Rimal

Rimal or Remal (Arabic: حي الرمال‎) (meaning "sands" in Arabic) is an area in Gaza City located 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from the city center. Situated along the coastline, it has been considered the most prosperous neighborhood of Gaza. The main street that runs through Gaza, Omar Mukhtar Street runs northwest-southeast in the district and the main coastal road, Ahmad Orabi/Rasheed Street northeast-southwest. Rimal is currently divided into the city districts of Southern Rimal and Northern Rimal.

History

Rimal was built on the ancient port city of Gaza called Maioumas. The intense rivalry between Christian Gaza and Pagan Maioumas continued throughout the Byzantine era, even after the population of Maioumas had been converted to Christianity by Imperial decree and the Pagan sanctuaries destroyed by Porphyry of Gaza. The coastline of Gaza consisted mostly of sand dunes around the bustling Port of Gaza up until the mid-20th century. In the 1930s and 1940s, foreign missionary institutions financed the establishment of a residential neighborhood along the coast. This new district became known as Rimal ("Sand" or "Beach") and today covers most of Gaza City's coastline and much of the area between the coastline and the Old City. Most of the buildings were detached houses built in European style. After the neighborhood's construction, the center of commercial activity shifted from the Old City to Rimal.