyubid era. It stretches across 14,305 acres and is inhabited by more than 110,000 persons. Most of its residents work in light industries such as clothing production and agriculture. The neighborhood witnessed its most prosperous period during the Mamluk era.
