Abd al-Hadi Palaces, Arraba Palaces
The number of palaces belonging to the Abd al-Hadi family is about 13. It is said that Salih Abd al-Hadi, the father of Sheikh Hussein Abd al-Hadi, built the first palace. The palace was bombed by the Central Government in 1858 AD. Until now, traces of cannons are still visible on the walls of the abandoned building. And now, we will discuss this building in detail as an example of the architecture of these palaces.
Because of the ongoing conflict between the Abd al-Hadi family on the one hand, and the Jarrar family in Sanur and the Tuqan family in Nablus on the other hand, over the areas of influence and control, the Abd al-Hadi family established their homes in a way that enables them to repel attacks, and to take refuge in them from any external danger. They fortified them to be closer to each other. In addition to a high wall surrounding all the houses, it includes seven towers for protection.
The Palace of Saleh Abd al-Hadi is the first palace in Arraba, and as we mentioned earlier, it is located on the eastern side of the village, and it has two entrances. As for the second entrance, it is considered the actual entrance to the palace. It is accessed through the palace square, and to access the palace is by going up several steps leading to a small room or the foyer. To the left of this foyer is a small staircase leading to the palace's first floor. It is believed that this floor was used to do daily work and animal husbandry, and to the south side of this yard, there is a group of rooms that were likely used to store grain, and for cooking, in addition to additional rooms for animals.
The ground floor also consists of a prison and guard rooms. These rooms have a private entrance to the right of the palace, with a longitudinal room with doors leading to the palace yard. By all accounts, in this place, a gallows was previously found in that area.
As for the first floor of the palace, it can be reached through more than one staircase. The first staircase is located in the lobby of the palace at the entrance, and leads to gates of a low height. These gates lead to a group of rooms inhabited by the extended family of Al-Sheikh. The private space of Al-Sheikh is located directly above the entrance, and two arched windows overlook the palace square. All rooms and halls are connected to the inner courtyard with another staircase from the west.