Modern Ashdod was established in 1956 on the sand hills 6 kilometers northwest of theancient city of Ashdod, known in modern times by its Arabic nameIsdud.[2] Isdud had beendepopulated during the1948 Arab–Israeli War, having had a history spanning approximately 3,700 years.[3] In ancient times, ancient Ashdod developed as an active maritime trade center, with its ports identified atAshdod-Yam and Tel Mor. Inbiblical times, it was one of the five principal cities of thePhilistines.
Ashdod has absorbed extensiveimmigration from around the world, resulting in one of the highest percentages of new immigrants in Israel. The city is home to the largestMoroccan andKaraite Jewish communities in Israel,[4][5] and to the largestGeorgian Jewish community in the world.[6] According to theIsrael Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Ashdod had a population of 229,173 in 2023,[1] with an area of 47,242 dunams (47.242 km2; 18.240 sq mi).[7] Ashdod was incorporated as a city in 1968, with a land-area of approximately 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi).
History
Stone Age
Three stone tools dating from theNeolithic era were discovered, with no other evidence of aStone Age settlement in Ashdod found, suggesting that the tools were deposited there in a later period.[8]
TheMadaba Map, showing the two cities of ΑϹΔⲰ... / ASDŌ... / Asdod (Tel Ashdod) and ΑΖⲰΤΟϹΠΑΡΑΛ[ΙΟϹ] / AZŌTOSPARAL[IOS] / Azotus-by-the-Sea (Ashdod-Yam)
The historical town of Ashdod (today referred to as Tel Ashdod /Isdud), was c. 6 km southeast of the center of the modern town. It dates to the 17th century BCE, and was a prominentPhilistine city, one of thefive Philistine city-states. The coastal site ofAshdod-Yam, today southwest of the modern city, was a separate city for most of its history.
The first documented urban settlement at Tel Ashdod / Isdud dates to the 17th century BCE, when it was a fortifiedCanaanite city.[9] It was destroyed at theend of the Late Bronze Age.
During theIron Age, it was a prominentPhilistine city, one of thefive Philistine city-states. It is mentioned 13 times in theHebrew Bible. After being captured byUzziah in 760 BCE, it was ruled by theKingdom of Judah before it was taken by theAssyrians. During thePersian period,Nehemiah condemned the returning Jews for intermarrying Ashdod's residents. UnderHellenistic rule, the city was known asAzotus. It was later incorporated into the JewishHasmonean kingdom in 143 BCE. In 63 BCE,Pompey removed the city from Judean rule and annexed it to theRomanprovince of Syria. However, in 30 BCE, Ashdod came underHerod the Great's rule when he received the south coast area, including Ashdod, as a gift fromAugustus Caesar. Following the death of Herod the Great in 4 BCE, Ashdod (known as Azotus in this period) came under the rule of Jewish queenSalome I,Herod's sister. Salome I ruled over a territory that included the cities of Ashdod (Azotus),Jamnia, andPhasaelis. The Roman emperorAugustus supplemented this with a royal habitation for Salome I atAshkelon (Ascalon). Ashdod was later abishopric underByzantine rule, whose importance gradually slipped until by theMiddle Ages it was a village.[10]
Ashdod-Yam, later known as Azotos Paralios, appears to have been first settled in the Bronze Age, gradually gaining in importance through the Iron Age.[11] In the Byzantine period the port town overshadowed in importance the city further inland: the bishops of Azotos present at the council of 325 and thecouncil of Jerusalem in 536 seem to have resided in Azotos Paralios rather than in Azotos Mesogeios.[11][12] The prominence of Hellenised, then Christian Azotus continued until the 7th century, when it came underMuslim rule. The city was represented at theCouncil of Chalcedon by Heraclius of Azotus. Acoastal fort "Minat al-Qal'a" (lit.'the port with the castle') was erected by theUmayyad CaliphAbd al-Malik, the builder of theDome of the Rock, at or near the former Azotus Paralios,[13] which was later reconstructed by the Fatimids and Crusaders.[14] The port city stops being mentioned during theAyyubid andMamluk periods, making it likely that it was destroyed due to fears that they might again be used by Crusader invasions from the sea.[14]
Ashdod before 1948
