This book resulted from IRCICA’s permanent engagement in documenting the history and cultural heritage of Palestine, particularly al-Quds and also its other districts, and reflects the new emphasis on publishing original documents relating to Gaza in response to the blatant and brutal attempt launched by the Zionist occupation in October 2023 to erase Gaza from the map by obliterating its national, cultural, and historical identity. The documents from the Ottoman Archive compiled in this book provide conclusive evidence regarding the steadfast history and cultural heritage of the Gaza Strip. Prof. Fazıl Bayat from IRCICA has selected and reviewed 253 original Ottoman documents, presenting them in chronological order under subject-wise classifications. In the Introduction, he explains his methodology and the selection criteria he applied on more than six thousand documents on Gaza he identified by scanning the Ottoman archive. The classification resulted in the following chapter eleven titles, each divided into sub-topics: Administrative Affairs, Municipal and Urban Affairs and Public Services; Health Affairs; Education and Educational Institutions; Endowments and Religious Affairs; Judicial Affairs; Foreign Affairs and Institutions; Tribes and Establishing Security; Provision of Aid by the State to the Population; Gazans in Governmental Institutions; Honoring Gazans by the State.
