Gaza (/ˈɡɑːzə/; Arabic: غَزَّة Ġazzah, IPA: [ɣaz.zah]), also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of 590,481 (in 2017), making it the largest city in the State of Palestine, slightly ahead of East Jerusalem. Inhabited since at least the 15th century BCE, Gaza has been dominated by several different peoples and empires throughout its history. The Philistines made it a part of their pentapolis after the Ancient Egyptians had ruled it for nearly 350 years.