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Coordinates: 31°40′N 34°34′E / 31.667°N 34.567°E / 31.667; 34.567
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'''Ashkelon''' or '''Ashqelon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|ʃ|k|ə|l|ɒ|n}}; [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: {{lang|he|{{Audio|Ashkelon.ogg|{{script|Hebrew|אַשְׁקְלוֹן|help=no}}}}}}, {{transl|he|ʾAšqəlōn}}, {{IPA-he|aʃkeˈlon|}}; [[Philistine language|Philistine]]: {{lang|mis|𐤀𐤔𐤒𐤋𐤍}} {{transl|mis|*ʾAšqalōna}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Huehnergard |first=John |author-link=John Huehnergard |date=2018 |title=The Name Ashkelon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26751887 |journal=Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies |volume=33 |issue= |pages=91–97 |doi= |jstor=26751887 |access-date=}}</ref>), also known as '''Ascalon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|s|k|ə|l|ɒ|n}}; [[Ancient Greek]]: {{lang|grc|Ασκαλων}}, {{transl|grc|Askalōn}}; [[Arabic]]: {{lang|ar|{{script|Arabic|عَسْقَلَان}}}}, {{transl|ar|DIN|ʿAsqalān}}), is a coastal city in the [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern District]] of Israel on the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] coast, {{convert|50|km|mi|-1}} south of [[Tel Aviv]], and {{convert|13|km|mi|frac=2}} north of the border with the [[Gaza Strip]].
'''Ashkelon''' or '''Ashqelon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|ʃ|k|ə|l|ɒ|n}}; [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: {{lang|he|{{Audio|Ashkelon.ogg|{{script|Hebrew|אַשְׁקְלוֹן|help=no}}}}}}, {{transl|he|ʾAšqəlōn}}, {{IPA-he|aʃkeˈlon|}}; [[Philistine language|Philistine]]: {{lang|mis|𐤀𐤔𐤒𐤋𐤍}} {{transl|mis|*ʾAšqalōna}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Huehnergard |first=John |author-link=John Huehnergard |date=2018 |title=The Name Ashkelon |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26751887 |journal=Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies |volume=33 |issue= |pages=91–97 |doi= |jstor=26751887 |access-date=}}</ref>), also known as '''Ascalon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|s|k|ə|l|ɒ|n}}; [[Ancient Greek]]: {{lang|grc|Ασκαλων}}, {{transl|grc|Askalōn}}; [[Arabic]]: {{lang|ar|{{script|Arabic|عَسْقَلَان}}}}, {{transl|ar|DIN|ʿAsqalān}}), is a coastal city in the [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern District]] of Israel on the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] coast, {{convert|50|km|mi|-1}} south of [[Tel Aviv]], and {{convert|13|km|mi|frac=2}} north of the border with the [[Gaza Strip]].


The ancient seaport of Ashkelon, on the southeastern edge of the modern city, dates back to the [[Neolithic|Neolithic Age]]. In the course of its history, it has been ruled by the [[Ancient Egypt]]ians, the [[Canaan]]ites, the [[Philistines]], the [[Assyria]]ns, the [[Babylonia]]ns, the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]], the [[Phoenicia]]ns, the [[Hasmoneans]], the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]], the [[Arabs]] and the [[Crusades|Crusaders]], until it was destroyed by the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluks]] in 1270. The Palestinian village of [[Al-Jura]] developed immediately adjacent to the ruins.
The ancient seaport of Ashkelon, today known as [[Tel Ashkelon]] on the southeastern edge of the modern city, dates back to the [[Neolithic|Neolithic Age]]. In the course of its history, it has been ruled by the [[Ancient Egypt]]ians, the [[Canaan]]ites, the [[Philistines]], the [[Assyria]]ns, the [[Babylonia]]ns, the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]], the [[Phoenicia]]ns, the [[Hasmoneans]], the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]], the [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]], the [[Arabs]] and the [[Crusades|Crusaders]], until it was destroyed by the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluks]] in 1270. The Palestinian village of [[Al-Jura]] developed immediately adjacent to the ruins.


The modern city was originally located approximately 4 km inland from the ancient site, and was known as '''al-Majdal''' or '''al-Majdal Asqalan''' ([[Arabic]]: {{lang|ar|{{script|Arabic|الْمِجْدَل}}}} ''al-Mijdal''; [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: {{lang|he|{{script|Hebrew|אֵל־מִגְ׳דַּל}}}} ''ʾĒl-Mīǧdal''). Its inhabitants were exclusively Muslims and Christians; on the eve of the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] the inhabitants numbered 10,000 and in October 1948, the city accommodated thousands more [[Palestinian refugees]] from nearby villages.<ref name="Masalha">{{cite book|last1=Masalha|first1=Nur|author-link1=Nur Masalha|title=The Palestine Nakba: Decolonising History, Narrating the Subaltern, Reclaiming Memory|date=2012|publisher=Zed Books, Limited|location=London|isbn=978-1848139701|pages=115–116}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CC7381HrLqcC&pg=PA331 |title=1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War |last=Morris |first=Benny |date=2008-10-01| publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0300145243 |pages=331 |language=en |via=books.google.com}}</ref> The town was conquered by Israeli forces on 5 November 1948, by which time much of the Arab population had fled,<ref name="1948After">B. Morris, The transfer of Al Majdal's remaining Palestinians to Gaza, 1950, in ''[[1948 and After|1948 and After; Israel and the Palestinians]]''.</ref> leaving some 2,700 inhabitants, of which 500 were deported by Israeli soldiers in December 1948<ref name="1948After"/> and most of the rest were deported by 1950.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Palestinian People: A History |last1=Kimmerling |first1=Baruch |first2=Joel |last2=S Migdal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NRYEr8FR1IC |chapter=Reconstituting Palestinian Nation |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NRYEr8FR1IC&pg=PA172 |page=172 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |year=2003 |location=[[United States of America]] |isbn=9780674039599 |via=books.google.com}}</ref> Today, the city's population is almost entirely Jewish.
The modern city was originally located approximately 4 km inland from the ancient site, and was known as '''al-Majdal''' or '''al-Majdal Asqalan''' ([[Arabic]]: {{lang|ar|{{script|Arabic|الْمِجْدَل}}}} ''al-Mijdal''; [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: {{lang|he|{{script|Hebrew|אֵל־מִגְ׳דַּל}}}} ''ʾĒl-Mīǧdal''). Its inhabitants were exclusively Muslims and Christians; on the eve of the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] the inhabitants numbered 10,000 and in October 1948, the city accommodated thousands more [[Palestinian refugees]] from nearby villages.<ref name="Masalha">{{cite book|last1=Masalha|first1=Nur|author-link1=Nur Masalha|title=The Palestine Nakba: Decolonising History, Narrating the Subaltern, Reclaiming Memory|date=2012|publisher=Zed Books, Limited|location=London|isbn=978-1848139701|pages=115–116}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CC7381HrLqcC&pg=PA331 |title=1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War |last=Morris |first=Benny |date=2008-10-01| publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0300145243 |pages=331 |language=en |via=books.google.com}}</ref> The town was conquered by Israeli forces on 5 November 1948, by which time much of the Arab population had fled,<ref name="1948After">B. Morris, The transfer of Al Majdal's remaining Palestinians to Gaza, 1950, in ''[[1948 and After|1948 and After; Israel and the Palestinians]]''.</ref> leaving some 2,700 inhabitants, of which 500 were deported by Israeli soldiers in December 1948<ref name="1948After"/> and most of the rest were deported by 1950.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Palestinian People: A History |last1=Kimmerling |first1=Baruch |first2=Joel |last2=S Migdal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NRYEr8FR1IC |chapter=Reconstituting Palestinian Nation |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6NRYEr8FR1IC&pg=PA172 |page=172 |publisher=[[Harvard University Press]] |year=2003 |location=[[United States of America]] |isbn=9780674039599 |via=books.google.com}}</ref> Today, the city's population is almost entirely Jewish.
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|title-link=New Oxford American Dictionary
|title-link=New Oxford American Dictionary
}}</ref><ref>[http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/shallot shallot]. CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved 30 September 2012.</ref>
}}</ref><ref>[http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/shallot shallot]. CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved 30 September 2012.</ref>

