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, 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, home to at least 3300 inhabitants—mostly merchants and other professionals serving local military and support personnel—had sprung up to the northwest of the garrison, 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 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, the 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 13,500 in 1938.

Following the end of WWII and the British Mandate, Merbad Palace became and important military outpost for the Pan Arab Army,

the seat of the Prime Minister of the Arab Union. 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 Sharkas River and Patrice Lumumba Avenue; the pair are joined at their near and far ends, respectively, by the West Pavilion (its view of Victory Square obstructed by the Mustadéra, a domed rotunda within palace grounds which encloses a large forum hall) and East Colonnade (the structure's longest side which faces east along Palace Street, 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.

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 consists of three levels: the ground level (foyer and offices), main (forum) level, with vaulted ceiling through dome level (observation gallery occupying base of dome). Below the Mustadérat and surrounding grounds is a private, three-level underground parkade, which is accessible via stairs/elevator to the foyer

well as through the basement of the main building which the parkade's upper level abuts.