Glorious Past: The Red Bidas Palace!

• CrossFireArabia
• September 1, 2026

From Palestinian Heritage:

The Bidas House in the Manshiyya Neighborhood (The Red Palace) was built in 1925 by Bidas Effendi next to the famous Hassan Bek Mosque.

It became known for it architectural splendor known as the “Red Palace” due to the unique red marble that covered its exterior walls. Its owner imported the stones specifically by ship from Lebanon for its construction.

It soon gained a popular status. The Red Palace was so magnificent it became the proverbial in Jaffa; if the city’s residents wanted to boast about their home’s architecture, they would say: “Your house is the Bidas house.”

After the 1948 Nakba and the family’s displacement, the building was used for various purposes (including a youth center) until the Israel demolished the famous landmark in 1974. The David Intercontinental Hotel was later built on the site.

The Bdeis Family Mansions in the Sheikh Munis Village

Since the Bdeis family originated from the depopulated village of Sheikh Munis (the northern suburb of Jaffa, where Tel Aviv University is now located), the family owned several luxurious mansions and villas built amidst the vast orange groves. Among the most prominent were:

The Mansion of Abdul Rahim Yusuf Bdeis (Abu Abbas), head of the family and the village’s leading figure. This magnificent historical mansion was visited by King Abdullah I bin Al-Hussein in 1944.

Unlike the Al-Manshiyya Mansion, some of the family’s houses and mansions in Sheikh Munis still stand today. They are surrounded by Tel Aviv University buildings and are used by the Israeli occupation as lecturers’ clubs or institutes, such as the house of Ibrahim Abu Kahil (known as the Green House) and other houses belonging to the Mufleh and Amin Bdeis families.

[Original image and second image are a simulation. What if it hadn’t been demolished and had been restored by Palestinians? What if Palestine hadn’t been occupied?]