==Archaeology==
Beginning in the 1700s the site was visited, and occasionally drawn, by a number of adventurers and tourists. It was also often scavenged for building materials. The first known excavation occurred in 1815. The [[Lady Hester Stanhope]] dug there for two weeks using 150 workers. No real records were kept.<ref>Charles L. Meryon, Travels of Lady Hester Stanhope. 3 vols. London: Henry Colburn, 1846</ref> In the 1800s some classical pieces from Askelon (though long thought to be from Thessaloniki) were sent to the Ottoman Museum.<ref>Edhem Eldem. "Early Ottoman Archaeology: Rediscovering the Finds of Ascalon (Ashkelon), 1847." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 378, 2017, pp. 25–53, https://doi.org/10.5615/bullamerschoorie.378.0025</ref> From 1920 to 1922 [[John Garstang]] and W. J. Phythian-Adams excavated on behalf of the [[Palestine Exploration Fund]]. They focused on two areas, one Roman and the other Philistine/Canaanite.<ref>John Garstang, "The Fund's Excavation of Askalon", PEFQS, vol. 53,
pp. 12–16, 1921</ref><ref>John Garstang, "The Fund's Excavation of Askalon, 1920-1921", PEFQS, vol. 53, pp. 73–75, 1921</ref><ref>John Garstang, "Askalon Reports: The Philistine Problem", PEFQS, vol. 53, pp. 162–63, 1921</ref><ref>John Garstang, "The Excavations at Askalon", PEFQS, vol. 54, pp. 112–19, 1922</ref><ref>John Garstang, "Askalon", PEFQS, vol. 56, pp. 24–35, 1924</ref><ref>W. J. Phythian-Adams, "History of Askalon", PEFQS, vol. 53, pp. 76–90, 1921</ref><ref>W. J. Phythian-Adams, "Askalon Reports: Stratigraphical Sections", PEFQS, vol. 53, pp. 163–69, 1921</ref><ref>W. J. Phythian-Adams, "Report on the Stratification of Askalon", PEFQS, vol. 55, pp. 60–84, 1923</ref> In the years following, a number of salvage excavations were done by the [[Israel Antiquities Authority]].<ref>[http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/org/ochre/19d19aaa-8bd4-44b5-ad9e-d09541f192a1] Yaakov Huster, Daniel M. Master, and Michael D. Press, "Ashkelon 5 The Land behind Ashkelon", Eisenbrauns, 2015 ISBN 978-1-57506-952-4</ref>

Modern excavation began in 1985 with the Leon Levy Expedition. Between then and 2006 seventeen seasons of work occurred, led by Lawrence Stager of Harvard University.<ref>[http://ochre.lib.uchicago.edu/ochre?uuid=37398b69-d8ca-41d3-a9f7-84523ec28cc0] Daniel M. Master, J. David Schloen, and Lawrence E. Stager, "Ashkelon 1 Introduction and Overview (1985-2006)", Eisenbrauns, 2008 ISBN 978-1-57506-929-6</ref><ref>[http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/org/ochre/92608c2e-330e-492c-b761-3afd520e0c9e] Barbara L. Johnson, "Ashkelon 2 Imported Pottery of the Roman and Late Roman Periods", Eisenbrauns, 2008 ISBN 978-1-57506-930-2</ref><ref>[http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/org/ochre/8d1c8dc8-9649-401b-83fa-b40a7f746e7c] Daniel M. Master, J. David Schloen, and Lawrence E. Stager, "Ashkelon 3 The Seventh Century B.C.", Eisenbrauns, 2011 ISBN 978-1-57506-939-5</ref><ref>[http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/org/ochre/7d2a5740-fdac-4422-b625-019cf96fffa6] Michael D. Press, "Ashkelon 4 The Iron Age Figurines of Ashkelon and Philistia", Eisenbrauns, 2012 ISBN 978-1-57506-942-5</ref><ref>Lawrence E. Stager, J. David Schloen, and Ross J. Voss, "Ashkelon 6 The Middle Bronze Age Ramparts and Gates of the North Slope and Later Fortifications", Eisenbrauns, 2018 ISBN 978-1-57506-980-7</ref><ref>Lawrence E. Stager, Daniel M. Master, and Adam J. Aja, "Ashkelon 7 The Iron Age I", Eisenbrauns, 2020 ISBN 978-1-64602-090-4</ref><ref>Tracy Hoffman, "Ashkelon 8 The Islamic and Crusader Periods", Eisenbrauns, 2019 ISBN 978-1-57506-735-3</ref> In 2007 the next phase of excavation began under Daniel Master. It continued until 2016.

In the 1997 season a [[cuneiform]] table fragment was found, being a lexical list containing both Sumerian and Canaanite language columns. It was found in a Late Bronze Age II context, about 13th century BC.<ref>Huehnergard, John, and Wilfred van Soldt. "A Cuneiform Lexical Text from Ashkelon with a Canaanite Column." Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 49, no. 3/4, 1999, pp. 184–92</ref>

In 2012 an Iron Age IIA Philistine cemetery was discovered outside the city. In 2013 200 graves were excavated of the estimated 1,200 the cemetery contained. Seven were stone built tombs.<ref>Daniel M. Master, and Adam J. Aja. "The Philistine Cemetery of Ashkelon." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, no. 377, 2017, pp. 135–59, https://doi.org/10.5615/bullamerschoorie.377.0135</ref>

One ostracon and 18 jar handles were recovered inscribed with the [[Cypro-Minoan script]]. The ostracon was of local material and dated to 12th to 11th century BC. Five of the jar handles were manufactured in coastal Lebanon, two in Cyprus, and one locally. Fifteen of the handles were found in an Iron I context and the rest in Late Bronze Age context.<ref>Cross, Frank Moore, and Lawrence E. Stager. "Cypro-Minoan Inscriptions Found in Ashkelon." Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 56, no. 2, 2006, pp. 129–159</ref>


==History==
==History==
Ashkelon was the oldest and largest seaport in [[Canaan]], part of the [[pentapolis]] (a grouping of five cities) of the [[Philistines]], north of [[Gaza (city)|Gaza]] and south of [[Jaffa]].

