Overview
The Al-Hambra Palace in Ramallah, named after the world-famous Alhambra in Granada, was built in 1926 as a grand private residence for the Al-Bateh family. Located on Al-Irsal Street, just 500 meters north of Al-Manara Square, the three-story building was crafted from finely cut stone and designed with elegant features including a flat roof with iron dowels and a tiled gabled top. Its spacious grounds once stretched over 3.5 dunums, surrounded by pine trees that remain part of its charm today.
Over nearly a century, the palace has played many roles. It became a popular tourist hotel in 1945, welcoming royalty, ministers, and legendary Arab artists such as Umm Kulthum and Abdel Halim Hafez. During the 1967 war, it was repurposed as a field hospital due to its proximity to the Jordanian army headquarters (now the Muqata‘a). Later, it housed female students from Birzeit University before falling into disuse. In 2009, after significant restoration, the building reopened as a hotel and restaurant, once again serving as a place of hospitality and cultural gathering in Ramallah.