- Source: Al Deira Hotel
The Al Deira Hotel (Arabic: فندق الديرة, romanized: Funduq ad-Dayra) was a beach hotel located in Gaza, Palestine. It was built in 2000 and had 22 rooms which featured high, domed ceilings and views of the Mediterranean. The hotel is regularly used by foreign journalists covering Gaza.
A boutique hotel built around an inner courtyard, its architecture was said to have an "Ottoman elegance". The style blends traditional Moroccan and Arab architecture with modern design influences. It is built with dark brown sun dried mud bricks, with white arches, vaulted and domed ceilings, and handmade furniture. The architect was Rashid Abdel Hamid. It was previously owned by UNDP employee Khaled Abdel Shafi and architect Rashid Abdel Hamid. In 2015, new management took over.
The hotel has received a number of very positive reviews in Time magazine, by British journalist Alan Johnston and by Lonely Planet which described the Al Deira as "swish, stylish and tightly run", and "without question the best hotel in town". In 2010, UN Goodwill Ambassadors Mia Farrow and Mahmoud Kabil visited the hotel.
On July 16, 2014, four children were killed by Israeli rockets whilst playing football on the beach just outside Al Deira Hotel. Staff from the hotel brought wounded to the restaurant. Several foreign journalists were staying at the hotel and witnessed the killings.
In January 2024, during the Israel–Hamas war, the Al Deira Hotel was bombed and destroyed by Israeli forces. Two months later, musician Saint Levant, who is the son of the hotel's architect, paid homage to the venue in his single "Deira" (featuring MC Abdul) and his eponymous debut album Deira.
See also
Blue Beach Resort, Gaza
References
External links
Official website