===Neolithic period===
[[File:Ashkelon Pre-Pottery Neolithic C site.jpg|thumb|200px|Archaeological site with artifacts from the Neolithic era]]

The [[Neolithic]] site of Ashkelon is located on the [[Mediterranean coast]], {{convert|1.5|km|mi|frac=4}} north of Tel Ashkelon. It is dated by [[Radiocarbon dating]] to {{c.}} 7900 bp (uncalibrated), to the poorly known Pre-Pottery Neolithic C phase of the Neolithic. It was discovered and excavated in 1954 by French archaeologist [[Jean Perrot]]. In 1997–1998, a large scale salvage project was conducted at the site by [[Yosef Garfinkel]] on behalf of the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] and nearly {{convert|1000|m2|sqft|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} were examined. A final excavation report was published in 2008.

In the site over a hundred fireplaces and [[hearth]]s were found and numerous pits, but no solid architecture, except for one wall. Various phases of occupation were found, one atop the other, with sterile layers of sea sand between them. This indicates that the site was occupied on a seasonal basis.
[[File:Ashkelon Pre-Pottery Neolithic C flint arrowheads.jpg|thumb|200px|Ashkelon Pre-Pottery Neolithic C flint arrowheads]]
The main finds were enormous quantities of around 100,000 animal bones and around 20,000 [[flint]] artifacts. Usually at Neolithic sites flints far outnumber animal bones. The bones belong to [[domesticated]] and non-domesticated animals. When all aspects of this site are taken into account, it appears to have been used by [[Nomadic pastoralism|pastoral nomads]] for meat processing. The nearby sea could supply salt necessary for the [[Curing (food preservation)|conservation]] of meat.

===Canaanite settlement===
[[File:Restored Canaanite city gate of Ashkelon (14341997262).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Restored Canaanite city gate of Ashkelon<ref name=gate/> (2014)]]
[[File:Ashkelon - jsqAr(w)ny.gif|thumb|250px|''Ashqelon'' as mentioned on [[Merneptah Stele]]: it reads <jsq3rwny> /'Asqaluni/ (with two determinatives)]]
The city was originally built on a [[sandstone]] outcropping and has a good underground [[water supply]]. It was relatively large as an ancient city with as many as 15,000 people living inside the walls. Ashkelon was a thriving Middle [[Bronze Age]] (2000–1550&nbsp;BCE) city of more than {{convert|150|acre|ha|-1|order=flip}}. Its commanding [[Defensive wall|ramparts]] measured {{convert|1+1/2|mi|km|order=flip|round=0.5}} long, {{convert|50|ft|m|round=5|order=flip|abbr=on}} high and {{convert|150|ft|m|round=5|order=flip|abbr=on}} thick,{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}} and even as a ruin they stand two stories high. The thickness of the walls was so great that the mudbrick [[city gate]] had a stone-lined, {{convert|8|ft|m|-wide|adj=mid|order=flip}} tunnel-like [[barrel vault]], coated with white plaster, to support the superstructure: it is the oldest such [[vault (architecture)|vault]] ever found.<ref name=gate>{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814034938/http://www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/Around-Israel/Oldest-arched-gate-in-the-world-restored|archive-date=14 August 2013|url=http://www.jpost.com/Local-Israel/Around-Israel/Oldest-arched-gate-in-the-world-restored|access-date=21 January 2018|title=Oldest arched gate in the world restored|first=Etgar|last=Lefkovits|date=8 April 2008|location=[[Jerusalem]]|newspaper=[[The Jerusalem Post]]}}</ref> Later Roman and Islamic fortifications, faced with stone, followed the same footprint, a vast semicircle protecting Ashkelon on the land side. On the sea it was defended by a high natural bluff. A roadway more than {{convert|20|ft|m|0|order=flip|spell=in}} in width ascended the rampart from the harbor and entered a gate at the top.

In 1991 the ruins of a small ceramic tabernacle was found a finely cast bronze statuette of a [[Sacred bull|bull]] calf, originally silvered, {{convert|4|in|cm|spell=in|0|order=flip}} long. Images of calves and bulls were associated with the worship of the Canaanite gods [[El (deity)|El]] and [[Baal]].

====Middle Bronze II====
Ashkelon reached its peak with a population of about 15,000 and a city wall enclosing some 60 ha. In the early MB IIA, the Egyptians mainly sent their ships further north to Lebanon ([[Byblos]]). In the late MB IIA, Ashkelon phases 14-10 can be compared with [[Tell El-Dab'a|Tell ed-Dab'a]] stratums H-D/1. Contacts with Egypt increased in the late 12th Dynasty and early 13th Dynasty when maritime trade flourished.

Ashkelon is mentioned in the [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] [[Execration Texts]] of the 11th dynasty as "Asqanu."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0002_0_01460.html |title=Ashkelon, Jewish Virtual Library |publisher=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org |access-date=2011-08-10| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110717053009/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0002_0_01460.html| archive-date= 17 July 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

====Late Bronze====
'''Thutmosid Period'''

Beginning in the time of [[Thutmose III]] (1479-1425 BC) the city was under Egyptian control, under a local governor.

'''Amarna Period'''

In the [[Amarna letters]] ({{c.}} 1350 BC), there are seven letters to and from Ashkelon's (Ašqaluna) king [[Yidya]], and the [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] [[pharaoh]]. One letter from the pharaoh to Yidya was discovered in the early 1900s.

'''Ramesside Period'''

During the reign of [[Ramesses II]] the southern Levant was the frontier of the epic war against the [[Hittites]] in Syria. In addition the [[Sea Peoples]] attacked and rebellions occured. These events coincide with a downturn in climatic conditions starting around 1250 BC onwards, ultimately causing the Late Bronze to collapse. On the death of Ramesses II, turmoil and rebellion increased in the southern Levant. The king [[Merneptah]] faced a series of uprisings, as told in the [[Merneptah Stele]]. The Pharaoh notes putting down a rebellion in the city of Ashkelon.<ref>REDFORD, DONALD B. "The Ashkelon Relief at Karnak and the Israel Stela." Israel Exploration Journal, vol. 36, no. 3/4, 1986, pp. 188–200</ref> Further north, the King [[Jabin|Jabin of Hazor]] tried to fight for independence with Mycenaean mercenaries - Merneptah laying waste the grain fields in the [[Jezreel Valley|Valley of Yizreel]] to starve out the northern rebellion. These events contributed to the fall of the [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]].

===Philistine settlement===
The Philistines conquered Canaanite Ashkelon about 1150 BCE. Their earliest pottery, types of structures and inscriptions are similar to the early Greek urbanised centre at [[Mycenae]] in mainland [[Greece]], adding weight to the hypothesis that the Philistines were one of the populations among the "[[Sea Peoples]]" that upset cultures throughout the eastern [[Mediterranean]] at that time.

Ashkelon became one of the five Philistine cities that were constantly warring with the [[Israelites]] and later the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|United Kingdom of Israel]] and successive [[Kingdom of Judah]]. According to [[Herodotus]], its temple of [[Venus (mythology)|Venus]] was the oldest of its kind, imitated even in [[Cyprus]], and he mentions that this temple was pillaged by marauding [[Scythians]] during the time of their sway over the [[Medes]] (653–625 BCE). As it was the last of the Philistine cities to hold out against [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylonian king]] [[Nebuchadnezzar II]]. When it fell in 604 BCE, burnt and destroyed and its people taken into exile, the Philistine era was over.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}

===Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods===
[[File:Ask Sarcopag.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Ancient sarcophagus in Ashkelon]]
Ashkelon was soon rebuilt. Until the conquest of [[Alexander the Great]], Ashkelon's inhabitants were influenced by the dominant [[Persia]]n culture. It is in this archaeological layer that excavations have found dog burials. It is believed the dogs may have had a sacred role; however, evidence is not conclusive. After the conquest of Alexander in the 4th century BCE, Ashkelon was an important free city and [[Hellenistic]] seaport.