Isdud was to be part of the Arab state according to theUnited Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Egyptians defending Isdud withdrew in late 1948, causing most of Isdud's roughly 5,000 residents to flee.[15] The 300 townspeople who remained were driven southwards by theIsrael Defense Forces (IDF).[16][17]
Isdud (Esdud) in 1870 overlaid with the outline of modern Ashdod
Maps comparing the location of historicalIsdud (Esdud) andMinet el Kuleh, with modern Ashdod, founded in 1956 c.6km northwest of the ruins of Isdud,
The modern city of Ashdod was founded in 1956. On May 1, 1956, thenfinance ministerLevi Eshkol approved the establishment of the city of Ashdod. "Ashdod Company Ltd.", a daughter company of City-Builders Company Ltd., was created for that purpose byOved Ben-Ami andPhilip Klutznick.The first residents, 22 families fromMorocco, arrived in November 1956, followed by a small influx of immigrants fromEgypt.[19][20]
Ashdod in 1957
In July 1957, the government granted a 24 square kilometres (9 square miles), approximately 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Tel Aviv, to the Ashdod Company Ltd., for building the modern city of Ashdod.[20] The building of theEshkol Power Station in Ashdod was completed in 1958 and included 3 units: 2 units of 50 megawatt, and one unit of 45 megawatt (withsea waterdesalination capabilities).
The city's development was made possible by the large investment of industrialist Israel Rogosin who opened his main Israeli factory in the city of Ashdod on August 9, 1960.[21][22] Three of the high schools he funded were also built in Ashdod.[23] The Main boulevard in Ashdod is named in his honour as a founder of the city.
The firstlocal council was appointed in October 1959. Dov Gur was appointed the first local council head on behalf of theIsraeli Ministry of Interior.[24] In 1961, Ashdod was a town of 4,600. TheMagistrates' Court in the city was inaugurated in 1963. The building of thePort of Ashdod began in April 1961. The port was inaugurated in November 1963, and was first utilized in November 1965, with the coming of theSwedish ship "Wiengelgad".[20] The city expanded gradually, with the construction of two quarters in the 1960s, followed by four more in the 1970s and two more in the 1980s. In 1972, the population was 40,300, and this grew to 65,700 by 1983.
Large-scale growth of the city began in 1991, with the massive arrival ofimmigrants from theSoviet Union andEthiopia and infrastructure development. From 1990 to 2001 the city accepted more than 100,000 new inhabitants, a 150% growth.[25] Five more quarters of the city were completed, and a business district was built. In the 2000s, three more quarters and the marina districts were completed. Ashdod was one of six cities that won the 2012 Education Prize awarded by the Israel Ministry of Education.[26]
According to theIsrael Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), Ashdod had a population of about 229,173 at the end of 2023, making it the sixth largest city in Israel.[1] The annual population growth rate is 2.6% and the ratio of women to men is 1,046 to 1,000. The population age distribution was recorded as 19.7% under the age of 10, 15.7% from age 10 to 19, 14.9% from 20 to 29, 19.1% from 30 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% were 65 or older.
The population of Ashdod is significantly younger than the Israeli average because of the large number of young couples living in the city. The city is ranked medium-low in socio-economic grading, with a rating of 4 out of 10. 56.1% of12th grade students in Ashdod were eligible for matriculation certificates in 2000. The average salary in 2000 wasNIS 4,821 compared to the national average ofNIS 6,835.
Ashdod has seen much of its growth as the result of absorption ofimmigrants from around the world. The first residents were immigrants fromMorocco andEgypt.[20] In the 1960s Ashdod accepted a large number of immigrants fromRomania, followed by a large number fromGeorgia (then part of theSoviet Union) in the 1970s.[20] More than 60,000Russians whoimmigrated to Israel in the 1990s following thecollapse of the Soviet Union settled in Ashdod. Recent demographic figures suggest that about 32% of the city's population are new immigrants,[29] 85% of whom are originally from the former Soviet Union.
