Yasser Arafat's Ramallah headquarters were built by the British as a prison complex in the 1920s.
Known as the Muqataa, the walled compound has always been used for military purposes - and has often held Palestinian detainees.
The compound has been used by the Palestinians since 1994
The Palestinians took control of it in 1994, a year after the Oslo peace accords, when it was transformed into the Ramallah governorate.
Mr Arafat had a new, residential block added in 1996 and he moved in, effectively making the Muqataa his official West Bank headquarters.
Also inside the compound - which is about 55 metres long on each side, or the size of a city block - is a helipad which was used frequently by Mr Arafat for trips outside the West Bank before he was confined to Ramallah.
Behind the high walls, the Palestinians also had a VIP guesthouse, prison, offices of three security services, sleeping quarters for guards, a large kitchen, a car repair shop where mechanics worked on Mr Arafat's armoured Mercedes and a large meeting hall.
Mr Arafat had a new building added to allow him to live there
All these buildings have now been destroyed with just Mr Arafat's office block still standing.
Sunday, March 31, 2002
Inside Arafat's compound
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