It had mostly friendly relations with the [[Hasmonean kingdom]] and [[Herodian kingdom]] of Judea, in the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE. In a significant case of an early [[witch-hunt]], during the reign of the Hasmonean queen [[Salome Alexandra]], the court of [[Simeon ben Shetach]] sentenced to death eighty women in Ashkelon who had been charged with [[Magic (paranormal)|sorcery]].<ref>''Yerushalmi [[Sanhedrin (Talmud)|Sanhedrin]]'', 6:6.</ref> [[Herod the Great]], who became a client king of Rome over Judea and its environs in 30 BCE, had not received Ashkelon, yet he built monumental buildings there: bath houses, elaborate fountains and large colonnades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pace-ancient.mcmaster.ca/york/york/placePopup?id=24&descOnly=|title=Ashkelon|publisher=Project on Ancient Cultural Engagement/Brill|access-date=14 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904060244/http://pace-ancient.mcmaster.ca/york/york/placePopup?id=24&descOnly=|archive-date=4 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia | first = A | last = Negev | encyclopedia = The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites | editor1-last = Stillwell | editor1-first = Richard. | editor2-last = MacDonald | editor2-first = William L. | editor3-last = McAlister | editor3-first = Marian Holland | place = Princeton, N.J. | publisher = Princeton University Press| year = 1976 }}</ref> A discredited tradition suggests Ashkelon was his birthplace.<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url = http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/201/2010033.htm | title = The Church History of Eusebius | chapter = VI | at = §2, notes 90-91 | author = Eusebius | author-link = Eusebius | editor-first =Arthur Cushman | editor-last = McGiffert | editor-link =Arthur Cushman McGiffert | series = Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series II | date = 1890}}</ref> In 6 CE, when a [[Judea (Roman province)|Roman imperial province]] was set in Judea, overseen by a lower-rank governor, Ashkelon was moved directly to the higher jurisdiction of the governor of [[Syria (Roman province)|Syria province]].

The city remained loyal to Rome during the [[First Jewish–Roman War|Great Revolt]], 66–70 CE.

===Byzantine period===
[[File:Madaba map Mediterranean Sea 1354 (cropped).jpg|thumb|ΑϹΚΑΛ[ⲰΝ] / ASKAL[ŌN] on the [[Madaba Map]]]]
The city of Ascalon appears on a fragment of the 6th-century [[Madaba Map]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XbGEngEACAAJ&q=Donner+%28The+Mosaic+Map+of+Madaba |first=Herbert |last=Donner |title=The Mosaic Map of Madaba |publisher=Kok Pharos Publishing House |year=1992 |isbn=978-90-3900011-3 |pages=64–65}} quoted in [http://198.62.75.1/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/103discuss.html The Madaba Mosaic Map: Ascalon]</ref>

The bishops of Ascalon whose names are known include Sabinus, who was at the [[First Council of Nicaea]] in 325, and his immediate successor, Epiphanius. Auxentius took part in the [[First Council of Constantinople]] in 381, Jobinus in a synod held in Lydda in 415, Leontius in both the [[Robber Council of Ephesus]] in 449 and the [[Council of Chalcedon]] in 451. Bishop Dionysius, who represented Ascalon at [[Council of Jerusalem (536)|a synod in Jerusalem in 536]], was on another occasion called upon to pronounce on the validity of a baptism with sand in waterless desert and sent the person to be baptized in water.<ref>[[Bellarmino Bagatti|Bagatti]], ''Ancient Christian Villages of Judaea and Negev'', quoted in [http://198.62.75.1/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/103discuss.html The Madaba Mosaic Map: Ascalon]</ref><ref>Pius Bonifacius Gams, [http://www.wbc.poznan.pl/dlibra/doccontent?id=65154&dirids=1 ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae''], Leipzig 1931, p.&nbsp;452</ref>

No longer a residential bishopric, Ascalon is today listed by the [[Catholic Church]] as a [[titular see]].<ref>''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 {{ISBN|978-88-209-9070-1}}), p. 840</ref>

===Early Islamic period===
[[File:החאן - מוזיאון אשקלון.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Ashkelon mosque]]
During the Muslim conquest of Palestine begun in {{c.}} 633–634, Ascalon (called ''Asqalan'' by the Arabs) became one of the last Byzantine cities in the region to fall.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=710}} It may have been temporarily occupied by [[Amr ibn al-As]], but definitively surrendered to [[Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan]] (who later founded the [[Umayyad Caliphate]]) not long after he captured the Byzantine district capital of [[Caesarea]] in {{c.}} 640.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=710}} The Byzantines reoccupied Asqalan during the [[Second Muslim Civil War]] (680–692), but the Umayyad caliph [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan|Abd al-Malik]] ({{reign|685|705}}) recaptured and fortified it.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=710}} A son of Caliph [[Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik|Sulayman]] ({{reign|715|717}}), whose family resided in [[Jund Filastin|Palestine]], was buried in the city.{{sfn|Lecker|1989|p=35, note 109}} An inscription found in the city indicates that the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] caliph [[al-Mahdi]] ordered the construction of a mosque with a minaret in Asqalan in 772.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=710}}

Asqalan prospered under the [[Fatimid Caliphate]] and contained a mint and secondary naval base.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=710}} Along with a few other coastal towns in Palestine, it remained in Fatimid hands when most of [[Bilad al-Sham|Islamic Syria]] was conquered by the [[Seljuq dynasty|Seljuks]].{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=710}} However, during this period, Fatimid rule over Asqalan was periodically reduced to nominal authority over the city's governor.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=710}} In 1091, a couple of years after a campaign by [[grand vizier]] [[Badr al-Jamali]] to reestablish Fatimid control over the region, the head of [[Husayn ibn Ali]] (a grandson of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]]) was "rediscovered", prompting Badr to order the construction of a new mosque and ''[[mashhad]]'' (shrine or mausoleum) to hold the relic, known as the [[Shrine of Husayn's Head]].<ref name=":223">{{Cite book|last=Brett|first=Michael|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qDZYDwAAQBAJ&pg=PP1|title=The Fatimid Empire|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=2017|isbn=9781474421522|location=Edinburgh}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Talmon-Heller|first=Daniella|url=https://www.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.3366/edinburgh/9781474460965.001.0001/upso-9781474460965-chapter-005|title=Sacred Place and Sacred Time in the Medieval Islamic Middle East: An Historical Perspective|publisher=University Press Scholarship Online|year=2020|isbn=9781474460965|chapter=Part I: A Sacred Place: The Shrine of al-Husayn's Head|doi=10.3366/edinburgh/9781474460965.001.0001|s2cid=240874864}}</ref><ref name=":24">{{Cite book|title=The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|isbn=9780195309911|editor-last=M. Bloom|editor-first=Jonathan|chapter=Shrine|editor-last2=S. Blair|editor-first2=Sheila}}</ref> (According to another source, the shrine was built in 1098 by the [[Vizier (Fatimid Caliphate)|Fatimid vizier]] [[al-Afdal Shahanshah]].{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=711}}{{Verify source|date=October 2020}}) The mausoleum was described as the most magnificent building in Ashkelon.<ref>{{A History of Palestine, 634–1099|pages=193–194}}</ref> In the British Mandate period it was a "large ''maqam'' on top of a hill" with no tomb, but a fragment of a pillar showing the place where the head had been buried.<ref name="Canaan">Canaan, 1927, p. [https://archive.org/details/MohammedanSaintsAndSanctuariesInPalestine/page/n161/mode/1up 151]</ref> In July 1950, the shrine was destroyed at the instructions of [[Moshe Dayan]] in accordance with a 1950s Israeli policy of erasing Muslim historical sites within Israel.{{r|haaretz1}} Around 2000, a modest marble mosque was constructed on the site by [[Mohammed Burhanuddin]], an Indian Islamic leader of the [[Dawoodi Bohra]]s.{{r|thesis}}

