The Zisa (Italian: [ˈdziːza], Sicilian: [ˈtsiːsa]) is a grand 12th-century Norman hunting lodge and summer palace in the western area of Palermo, in the region of Sicily, Italy.
[1] The same word, in Naskh script, is impressed in the entrance, according to the usual habit for the main Islamic edifices of the time.
The structure was conceived as a summer residence for the Norman kings, as a part of the large hunting resort known as Genoardo (Arabic: جنة الأرض, romanized: Jannat al-Arḍ, lit.
In 1635, a new owner, Giovanni de Sandoval, cousin to the Viceroy of Sicily, acquired the palace for free due to its poor state.
In July 2015 it was included in the UNESCO Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale World Heritage Site.