Gaza history in Islamic sources is richly documented by medieval Muslim historians and geographers, who preserved its ancient origins, strategic importance, and distinctive virtues. Mentioned as far back as the Canaanite era, Gaza occupied a unique junction between Egypt, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Indian trade routes—making it central to major historical developments both before and after the advent of Islam. Its prominence drew the attention of successive powers, from the Canaanites and Assyrians to the Romans, and later the Crusaders and other regional actors. After the Islamic conquest, Gaza continued to be cited in the major chronicles and geographical works of Muslim scholars, travelers, and cartographers.
This article highlights key excerpts from those Islamic sources, transmitting their descriptions almost verbatim so that the reader can grasp the precise image of Gaza as drawn by its classical chroniclers.
Virtues of Gaza
Many authors praised Gaza’s standing. Ibn al-Faqih al-Hamadhani, in Kitab al-Buldan, records that the region’s sanctity was rooted in its identification with the Qur’anic “sacred land.” He cites Ibn al-Kalbi’s exegesis of the verse “Enter the sacred land which Allah has prescribed for you” (Qur’an, al-Ma’idah: 21) as referring to Palestine, and similarly interprets “the land which We have blessed for the worlds” (Qur’an, al-Anbiya’: 71) as Palestine. Its bountifulness, the tradition holds, is evident in its wide plains and abundant olive trees—some attributed to earlier Greek planting. The Prophet ﷺ reportedly gave glad tidings of “the two brides: Gaza and Ashkelon,” signaling their special status. Umar ibn al-Khattab is quoted lamenting that had the frontiers not been neglected, he would have testified to the virtue contained therein, while Abdullah ibn Salam framed regional leadership by declaring, “Everything has leaders, and the leaders of the Levant are Ashkelon.”
From these testimonies, Gaza’s merit is traced both to its inclusion in the Qur’an’s sanctified geography and to the steadfastness and spiritual attachment of its people.
Geography of Gaza
In addition to spiritual and reputational virtues, Gaza’s geography was carefully recorded. Muslim geographers systematically placed it in their regional schema—typically situating it within the central (third) domain of the world’s seven divisions—and noted its proximity to Ashkelon, its fertile lands, and its critical location connecting Syria and Egypt. Such early geographic attention reinforced Gaza’s enduring significance in both intellectual and strategic realms.
From these writings we quote from Muʿjam al-Buldan of Yaqut al-Hamawi where he says:
“Gaza: with a fatḥ on its first letter, a shaddah and fatḥah on its second, in the third region. Its length from the direction of the Maghreb is fifty-four degrees and fifty minutes, and its breadth is thirty-two degrees. In al-Muhallabi’s book, Gaza and Ramla are placed in the fourth region [which is, according to Yaqut, an incorrect statement]… and Gaza is a city at the far end of al-Sham from the direction of Egypt; between it and Ashkelon are two parasangs or less, and it is from the districts of Palestine, west of Ashkelon…”
As for the reasons for its name, there are several opinions. Among them is what Yaqut al-Hamawi mentioned: “The Arabs say ‘so-and-so ghaza bi-fulan’ and ‘ightaz’ with it when he singled him out from among his companions.” And there is the statement of Shihab al-Din al-ʿUmari in his book Masalik al-Absar fi Mamalik al-Amsar:
“They said it is possible that its name is derived from ‘ghaz,’ and ‘al-ghaz al-shadhq,’ both of which are two types of raiding; it was called that because it lies in the mouth of al-Sham adjacent to the coastal cleft. And it may be derived from the Arabs’ saying ‘aghzat al-baqara fa-hiya maghz’ when her pregnancy is difficult to bear; it was named thus because the passage to it is arduous for people and beasts due to the sand that borders it.”
It is said that it was the dwelling place of some prophets and scholars. Concerning this, Mujir al-Din al-Hanbali says in his book Al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Ta’rikh al-Quds wa al-Jalil:
“Gaza is among the best cities neighboring Bayt al-Maqdis, and in it was born our master Sulayman ibn Dawud… It has been stated that the great Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i was born there, and the place of his birth is known and visited. Even if Gaza had no other pride except the birth of Prophet Sulayman and Imam al-Shafi‘i, that would suffice it.”
Al-Qazwini shares this view, saying: “It is sufficient for it as a miracle that it is the birthplace of Imam Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi‘i.”
