'Ashdod' (; , ''Isdud''), located in the
Southern District of
Israel towards the south of the
Israeli Coastal Plain, is a city of over 200,000 people located approximately from
Jerusalem and
Beer Sheba. Incorporated as a city in 1968, with a land-area of approximately 60,000
dunams or . Ashdod is an important regional industrial center. The
Port of Ashdod is Israel's largest port accounting for sixty percent of the country's imported goods. According to the
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Ashdod had a population of 204,400 at the end of 2006 making it the fifth largest city in Israel.
[1]
History
Ancient Ashdod
Ashdod in the early 19th century.
Human settlement in Ashdod dates from the
Paleolithic Age.
[2] Ashdod is mentioned in
Ugaritic documents, the language of the ancient
Canaanites. At the end of the
13th century BCE the
Sea Peoples conquered and destroyed the city. By the beginning of the
12th century BCE the
Philistines, generally thought to have been one of the Sea Peoples, ruled the city. During their reign, the city prospered and was a member of union of five Philistine city states.
[3]
In 950 BCE Ashdod was destroyed during
Pharaoh Siamun's conquest of the region. The city was not rebuilt until at least 815 BCE. Around 715 BCE, it was conquered by
Sargon II[4], who destroyed the city and exiled its residents. Jewish inhabitants of Ashdod were resettled in
Media after their failed attempt against Assyrian dominance. The records indicate that 27,290 Jews were forced to settle in Ecbatana (
Hamadan) and
Susa in South West
Persia.
[5] ''Asdûdu'' led the revolt of Philistines, Judeans, Edomites, and Moabites against Assyria after expelling the king Akhimeti, whom Sargon had installed instead of his brother ''Azuri''.
Gath (''Gimtu'') belonged to the kingdom of Ashdod at that time.
[6]
An
Assyrian general Tartan gained control of Ashdod in 711
[7][8], and forced the "usurper" ''Yamani'' to flee. Mitinti was king at the time of
Sennacherib, and Akhimilki in the reign of
Esarhaddon.
Psammetichus of Egypt is reported to have besieged the great city Azotus for twenty-nine years (Herodotus, ii. 157); the biblical references to ''the remnant of Ashdod'' (Jeremiah 25:20; cf Zephaniah 2:4) are interpreted as an allusion to this event.
The city absorbed another blow in 605 BCE, when
Nebuchadnezzar conquered it. In 539 BCE the city was rebuilt by the Persians, but was conquered in the wars of
Alexander of Macedon.
According to the
Book of Nehemiah, the ''Ashdodites'' seem still to represent the whole nation of the Philistines
[9] in sixth century BCE, the ''speech of Ashdod'' (which the younger generation of the Jews are described as adopting) would simply be the general Philistine dialect.
Winckler explains the use of that name by the fact that Ashdod was the nearest of the Philistine cities to Jerusalem
[10].
The city prospered as Izotus under the
Hellenistic rule, until the
Hasmonean Revolt. During the rebellion
Judas Maccabeus arrived at its gates, but did not conquer it. He left it for his brother
Jonathan, who conquered it in 147 BCE and destroyed the
Temple of
Dagon. According to
Josephus (''
Antiquities of the Jews'' 13:15, volume 4),
Alexander Jannæus possessed it.
Pompey restored its independence by reconstructing its
city walls, though it belonged to the dominion of
Herod and
Salome (''Antiquities...'' 17:18, volume 9), and
Vespasian had to later take it by force.
Despite its location four miles from the coast, both
Ptolemy and Josephus described it as a maritime city. This curious description may refer to Ashdod's control of a separate shore-edge harbor, called ''
Azotus Paraliyus'', or Ashdod Sea (''Antiquities...'' 13:15, volume 4). This place has been compared with the ''Asdudimmu'' mentioned by Sargon, but the comparison is hardly justified. The city's importance continued until the seventh century, when
citadel was built in ''Azotus Paraliyus'' as stronghold against the
Byzantine navy. To the west of the wooded height on which the city stands, traces of the ancient harbour—now known as ''Minet el-Ḳal'a''—can still be seen.
The
Fatimids established shore fortresses and village on the
Tell of Ashdod. The location of the village on
Via Maris enhanced the city's importance during the
Ottoman age. In 1596 CE, the population of Ashdod numbered about 413.
[11] At the beginning of the twentieth century the village was known as ''Esdūd'', with a population of about five thousand, specializing in agriculture and trade.
[12]
Biblical mentions
Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665), French. The Plague of Ashdod, 1630. Oil on canvas, 148 x 198 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris, France, Giraudon/Bridgeman Art Library.
