 In 1293 , Qalawun 's son an @-@ Nasir Muhammad instituted Gaza as the capital of the province that bore its name , Mamlakat Ghazzah ( the Governorship of Gaza ) . This province covered the coastal plain from Rafah in the south to just north of Caesarea , extending in the east to the western slopes of Samaria and the Hebron Hills ; its major towns were Qaqun , Ludd , and Ramla . In 1294 , an earthquake devastated Gaza , and five years later the Mongols again destroyed all that was restored by the Mamluks . That same year , Gaza was the center of a conspiracy against Sultan al @-@ Adil Kitbugha , but the plot was detected and crushed before being carried out . 
