Al Saraya - Governmental Building

Al Saraya - Governmental Building

The building was established in 1893 AD, at the end of the Ottoman rule in Palestine, as an administrative headquarters for the Ottoman government departments; in addition to the headquarters of the municipality of Tulkarem, after the city was considered a center for the Bani Saab district in 1886 AD.

The entrance to the building is surmounted by an inscription consisting of several poetic verses dating the building, showing that it was built during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, during the era of the governor of Beirut, Khaled Baban. The third verse of the inscription mentions Hussein, the name of the governor of the Nablus district,andthe name of the first founder of the shrines in Tulkarm Salih Al-Rikabi. The building has been used since that era.

In World War I, it was used as a headquarters for the Ottoman army, and during the British Mandate, it was used as an administrative office, a detention area, and a cultural center. In 1946, the building became a property for the Tulkarm municipality when they bought it from the British government for 5000 Palestinian pounds. After Al-Nakba, and during the Jordanian rule, the building was used as a refugee school.

After the establishment of the Palestinian National Authority, the upper floor of the building was initially used as a headquarters for the security services, and the ground floor as the headquarters of the PLO, and a police station in the city. In 2009, the building was renovated and reconfigured to use the upper floor as a hostel and a guesthouse, the ground floor as a bazaar, a tourist information center, and a meeting and seminar hall.