According to the bible, during the
10th century BCE Ashdod became, along with all the kingdom of
Philistia a patronage area of the
Kingdom of Israel under the control of
King David.
[13] Judah's claim upon Ashdod is mentioned in the
Book of Joshua (Joshua 15:46).
In the
Book of Samuel it is mentioned first (I Samuel 6:17) among the principal Philistine cities. After
capturing the
Ark of the covenant from Israelites, the Philistines took it to Ashdod, where it was placed in the temple of
Dagon. The next morning Dagon was found prostrate, bowed down, before it; and on being restored to his place, he was on the following morning again found prostrate and broken. The people of Ashdod were smitten with boils; a plague
[14] of mice was sent over the land (1 Samuel 6:5).
In the
Book of Isaiah an
Assyrian general named Tartan, sent by Sargon, gained control of Ashdod in 711. (Isaiah 20:1)
The capture of the city by King
Uzziah shortly after 815 BCE is mentioned within the text of the
Book of Chronicles (2 Chronicles 26:6) also mentioned in the
Book of Zechariah (Zechariah 9:6) speaking of the false Jews.
Modern times
Ashdod in 1957.
Beach in Ashdod
Neighborhood 15. Mediterranean style buildings.
Immediately before the
1948 Arab-Israeli War, the
Egyptian Army took over Isdud, and the city became the northern-most advancement point of the
Egyptian forces. Egyptian and Israeli forces clashed in the surrounding area, with the Egyptians being halted at the
Ad Halom bridge over the
Lachish River. Israeli forces surrounded the city during
Operation Yoav, and shelled and bombed it from the air.
[15] Fearing encirclement, Egyptian forces retreated on
October 28,
1948 with a majority of the
city's residents.
In
1953, surveyors and designers arrived at the desolate dunes near the mouth of
Lachish River to choose a site to build a new
power station in the south of the country (eventually "
Eshkol A"). Its workers lived in the regional settlements
Rehovot and
Gedera.
On
May 1,
1956, then
finance minister Levi Eshkol approved the establishment of a city of Ashdod. A daughter company of
City-Builders Company Ltd., "Ashdod Company Ltd.", was created for that purpose by the end of the year by Oved Ben-Ami and Philipp Klotznik (USA).
The first settlers, twenty-two families of
immigrants from Morocco arrived in November 1956, and a group of
immigrants from Egypt joined them. In July 1957, the government granted a 40,000 dunam (40 km²) concession, approximately 32 km from Tel Aviv, to the Ashdod Company Ltd., for building the modern city of Ashdod.
The building of the
Eshkol A power station in Ashdod was completed in 1958 and included 3 units: 2 units of 50 MW, and one unit of 45 MW (with the ability of sea water
desalination).
The first
local council was appointed in October 1959.
Dov Gur was appointed on behalf of the
Israeli Ministry of Interior as the first local council head. The
Magistrates' Court in the city was inaugurated in 1963, and, in January 1965, a contract between Ashdod Company and the General Health Maintenance Organization was signed regarding establishment of a hospital with 500 beds on an area of 250 dunams (250,000 m²) -- a hospital which has yet to be established. The building of the
port of Ashdod began in April 1961. The port was inaugurated in November 1963, and was utilized for the first time in November 1965 with the coming of the
Swedish ship "Wiengelgad".
In 1964 the Ponevezher Rov, Rabbi
Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman established the
Ponevezh development, the first
Hareidi neighbourhood in Ashdod. In 1978 a joint
Belz-
Ger estate was established in Neighbourhood 3 (''Rova Gimel''). The Lev Simcha
Talmud Torah in Ashdod is the largest
cheder in Israel. Today, the
Tolna Rebbe,
Pittsburgher Rebbe,
Neshchiz, and
Melitzer Rebbes reside in Ashdod.
The explosive growth of the city began in 1991, with the massive arrival of
immigrants from the
Soviet Union and infrastructure development. From 1990 to 2001 the city accepted more than 100,000 new inhabitants, a 150% growth.
Planned City
The modern city of Ashdod city was built outside of the Ashdod historic sites on virgin sands. The development over the years followed a main
development plan[16]. The planners divided the city into seventeen neighborhoods of ten to fifteen thousand people each. Wide avenues between the neighborhoods make traffic flow relatively freely inside the city. Each neighborhood has easy access to its own commercial center,
urban park, and health and education infrastructure. The plan also called for a
business and administrative center, but this had to wait until the mid-1990s when the city population grew rapidly, more than doubling in ten years.
[17]
Three
industrial zones were placed adjacent to the port in the northern part of the city, taking into account the prevailing southern winds which take
air pollution out of the city. The plan had its problems, however, including asymmetric growth of upscale and poorer neighborhoods and the long-time lack of a main business and administrative center.