Over 95% of Ashdod's population isJewish, over 30% of Ashdod's population areHaredi. The Haredi population has been growing in Ashdod, and Haredi children make up the majority in the city's schools.[31] The rapidly increasing Haredi population has caused some social and community tensions, particularly regarding the city's character, MayorYehiel Lasri levying fines against retail stores if they are open onShabbat,[32] and growing community tensions with secularRussian Jews.[33]
Assuta Ashdod Medical Center, Ashdod's only general hospital, serves the city and the surrounding area. It is a 300-bed hospital, and its "bomb shelter" design with thick concrete walls offers sufficient protection so as to keep operating without having to transfer patients during a time of war. It is also a university hospital affiliated withBen-Gurion University of the Negev.[39] The hospital opened in 2017. Prior to the opening of the hospital, Ashdod did not have a general hospital, and residents in need of hospitalization had to travel toKaplan Medical Center inRehovot orBarzilai Medical Center inAshkelon.
There are public and private clinics operating in the city. A special clinic run byHatzalah operates at times when all other clinics in the city are closed.[40]
Education
In 2013, Ashdod had 500 schools employing 3,500 teachers. The student population was 55,000. The city's education budget was NIS 418 million shekels.[26]
Urban development
Menachem Begin Boulevard
The modern city of Ashdod city was built outside the historic settlement site inRimal Isdud.[41] The development followed a maindevelopment plan.[42] The planners divided the city into seventeen neighborhoods of ten to fifteen thousand people. Wide avenues between the neighborhoods make traffic flow relatively freely inside the city. Each neighborhood has access to its own commercial center,urban park, and health and education infrastructure. The original plan also called for abusiness and administrative center, built in the mid-1990s, when the city population grew rapidly more than doubling in ten years.[25]
Threeindustrial zones were placed adjacent to the port in the northern part of the city, taking into account the prevailing southern winds which takeair pollution away from the city.[42] The plan had its problems, including asymmetric growth of upscale and poorer neighborhoods and the long-time lack of a main business and administrative center.[43]
The city was planned for a maximum of 250,000 inhabitants, and an additional area in the south was reserved for further development.[42]
In 2012, a plan to build an industrial zone on part of theAshdod Sand Dune was approved. The plan calls for a hi-tech industrial park, events halls, and coffee shops to be built adjacent to the train station. It will cover 400 dunams (0.4 km2; 0.2 sq mi), including 130 dunams of built-up space, with the rest of the area being preserved as a nature reserve.[44][45] In addition, thePort of Ashdod is undergoing a massive expansion program.[46]
Ashdod has aMediterranean climate with hot summers, and cool, rainy winters. As a seaside town, the humidity tends to be high frequently and year round, and rain occurs mainly from November to March. In winter, temperatures seldom drop below 5 °C (41 °F) and are more likely to be in the range of 10–15 °C (50–59 °F), while in summer the average is 27 °C (81 °F). The average annual rainfall is 510 mm (20.1 in).
Economy
Port of AshdodAshdod Sea MallRogozin street, Rova Alef — former main "city square" before the rise of Rova HaKiryaBIG Fashion, Ashdod's biggest shopping mall
Ashdod is one of the most important industrial centers in Israel. All industrial activities in the city are located in northern areas such as the port area, the northern industrial zone, and around the Lachish River. Theport of Ashdod is the largest port inIsrael, handling about 60% of Israel's port cargo. It was mainly upgraded in recent years and will be able to provide berths forPanamax ships.[47][48].
Ashdod is located on the historicVia Maris.Highway 4 was developed following this route along the southern sea shore of Israel; it serves as the main connection to the north. The other main road in the area isHighway 41.[citation needed]
Ashdod Ad Halom railway StationAd Halom (Ashdod South) interchange and the railway station
The passenger railway connection to Ashdod opened in 1992[49] after the renovation of the historical railway toEgypt.[50] Ashdod railway station is onIsrael Railways'Binyamina/Netanya –Tel Aviv –Ashkelon line and it is located nearAd Halom Junction. The station was upgraded in 2003[49] when a new terminal building was built. The station building is modern, and proper road access to it was organized on September 23, 2008, when a new road to the station was opened.[51]
There is also heavy freight traffic in the area.Port of Ashdod has its own railwayspur line as well as a special terminal forpotash brought from theSodom area and exported abroad.
