Urban Renewalism, Modernity and the Palestinian City of Tiberias: From the Administration of Dhaher Al-‘Umar to the End of the Ottoman Period

The modern history of the Palestinian city of Tiberias traverses the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and begins with growth and renewal under the formidable Palestinian leader Dhaher al-‘Umar; this period ends in the suffering and distress of World War I, up until the British conquest of Palestine and the city in September 1918. During these two hundred years of the administration of Dhaher al-‘Umar and Ottoman rule, the city underwent numerous changes. Initially, the city was restored by Dhaher after years of neglect and stagnation. Later, following Dhaher's assassination in 1775, development once again halted and resources were diverted to Acre, the capital of Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar and his successors. The period that began with the Egyptian occupation in 1831 continued to be difficult; a revolt broke out in 1834, and a strong earthquake destroyed the city in 1837. Only with the onset of the mid-nineteenth century reforms did the city begin to revive and undergo processes of modernization like the rest of Palestine. This article discusses Tiberias’ many transformations during these two-hundred years, focusing on four main points: the construction and renewal projects of Dhaher and their impact, the consequences of the period of Egyptian rule, the earthquake and the beginning of the reforms, the characteristics of the socio-demographic structure and, lastly, the structure of the city and factors causing the process of segregation between the Arab and Jewish populations.