===Crusaders, Ayyubids, and Mamluks===
[[File:Battle of Ascalon-engraving.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Battle of Ascalon]], 1099. Engraving after [[Gustave Doré]]]]
[[File:Monument of Husain's Head at Ashkelon Hospital.jpeg|upright=1.25|thumb|[[Dawoodi Bohra]] pilgrims at the newly constructed ''[[Shrine of Husayn's Head|Maqam al-Husayn]]'', August 2019]]

During the [[Crusades]], Asqalan (known to the Crusaders as ''Ascalon'') was an important city due to its location near the coast and between the [[Crusader states|Crusader States]] and Egypt. In 1099, shortly after the [[Siege of Jerusalem (1099)|Siege of Jerusalem]], a Fatimid army that had been sent to relieve [[Jerusalem]] was defeated by a Crusader force at the [[Battle of Ascalon]]. The city itself was not captured by the Crusaders because of internal disputes among their leaders. This battle is widely considered to have signified the end of the [[First Crusade]].{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} As a result of military reinforcements from Egypt and a large influx of refugees from areas conquered by the Crusaders, Asqalan became a major Fatimid frontier post.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=711}} The Fatimids utilized it to launch raids into the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]].{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|pp=710–711}} Trade ultimately resumed between Asqalan and Crusader-controlled Jerusalem, though the inhabitants of Asqalan regularly struggled with shortages in food and supplies, necessitating the provision of goods and relief troops to the city from Egypt on several occasions each year.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=711}} According to [[William of Tyre]], the entire civilian population of the city was included in the Fatimid army registers.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=711}} The Crusaders' capture of the port city of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] in 1134 and their construction of a ring of fortresses around the city to neutralize its threat to Jerusalem strategically weakened Asqalan.{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=711}} In 1150 the Fatimids fortified the city with fifty-three towers, as it was their most important frontier fortress.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Gore|first=Rick |date=January 2001 |title=Ancient Ashkelon|url=http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/print/features/world/asia/israel/ashkelon-text |magazine=National Geographic }}</ref> Three years later, after a [[Siege of Ascalon|seven-month siege]], the city was captured by a Crusader army led by King [[Baldwin III of Jerusalem]].{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=711}} The Fatimids secured the head of Husayn from [[Shrine of Husayn's Head|its mausoleum outside the city]] and transported it to their capital [[Cairo]].{{sfn|Hartmann|Lewis|1960|p=711}} Ascalon was then added to the [[County of Jaffa and Ascalon|County of Jaffa]] to form the [[County of Jaffa and Ascalon]], which became one of the four major seigneuries of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]].

After the [[Siege of Jerusalem (1099)|Crusader conquest of Jerusalem]] the six elders of the [[Karaite Judaism|Karaite]] Jewish community in Ashkelon contributed to the ransoming of captured Jews and holy relics from Jerusalem's new rulers. The [[Letter of the Karaite elders of Ascalon]], which was sent to the Jewish elders of Alexandria, describes their participation in the ransom effort and the ordeals suffered by many of the freed captives. A few hundred Jews, Karaites and Rabbanites, were living in Ashkelon in the second half of the 12th century, but moved to Jerusalem when the city was destroyed in 1191.<ref name="Carmel">{{cite book | author = Alex Carmel, Peter Schäfer and Yossi Ben-Artzi | title = The Jewish Settlement in Palestine, 634–1881 | series = Beihefte zum Tübinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients : Reihe B, Geisteswissenschaften; Nr. 88 | location = Wiesbaden | publisher = Reichert | year = 1990 | page = 24,31}}</ref>

In 1187, [[Saladin]] took Ashkelon as part of his conquest of the [[Crusader states|Crusader States]] following the [[Battle of Hattin]]. In 1191, during the [[Third Crusade]], Saladin demolished the city because of its potential strategic importance to the Christians, but the leader of the Crusade, King [[Richard I of England]], constructed a citadel upon the ruins. Ashkelon subsequently remained part of the diminished territories of Outremer throughout most of the 13th century and [[Richard, Earl of Cornwall]] reconstructed and refortified the citadel during 1240–41, as part of the Crusader policy of improving the defences of coastal sites. The [[Egypt]]ians retook Ashkelon in 1247 during [[As-Salih Ayyub]]'s conflict with the Crusader States and the city was returned to Muslim rule. The [[Mamluk]] dynasty came into power in Egypt in 1250 and the ancient and [[Middle Ages|medieval history]] of Ashkelon was brought to an end in 1270, when the Mamluk sultan [[Baybars]] ordered the citadel and harbour at the site to be destroyed. As a result of this destruction, the site was abandoned by its inhabitants and fell into disuse.

===Ottoman period===
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===Early history===

====Tel Ashkelon====
{{main|Tel Ashkelon}}
The archaeological site of Ashkelon, today known as [[Tel Ashkelon]], was the oldest and largest seaport in [[Canaan]], part of the [[pentapolis]] (a grouping of five cities) of the [[Philistines]], north of [[Gaza (city)|Gaza]] and south of [[Jaffa]].


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====El-Jurah====
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[[Category:Canaanite cities]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Israel]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Israel]]
[[Category:Crusade places]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible cities]]
[[Category:Gaza–Israel conflict]]
[[Category:Medieval sites in Israel]]
[[Category:Philistine cities]]
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Revision as of 23:19, 14 February 2023

For other uses, see Ashkelon (disambiguation) and Ascalon.

Ashkelon
  • אַשְׁקְלוֹן‎
  • عسقلان‎
City
Hebrew transcription(s)
 • ISO 259ʔašqlon
 • Translit.Ashkelon
 • Also spelledAshqelon, Ascalon (unofficial)
Flag of Ashkelon
Flag
Coat of arms
Ashkelon is located in Ashkelon region of Israel
Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Ashkelon is located in Israel
Ashkelon
Ashkelon
Coordinates: 31°40′N 34°34′E / 31.667°N 34.567°E / 31.667; 34.567
CountryIsrael
DistrictSouthern
Founded
  • 5880 BCE (Neolithic settlement)
  • 2000 BCE (Canaanite city)
  • 1150 BCE (Philistine rule)
  • 6th century BCE (Classical city)
  • 15th century CE (Arab village)
  • 1953 (Israeli city)
Government
 • MayorTomer Glam
Area
 • Total
47,788 dunams (47.788 km2 or 18.451 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
 • Total
153,138
 • Density3,200/km2 (8,300/sq mi)
Websitewww.ashkelon.muni.il

Ashkelon or Ashqelon (/ˈæʃkəlɒn/; Hebrew: אַשְׁקְלוֹן‎ⓘ, ʾAšqəlōn, [aʃkeˈlon]; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤒𐤋𐤍 *ʾAšqalōna[2]), also known as Ascalon (/ˈæskəlɒn/; Ancient Greek: Ασκαλων, Askalōn; Arabic: عَسْقَلَان‎, ʿAsqalān), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, 50 kilometres (30 mi) south of Tel Aviv, and 13 kilometres (8 mi) north of the border with the Gaza Strip.