A new centralbus station opened in 1996. It serves as theterminus both for inter- and intracity lines. The central bus station is attached to the City Mall.
Ashdod was declared a city in 1968. The AshdodCity Council has twenty-five elected members, one of whom is the mayor. The mayor serves a five-year term and appoints six deputies.
The ACADMAconservatory is a school of music and performance studies based in Ashdod, established in 1966 and operated under the supervision of the Ministry of Education.[56]
Museums
The Corinne MamaneMuseum of Philistine Culture[57] is worldwide the only museum dedicated to this topic. It reopened in 2014 with a new interactive exhibition. The Museum displays significant Philistine artifacts form each of the five cities in the Philistine pentapolis.
The Ashdod Museum of Art, located in the MonArt center (see above at "Music and performing arts"), has 12 galleries and two exhibition halls. In an architectural echo of the Louvre, the entrance to the museum is through a glass pyramid.[58] In 2003 the internal spaces of the museum were redesigned by the architectsEyal Weizman, Rafi Segal andManuel Herz.
^Moshe Dothan, Ashdod VI: The Excavations of Areas H and K (1968–1969) (Iaa Reports) (v. 6), Israel Antiquities Authority, 2005,ISBN978-965-406-178-0
^Moshe Dothan (1990).Ashdod – Seven levels of excavations (in Hebrew). Israel: Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch. p. 91. ULI Sysno. 005093624.
^ab"Introducing Ashdod-Yam: History and Excavations".Ashdod-Yam Archaeological Project, website of. The Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, Institut für Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Universität Leipzig. 2014. Retrieved24 May 2015.
^Reuven Vunsh, Oren Tal and Dorit Sivan (8 August 2013)."Horbat Ashdod-Yam". Hadashot Arkheologiyot.Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved5 April 2015.
^abcdeR.Yaniv (1990).Ashdod. From repatriants settlement to the City (in Hebrew). Israel: Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch. p. 163. ULI Sysno. 005093624.
^abR.Yaniv (1990).Head of the local council and the city (in Hebrew). Israel: Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch. p. 179. ULI Sysno. 005093624.
^Righteous Among the Nations, Norway."Per Faye-Hansen".Yad Vashem The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority. Archived fromthe original on January 29, 2008. RetrievedSeptember 26, 2007.
^J. Herz U. Fogel (1990).New lineation plan to the city of Ashdod (in Hebrew). Israel: Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch. p. 29. ULI Sysno. 005093624.
^Yannai, Bezalel (July 11, 2002)."Sounds from the South". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.Archived from the original on 15 August 2007. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2007.
^Harosh, Yair (4 November 2011)."אשדוד חתמה ברית ערים תאומות עם ז'פורוז'יה" [Ashdod signed a twin city agreement with Zaporizhzhia].Yediot Ahronot. Archived fromthe original on 2013-11-23.ראש עיריית אשדוד, ד"ר יחיאל לסרי: "ז'פורוז'יה היא העיר הראשונה בין מדינות חבר העמים שאשדוד חותמת איתה הסכם, אך לא תהיה האחרונה. אני מעוניין שז'פורוז'יה תהיה מודל לכינון יחסים בין ערים תאומות"
^"Ašdoda (Izraēla)" (in Latvian). Jūrmalas dome.Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. RetrievedNovember 26, 2017.
Rudiger Schmitt, "Ashdod and the Material Remains of Domestic Cults in the Philistine Coastal Plain," in John Bodel and Saul M. Olyan (eds),Household and Family Religion in Antiquity (Malden, MA/Oxford: Blackwell, 2008) (The Ancient World: Comparative Histories), 159–170.
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