| Jabalia | |
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| Other transcription(s) | |
| • Arabic | جباليا |
| • Also spelled | Jabalya (official) |
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Jabalia
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| Coordinates: | |
| Governorate | North Gaza |
| Government | |
| • Type | City |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Jurisdiction | 82,877 |
Jabalia also Jabalya (Arabic: جباليا) is a Palestinian city located 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) north of Gaza City. It is under the jurisdiction of the North Gaza Governorate, in the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Jabalia had a population of 82,877 in mid-year 2006.[1] The Jabalia refugee camp is adjacent to the city to the North.
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A large cemetery dating to the 8th century BC was found near Jabalia. The workmanship indicates that the Christian community in Gaza was still very much in existence in the early Islamic era of rule in Palestine, and capable of artistic achievements. The remains of the pavement spared by the iconoclasts show depictions of wild game, birds and country scenes. The late dating of the mosaic pavement proves that the intervention of the iconoclasts, after 750, is later than previously thought and is associated with Abbasid conservatives.[2]
While working on the Salah ad-Din Road, laborers accidentally uncovered a monastery from the Byzantine period. The site was excavated by the Palestinian Department of Antiquities. Now the stunning Byzantine mosaics of the monastery are covered with sand to shield them from erosion caused by the direct impact of the winter rain.[3]
Jabalia was known for its fertile soil and citrus trees. The Mamluk ruler Alam al-Din Sanjar al-Jawli ruled the area in the 14th century and donated land for the Omeri Mosque that anchors the village. No structures from the ancient part of the mosque remain, except the portico and minaret. The rest of the mosque is of modern construction. The portico consists of three arcades supported by four stone columns. The arcades have pointed arches and the portico is covered by crossing vaults.[4]
In late 2006 it was the scene of a mass protest against Israeli attacks when a large number of people formed a human shield to protect a house which was about to be demolished by Israel forces.[5]
Residents celebrated in the streets after prayers, urged on by the imam over the loudspeakers of the mosque, when news came of the August 2010 West Bank shooting.[6]
Jabalia has a higher than average rate of male pseudohermaphrodite births. A Canadian-Palestinian pediatrician and urologist named Jehad Abudaia said that inbreeding is the reason why pseudohermaphrodite births are relatively prevalent. Because Gaza has a lower standard of medical care than many places in the Western world, pseudohermaphrodite conditions often go undetected for years after the births occur.[7]
Jabalia is twinned with the following:
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