Merbad Palace

Merbad Palace (Arabic: سراي المربد sarāy al-mirbad) is an historic Ottoman garrison and governor's mansion in Bab el-Mutasarref, Nasser City. Constructed in its original phase between 1822 and 1830 as an alternative garrison for Ottoman troops during the period of Ottoman rule in the area, the palace became the administrative centre of Ottoman Syria in 1831 after the loss of Beirut to Egyptian forces under Ibrahim Pasha that same year; by 1836, a city by the name of Khan Sharkas had sprung up adjacent to the garrison, named after a local tributary (the River Sharkas, after which the city was named) to the River Jordan, home to at least 3300 inhabitants ca. 1938—mostly merchants as well as professionals like physicians, blacksmiths and other professions serving the needs of local military and support personnel, from which it was separated by the River Sharkas.

Following the Ottoman reconquest of Lebanon in 1840 and return of the Ottoman Syrian administration to Beirut, Merbad Palace continued to function as an important garrison and administrative headquarters throughout the remainder of the Ottoman period. It was expanded to nearly triple its original size, both militarily and civily, between 1878 and 1883, serving as one of the largest bases of Ottoman military operations in the Levant up to the Ottoman defeat at the end of the First World War in 1918.

Under the British Mandate during the interwar period, Merbad Palace was used as a regional administrative centre for British mandatory authorities, with the original settlement around Merbad Palace more than quadrupling in size by the start of the Second World War, with Khan Sharkas recording a population of nearly 17,300 in 1938. The end of WWII and the British Mandate brought about a major shift in the local political situation as well as its broader implications, with Merbad Palace becoming an important hub for Kataeb Shuhada al-Aqsa, the brigades of the Pan Arab Front (PAF) which fought the Zionist Resistance Front (ZRF) for control of Palestine in the territory of the once-British mandate. Following the 1958 establishment of the Arab Union and the 1965 establishment of the federal capital of Nasser City, into which Khan Sharkas was amalgamated along with several neighbouring baladiyāt, Merbad Palace became the seat of the Prime Minister of the Arab Union.

Architecture/layout
The corps de logis (front façade) of the palace (officially the South Leg) faces southwest along University Avenue, while its opposing North Leg faces northwest along the River Sharkas parallel to Patrice Lumumba Avenue; the pair (namely, north and south façades) are joined at their western ends by the West Pavilion (its view of Victory Square partially obstructed by the Mustadéra since the latter's construction in 1966, a domed rotunda-styled pavilion within palace grounds which encloses a large auditorium hall), connected to the main palace by an East Colonnade (the structure's longest side which faces east along Palace Mall, consisting of the upper three levels supported by rows of columns at the ground and main levels), altogether enclosing the palace's central cour d'honneur. It is through this open colonnade supporting the upper levels through which the palace is accessible to the public, and vice versa.

Merbad Palace serves as the seat of the Government of the Arab Union: the North Leg and West Pavilion encompass the residence and workplace of the Prime Minister of the Arab Union, while the Mustadérat constitutes the official meeting place of the Council of Ministers (the top executive organ and cabinet of the Prime Minister); the South Leg and East Colonnade remain unoccupied, and are open to the public as historical space with daily guided tours hosted by the National Museum). The entire palace complex is a National Heritage Site under the protection and stewardship of the Ministry of Culture.

The main palace structure consists of seven levels: the cellar (storm/bomb shelter), basement (storage, utilities and Armoury), ground floor, first (main) floor, second and third floors, and garret. The Mustadérat (rotunda) consists of three levels: the ground level (foyer and supporting offices); main (forum) level with vaulted ceiling through to dome level, auditorium seating surrounding the central forum stage on virtually all sides; and observation gallery occupying base of dome, forming a third yet lacking-a-centre level of further auditorium seating). Below the Mustadérat and surrounding grounds is a private, three-level underground parkade, which is accessible via stairs/elevator to the foyer.