Description of Gaza
There are several descriptions of the city, among them what Khalil al-Zahiri mentioned in his book Zubdat Kashf al-Mamalik wa Bayan al-Turuq wa al-Masalik, where he says: “Gaza is a beautiful city on level land, abundant in fruits, and in it are mosques, schools, and fine constructions that inspire amazement. It is called the ‘King’s Vestibule,’ and it has markets and villages, and it is a vast kingdom.”
The description of it as a kingdom is not an exaggeration, for Shams al-Din al-Dimashqi in his book Nukhabat al-Dahr fi ʿAjayib al-Barr wa al-Bahr states that it included several cities, saying: “Gaza, which was formerly known as Gaza Hashim, is a city full of trees like a broad table (Samat) extended for the armies of Islam at the gates of the sands, and for every one going out to and coming into the Syrian and Egyptian lands… Among its coastal cities are Ashkelon, a great city that belonged to the Franks and was destroyed by the Muslims, Jaffa, Caesarea, al-Darum, and al-Arish. Among its inland districts is the wilderness of the Children of Israel… Among its intermediate districts between the mountain and the coast are Tal Himar, Tal al-Safiyah, Qaratya, Bayt Jibril, the city of al-Khalil (Hebron), and Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem).”
Al-Qalqashandi discusses the topography and social character in Subh al-A’sha, quoting Ibn Saʿid: “It is a city from the soldiers (jund) of Palestine, in the third of the seven regions… It lies on the edge of the sand between Egypt and al-Sham, taking in both the inland and the sea on its two sides. It is built on a high rise approximately a mile from the Roman Sea, of medium size, possessing mosques, schools, zawiyas, a hospital, and markets; its air is healthy; its people drink from wells… Along its coast are many gardens, and its best fruits are grapes and figs; it has some palm trees, and its inland area stretches to the wilderness of the Children of Israel on its southern side, which is a place of cultivation and livestock.”
He adds that although the countryside tribes sometimes had internal tensions, these did not amount to rebellion, being kept in check largely by the authority of the state, and he explains that Gaza often served as a military advance associated with Damascus, operating under the oversight of the provincial deputy.
From the History of Gaza
An article cannot encompass the history of a venerable city like Gaza—this would require a book—but we can select portions as they appear in the sources. We begin with what Ibn Khallikan mentions in Wafayat al-Aʿyan: “Gaza is one of the two journeys mentioned in the Book of Allah the Exalted” (referring to the summer and winter journeys of the Quraysh). Exegetes agreed that the summer journey was to the Levant, beginning with Gaza, and the winter journey was to Yemen.
Since ancient times, Gaza has been linked to the long struggle of the Muslims with the Romans, and later with the Crusaders. Indeed, the initial confrontations between Muslims and Romans occurred in the vicinity of Gaza. On this point, Professor Muhammad Kurd ʿAli in Khutat al-Sham quotes Islamic historical sources: “The first encounter between the Arabs and the Romans was in a village of Gaza called Dayn in 12 AH. They confronted the governor of Gaza there and engaged in fierce fighting, and the Romans were defeated. Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan pursued that governor, reached him in the desert of Palestine, gathered the Romans, and inflicted a great slaughter upon them.”
Gaza also played a decisive role in defeating Crusader armies. Al-Nuwayri records in Nihayat al-Arab fi Funun al-Adab, under the section “Mention of the Fighting with the Franks and the Conquest of Jerusalem”: “On Thursday, the eighteenth of Rabiʿ al-Awwal of the year 636 AH, news reached Sultan al-Malik al-ʿAdil that the Franks had intended to attack Prince Rukn al-Din al-Hijawi and his forces. They met and fought near Satr al-Jamiz close to Gaza. The Franks were defeated; their king was captured along with others, and eighteen hundred of them were killed. Only a few Muslims fell. This crushing defeat paved the way for the conquest of Jerusalem and the expulsion of the Crusaders.”
In summary, Gaza has received sustained attention from Muslim historians and geographers across centuries. While their writings remain scattered in manuscripts and books, there is an urgent need to extract and consolidate their accounts to rewrite Gaza’s history comprehensively. Despite the city’s deep antiquity, it has been independently chronicled only in two modern studies: Ittihaf al-Aʿizzah fi Tarikh Ghazza by Mustafa al-Sabbagh and Tarikh Ghazza by ʿAref al-ʿAref.