The ancient seaport of Ashkelon, today known as Tel Ashkelon on the southeastern edge of the modern city, dates back to the Neolithic Age. In the course of its history, it has been ruled by the Ancient Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Phoenicians, the Hasmoneans, the Romans, the Persians, the Arabs and the Crusaders, until it was destroyed by the Mamluks in 1270. The Palestinian village of Al-Jura developed immediately adjacent to the ruins.

The modern city was originally located approximately 4 km inland from the ancient site, and was known as al-Majdal or al-Majdal Asqalan (Arabic: الْمِجْدَل‎ al-Mijdal; Hebrew: אֵל־מִגְ׳דַּל‎ ʾĒl-Mīǧdal). Its inhabitants were exclusively Muslims and Christians; on the eve of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War the inhabitants numbered 10,000 and in October 1948, the city accommodated thousands more Palestinian refugees from nearby villages.[3][4] The town was conquered by Israeli forces on 5 November 1948, by which time much of the Arab population had fled,[5] leaving some 2,700 inhabitants, of which 500 were deported by Israeli soldiers in December 1948[5] and most of the rest were deported by 1950.[6] Today, the city's population is almost entirely Jewish.

Migdal was initially repopulated by Jewish immigrants and demobilized soldiers. It was subsequently renamed multiple times, first as Migdal Gaza, Migdal Gad and Migdal Ashkelon, until in 1953 the coastal neighborhood of Afridar was incorporated and the name "Ashkelon" was adopted for the combined town. By 1961, Ashkelon was ranked 18th among Israeli urban centers with a population of 24,000.[7] In 2022 the population of Ashkelon was 153,138, making it the third-largest city in Israel's Southern District.[1]

Etymology

The name Ashkelon is probably western Semitic, and might be connected to the triliteral root š-q-l ("to weigh" from a Semitic root ṯql, akin to Hebrew šāqal שָקַל‎ or Arabic θiql ثِقْل‎ "weight") perhaps attesting to its importance as a center for mercantile activities. Its name appeared in Phoenician and Punic as ŠQLN (𐤔𐤒𐤋𐤍) and ʾŠQLN (𐤀𐤔𐤒𐤋𐤍).[8] Scallion and shallot are derived from Ascalonia, the Latin name for Ashkelon.[9][10]

History

The area of modern Ashkelon cover the land of: Al Majdal, Hamama, Al-Jura, Al-Khisas and Ni'ilya.
The ruins of the ancient city
Images from the 1871-77 PEF Survey of Palestine

Early history

Tel Ashkelon

Main article: Tel Ashkelon

The archaeological site of Ashkelon, today known as Tel Ashkelon, was the oldest and largest seaport in Canaan, part of the pentapolis (a grouping of five cities) of the Philistines, north of Gaza and south of Jaffa.

El-Jurah

Main article: Al-Jura

The Palestinian village of Al-Jura (El-Jurah) stood northeast of and immediately adjacent to Tel Ashkelon and is documented in Ottoman tax registers.

Majdal

The Arab village of Majdal was mentioned by historians and tourists at the end of the 15th century.[11] In 1596, Ottoman records showed Majdal to be a large village of 559 Muslim households, making it the 7th-most-populous locality in Palestine after Safad, Jerusalem, Gaza, Nablus, Hebron and Kafr Kanna.[12][13]

An official Ottoman village list of about 1870 showed that Medschdel had a total of 420 houses and a population of 1175, though the population count included men only.[14][15]

Mandatory Palestine

Ashkelon street map (date 2018, white text and light grey streets) overlaid on a Survey of Palestine map (date 1942, black text, red urban areas and black streets), showing the relative locations of Al Majdal, Hamama, Al-Jura, Al-Khisas and Ni'ilya

El-Jurah

Main article: Al-Jura

El-Jurah was depopulated during the 1948 war.

Majdal

Weavers in Majdal, 1934–39

In the 1922 census of Palestine, Majdal had a population of 5,064; 33 Christians and 5,031 Muslims,[16] increasing in the 1931 census to 6,166 Muslims and 41 Christians.[17]

In the 1945 statistics Majdal had a population of 9,910; ninety Christians and 9,820 Muslims,[18] with a total (urban and rural) of 43,680 dunams of land, according to an official land and population survey. Two thousand two hundred and fifty dunes were public land; all the rest was owned by Arabs.[19] of the dunams, 2,337 were used for citrus and bananas, 2,886 were plantations and irrigable land, 35,442 for cereals,[20] while 1,346 were built-up land.[21]

Majdal was especially known for its weaving industry.[citation needed] The town had around 500 looms in 1909. In 1920 a British Government report estimated that there were 550 cotton looms in the town with an annual output worth 30–40 million francs.[22] But the industry suffered from imports from Europe and by 1927 only 119 weaving establishments remained. The three major fabrics produced were "malak" (silk), 'ikhdari' (bands of red and green) and 'jiljileh' (dark red bands). These were used for festival dresses throughout Southern Palestine. Many other fabrics were produced, some with poetic names such as ji'nneh u nar ("heaven and hell"), nasheq rohoh ("breath of the soul") and abu mitayn ("father of two hundred").[23]

Israel

The area around Majdal had been allocated to the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine
High-rise residential development along the beach
Ashkelon Marina

During the 1948 war, the Egyptian army occupied a large part of the Gaza region including Majdal. Over the next few months, the town was subjected to Israeli air-raids and shelling.[5] All but about 1,000 of the town's residents were forced to leave by the time it was captured by Israeli forces as a sequel to Operation Yoav on 4 November 1948.[5] General Yigal Allon ordered the expulsion of the remaining Palestinians but the local commanders did not do so and the Arab population soon recovered to more than 2,500 due mostly to refugees slipping back and also due to the transfer of Palestinians from nearby villages.[5][11] Most of them were elderly, women, or children.[11] During the next year or so, the Palestinians were held in a confined area surrounded by barbed wire, which became commonly known as the "ghetto".[7][11][24] Moshe Dayan and Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion were in favor of expulsion, while Mapam and the Israeli labor union Histadrut objected.[5] The government offered the Palestinians positive inducements to leave, including a favorable currency exchange, but also caused panic through night-time raids.[5] The first group was deported to the Gaza Strip by truck on 17 August 1950 after an expulsion order had been served.[25] The deportation was approved by Ben-Gurion and Dayan over the objections of Pinhas Lavon, secretary-general of the Histadrut, who envisioned the town as a productive example of equal opportunity.[26] By October 1950, twenty Palestinian families remained, most of whom later moved to Lydda or Gaza.[5] According to Israeli records, in total 2,333 Palestinians were transferred to the Gaza Strip, 60 to Jordan, 302 to other towns in Israel, and a small number remained in Ashkelon.[11] Lavon argued that this operation dissipated "the last shred of trust the Arabs had in Israel, the sincerity of the State's declarations on democracy and civil equality, and the last remnant of confidence the Arab workers had in the Histadrut."[26] Acting on an Egyptian complaint, the Egyptian-Israel Mixed Armistice Commission ruled that the Palestinians transferred from Majdal should be returned to Israel, but this was not done.[27]

Ashkelon was formally granted to Israel in the 1949 Armistice Agreements. Re-population of the recently vacated Arab dwellings by Jews had been official policy since at least December 1948, but the process began slowly.[7] The Israeli national plan of June 1949 designated al-Majdal as the site for a regional urban center of 20,000 people.[7] From July 1949, new immigrants and demobilized soldiers moved to the new town, increasing the Jewish population to 2,500 within six months.[7] These early immigrants were mostly from Yemen, North Africa, and Europe.[28] During 1949, the town was renamed Migdal Gaza, and then Migdal Gad. Soon afterwards it became Migdal Ashkelon. The city began to expand as the population grew. In 1951, the neighborhood of Afridar was established for Jewish immigrants from South Africa,[29] and in 1953 it was incorporated into the city. The current name Ashkelon was adopted and the town was granted local council status in 1953. In 1955, Ashkelon had more than 16,000 residents. By 1961, Ashkelon ranked 18th among Israeli urban centers with a population of 24,000.[7] This grew to 43,000 in 1972 and 53,000 in 1983. In 2005, the population was more than 106,000.

On 1–2 March 2008, rockets fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip (some of them Grad rockets) hit Ashkelon, wounding seven, and causing property damage. Mayor Roni Mahatzri stated that "This is a state of war, I know no other definition for it. If it lasts a week or two, we can handle that, but we have no intention of allowing this to become part of our daily routine."[30] In March 2008, 230 buildings and 30 cars were damaged by rocket fire on Ashkelon.[31] On 12 May 2008, a rocket fired from the northern Gazan city of Beit Lahiya hit a shopping mall in southern Ashkelon, causing significant structural damage. According to The Jerusalem Post, four people were seriously injured and 87 were treated for shock. Fifteen people suffered minor to moderate injuries as a result of the collapsed structure. Southern District Police chief Uri Bar-Lev believed the Grad-model Katyusha rocket was manufactured in Iran.[32]

In March 2009, a Qassam rocket hit a school, destroying classrooms and injuring two people.[33]

In November 2014, the mayor, Itamar Shimoni, began a policy of discrimination against Arab workers, refusing to allow them to work on city projects to build bomb shelters for children. His discriminatory actions brought criticism from others, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat who likened the discrimination to the anti-Semitism experienced by Jews in Europe 70 years earlier.[34][35]

On May 11, 2021, Hamas fired 137 rockets on Ashkelon[36][37] killing 2 and injuring many others.[38]

Ashkelon is located in the 20–30 seconds' run to safety area due to grad rocket range
Panorama of modern Ashkelon

Urban development

Holiday Inn and 13th-century tomb of Sheikh Awad

In 1949 and 1950, three immigrant transit camps (ma'abarot) were established alongside Majdal (renamed Migdal) for Jewish refugees from Arab countries, Romania and Poland. Northwest of Migdal and the immigrant camps, on the lands of the depopulated Palestinian village al-Jura,[39] entrepreneur Zvi Segal, one of the signatories of Israel's Declaration of Independence, established the upscale Barnea neighborhood.[40]

A large tract of land south of Barnea was handed over to the trusteeship of the South African Zionist Federation, which established the neighborhood of Afridar. Plans for the city were drawn up in South Africa according to the garden city model. Migdal was surrounded by a broad ring of orchards. Barnea developed slowly, but Afridar grew rapidly. The first homes, built in 1951, were inhabited by new Jewish immigrants from South Africa and South America, with some native-born Israelis. The first public housing project for residents of the transit camps, the Southern Hills Project (Hageva'ot Hadromiyot) or Zion Hill (Givat Zion), was built in 1952.[40]

Under a plan signed in October 2015, seven new neighborhoods comprising 32,000 housing units, a new stretch of highway, and three new highway interchanges will be built, turning Ashkelon into the sixth-largest city in Israel.[41]

Economy

Ashkelon is the northern terminus for the Trans-Israel pipeline, which brings petroleum products from Eilat to an oil terminal at the port. The Ashkelon seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant is the largest in the world.[42][43] The project was developed as a BOT (build–operate–transfer) by a consortium of three international companies: Veolia water, IDE Technologies and Elran.[44] In March 2006, it was voted "Desalination Plant of the Year" in the Global Water Awards.[45]

Since 1992, Israel Beer Breweries has been operating in Ashkelon, brewing Carlsberg and Tuborg beer for the Israeli market. The brewery is owned by the Central Bottling Company, which has also held the Israeli franchise for Coca-Cola products since 1968.[46]

Arak Ashkelon, a local brand of arak, is operating since 1925 and distributed throughout Israel.

Education

Ashkelon Academic College

The city has 19 elementary schools, and nine junior high and high schools. The Ashkelon Academic College opened in 1998, and now hosts thousands of students. Harvard University operates an archaeological summer school program in Ashkelon.[47]

Landmarks

Ashkelon National Park

The ancient site of Ashkelon is now a national park on the city's southern coast. The walls that encircled the city are still visible, as well as Canaanite earth ramparts. The park contains Byzantine, Crusader and Roman ruins.[48] The largest dog cemetery in the ancient world was discovered in Ashkelon.[49]

Bath Houses

In 1986 ruins of 4th- to 6th-century baths were found in Ashkelon. The bath houses are believed to have been used for prostitution. The remains of nearly 100 mostly male infants were found in a sewer under the bathhouse, leading to conjectures that prostitutes had discarded their unwanted newborns there.[50]

Religious sites

Places of worship

The remains of a 4th-century Byzantine church with marble slab flooring and glass mosaic walls can be seen in the Barnea Quarter.[51] Remains of a synagogue from this period have also been found.[52]

Maqam al-Imam al-Husayn

Main article: Shrine of Husayn's Head
See also: Al Husayn Shrine, Al Hussein Mosque, and The Great Mosque of Damascus
Muslims at Mejdal, April 1943, with Maqam al-Imam al-Husayn in the background.

An 11th-century mosque, Maqam al-Imam al-Husayn, a site of pilgrimage for both Sunnis and Shiites,[53]: 185–186 [54][55] which had been built under the Fatimids by Badr al-Jamali and where tradition held that the head of Mohammad's grandson Hussein ibn Ali was buried, was blown up by the IDF under instructions from Moshe Dayan as part of a broader programme to destroy mosques in July 1950.[56][57][58] The area was subsequently redeveloped for a local Israeli hospital, Barzilai. After the site was re-identified on the hospital grounds, funds from Mohammed Burhanuddin, leader of a Shi'a Ismaili sect based in India, were used to construct a marble mosque, which is visited by Shi'ite pilgrims from India and Pakistan.[53][55][57][59]

Shrines

A domed structure housing the 13th-century tomb of Sheikh Awad sits atop a hill overlooking Ashkelon's northern beaches.[60]

A Roman burial tomb two kilometres north of Ashkelon Park was discovered in 1937. There are two burial tombs, a painted Hellenistic cave and a Roman cave. The Hellenistic cave is decorated with paintings of nymphs, water scenes, mythological figures and animals.[51]

Museums

Ashkelon marina breakwater

Ashkelon Khan and Museum contains archaeological finds, among them a replica of Ashkelon's Canaanite silver calf, whose discovery was reported on the front page of The New York Times.[51]

The Outdoor Museum near the municipal cultural center displays two Roman burial coffins made of marble depicting battle and hunting scenes, and famous mythological scenes.[51]

Others

The Ashkelon Marina, located between Delila and Bar Kochba beaches, offers a shipyard and repair services. Ashkeluna is a water-slide park on Ashkelon beach.[51]

Health care

See also: Healthcare in Israel
Barzilai Medical Center

Ashkelon and environs is served by the Barzilai Medical Center, established in 1961.[59] It was built in place of Hussein ibn Ali's 11th-century mosque, a center of Muslim pilgrimages, destroyed by the Israeli army in 1950.[61] Situated ten kilometres (6 mi) from Gaza, the hospital has been the target of numerous Qassam rocket attacks, sometimes as many as 140 over one weekend. The hospital plays a vital role in treating wounded soldiers and terror victims.[62] A new rocket and missile-proof emergency room is under construction.

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
195516,600—    
196124,300+46.4%
197243,000+77.0%
198352,900+23.0%
199583,100+57.1%
2008110,600+33.1%
2010114,500+3.5%
2011117,400+2.5%
Source:

In the early years, the city was primarily settled by Mizrahi Jews, who fled to Israel after being expelled from Muslim lands. Today, Mizrahi Jews still constitute the majority of the population. In the early 1950s, many South African Jews settled in Ashkelon, establishing the Afridar neighbourhood. They were followed by an influx of immigrants from the United Kingdom.[64] During the 1990s, the city received additional arrivals of Ethiopian Jews and Russian Jews.

Culture and sports

Ashkelon arena

The Ashkelon Sports Arena opened in 1999. The "Jewish Eye" is a Jewish world film festival that takes place annually in Ashkelon. The festival marked its seventh year in 2010.[65] The Breeza Music Festival has been held yearly in and around Ashkelon's amphitheatre since 1992. Most of the musical performances are free. Israel Lacrosse operates substantial youth lacrosse programs in the city and recently hosted the Turkey men's national team in Israel's first home international in 2013.[66]

Im schwarzen Walfisch zu Askalon ("In Ashkelon's Black Whale inn") is a traditional German academic commercium song that describes a drinking binge staged in the ancient city.[67]

Photos

  • Park Afridar
    Park Afridar
  • Night view from Marina
    Night view from Marina
  • Beach of Ashqelon
    Beach of Ashqelon
  • Sea view
    Sea view
  • Ha-Tayassim street
    Ha-Tayassim street
  • Pedestrian mall, Ashkelon
    Pedestrian mall, Ashkelon

Twin towns – sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Israel

Ashkelon is twinned with:

Notable people

See also

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b "Regional Statistics". Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  2. ^ Huehnergard, John (2018). "The Name Ashkelon". Eretz-Israel: Archaeological, Historical and Geographical Studies. 33: 91–97. JSTOR 26751887.
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  5. ^ a b c d e f g h B. Morris, The transfer of Al Majdal's remaining Palestinians to Gaza, 1950, in 1948 and After; Israel and the Palestinians.
  6. ^ Kimmerling, Baruch; S Migdal, Joel (2003). "Reconstituting Palestinian Nation". The Palestinian People: A History. United States of America: Harvard University Press. p. 172. ISBN 9780674039599 – via books.google.com.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Golan, Arnon (2003). "Jewish Settlement of Former Arab Towns and their Incorporation into the Israeli Urban System (1948–1950)". Israel Affairs. 9 (1–2): 149–164. doi:10.1080/714003467. S2CID 144137499.
  8. ^ Huss (1985), p. 560.
  9. ^ "shallot". New Oxford American Dictionary (Second ed.). Oxford University Press. 2005. ISBN 978-0-19-517077-1.
  10. ^ shallot. CollinsDictionary.com. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 11th Edition. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
  11. ^ a b c d e Orna Cohen (2007). "Transferred to Gaza of Their Own Accord" The Arabs of Majdal in Ashkelon and their Evacuation to the Gaza Strip in 1950. The Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
  12. ^ Hütteroth and Abdulfattah, 1977, p. 144
  13. ^ Petersen, Andrew (2005). The Towns of Palestine under Muslim Rule AD 600–1600. BAR International Series 1381. p. 133.
  14. ^ Socin, 1879, p. 157
  15. ^ Hartmann, 1883, p. 131, noted 655 houses
  16. ^ Barron, 1923, Table V, Sub-district of Gaza, p. 8
  17. ^ Palestine Office of Statistics, Vital Statistical Tables 1922–1945, Table A8.
  18. ^ Department of Statistics, 1945, p. 32
  19. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 46
  20. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 87
  21. ^ Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. Village Statistics, April, 1945. Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. 137
  22. ^ "H.M. Stationery Office (1920) Syria and Palestine" — Viewer — World Digital Library". www.wdl.org.
  23. ^ Shelagh Weir, "Palestinian Costume". British Museum Publications, 1989. ISBN 978-0-7141-1597-9. pages 27–32. Other fabrics produced include Shash (white muslin for veils), Burk/Bayt al-shem (plain cotton for underdresses), Karnaish (white cotton with stripes), "Bazayl" (flannelette), Durzi (blue cotton) and Dendeki (red cotton).
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  28. ^ מגדל־גד בהתפתחותה,בחירות ב־26 בפברואר - דבר. jpress.org.il (in Hebrew).
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  30. ^ "Israeli City Shocked As Rockets Hit". Associated Press. 3 March 2008.
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  32. ^ "Iranian made rocket strikes Ashkelon – Ashkelon". Jeruselum Post. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2008.
  33. ^ "'Improved' Kassam slams into Ashkelon school". Jta.org. 1 March 2009. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  34. ^ "Jerusalem Mayor: We cannot discriminate against Arabs". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  35. ^ Ho, Spencer. "PM, senior ministers pan Ashkelon mayor for barring Arab workers". www.timesofisrael.com.
  36. ^ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Farrell, Stephen; Heller, Jeffrey (11 May 2021). "Hamas and Israel trade blows as Jerusalem unrest ignites Gaza". Reuters. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  37. ^ "Israel hammers Gaza with deadly airstrikes in retaliation for volley of rockets as Mideast crisis escalates". CBS News. 11 May 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
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  39. ^ Khalidi 1992, p. 117.
  40. ^ a b Margalit, Talia. "Periphery without a center". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
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  42. ^ Israel is No. 5 on Top 10 Cleantech List in Israel 21c A Focus Beyond Archived 16 October 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2009-12-21
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  56. ^ Brief History of Transfer of the Sacred Head of Hussain ibn Ali, From Damascus to Ashkelon to Qahera By: Qazi Dr. Shaikh Abbas Borhany PhD (USA), NDI, Shahadat al A'alamiyyah (Najaf, Iraq), M.A., LLM (Shariah) Member, Ulama Council of Pakistan. Published in Daily News, Karachi, Pakistan on 3 January 2009 [1] Archived 14 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
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  66. ^ "An Israel Lacrosse experience". laxallstars.com. 19 August 2013. Archived from the original on 19 August 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  67. ^ The poem and a literal translation appear in Mathieu, Gustave; Stern, Guy (1991). Introduction to German Poetry: A Dual Language Book. Courier Dover. ISBN 9780486267135. OCLC 742447008.
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Bibliography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashkelon.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ashkelon.
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