The city was planned for a maximum of 250,000 inhabitants, and an additional area in the south was reserved for further development. However, the southern border of the city was proclaimed a national
nature reserve,
Ashdod Nitzanim Sand Dune Park, which makes future city growth problematic, with the last of the seventeen neighborhoods of the development plan now under construction.
Climate
Ashdod has a
mediterranean climate with hot summers, pleasant spring and autumn, and cool, rainy winters. Humidity tends to be high all year round, and rain occurs usually between October to May. In winter, temperatures seldom drop below 5°C and are more likely to be in the region of 10° to 15°C, while in summer the average is 27°C. The average annual rainfall is 510
millimetres.
Economy
Industry
Sea mall main entrance
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. The
port of Ashdod is the largest port in
Israel, handling about sixty percent of Israel's port cargo. It was mainly upgraded in recent years and will be able to provide berths for
Panamax ships.
[20] Various shipping companies offices are also located in the port area which also is home to a
Eshkol A power station and
coal terminal.
The Northern industrial zone is located on
Highway 41 and includes various industry including an
oil refinery, which is one of only two in the country. The heavy industry zone located south of the
Lachish River was once the main industrial center in Ashdod. Recently, however, leisure facilities have moved into the area. There is still some industry here, however, such as a
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries plant, construction components producer
Ashtrom, and
Solbar a
soybean oil producer. Ashdod is also home to
Elta, a part of
Israel Aircraft Industries where
radar equipment,
electronic warfare systems, and
ELINT are developed.
Shopping
Historically each neighborhood of Ashdod had its own commercial center and at different times some of these centers became the main shopping areas of the city such as Rogozin St. during the 1980's. In 1990, however, when the
mall culture developed in Israel, the main commercial activity in Ashdod moved to malls.
The first mall to open in Ashdod was the Forum Center which was built in the industrial zone and was very popular until additional malls were built in the residential neighborhoods. Restaurants, bars and night clubs were opened in the area which is one of the most popular recreation zones in the city. Today, the Forum center is mainly used for offices.
Lev Ashdod Mall was opened in 1993 and soon became the most poular shopping and recreation place among the population of Ashdod. The mall has been extended and upgraded in the years since opening. Lev Ashdod Mall was followed two years later by Ashdod Mall which opened in 1995 and was at the time the biggest mall in the city. Despite this fact, however, it was not successful and is currently being redesigned.
City Mall was opened in a combined building with the central bus station, following the examples of the
Tel Aviv Central Bus Station and the
Jerusalem Central Bus Station. Due to its location in the city center it is highly popular and was upgraded in 2007.
The Sea Mall is a three floor mall which now the largest in the city. It is located in a modern building near the government offices and also has a climbing wall and cinema.
Finally, Star Center is a new mall which has proven to be popular to the extent that it is will double in size in 2007.
Transportation
Roads
Ashdod is located on the historic
Via Maris.
Highway 4 was developed following this route along the southern sea shore of Israel; it serves as the main connection to the north, towards the
Tel Aviv metropolitan area, and to the south, towards
Ashkelon.
Ad Halom junction was planned as the main entrance to the city from the east.
[21] The junction was poorly planned and built, including a grade-level railway crossing less than 100 meters from the intersection with Highway 4 and a dangerous intersection with the nearby railway station's access road, and it currently suffers from heavy
congestion. An
interchange is under construction,
[22] planned to open in 2009. The interchange is intended to continue the
freeway section of Highway 4 further south by removing the traffic light at this junction, and it will also utilize
grade separation with the railway.
The other main road in the area is Highway 41 which served the city from the start of its modern history. This road runs from west to east towards
Gedera and it is the main transport link to the
port of Ashdod and the industrial zones, and connects to Highway 4 with an interchange.
Railroad
Main articles: Ashdod Ad Halom Railway Station
The passenger railroad connection to Ashdod opened in 1992 after the renovation of the historical railway to
Egypt. Ashdod railway station is on
Israel Railways'
Binyamina/
Netanya -
Tel Aviv -
Ashkelon line and it is located near
Ad Halom Junction. The station was upgraded in 2005 when a new terminal building was built. The station is modern and has all the usual facilities, but road access to it is old and clumsy. A new access road is currently under construction.
There is also heavy freight traffic in the area.
Port of Ashdod has its own railway
branch line as well as a special terminal for
potash brought from the
Sodom area and exported abroad.
The central bus station
Buses
The new central
bus station opened in 1996. It serves as the terminus both for inter- and intracity lines. The building also includes a small but popular
shopping mall. The bus lines connect the city with all major population centers in
Israel. These routes are served by
Connex,
Metropoline, and the
Egged Bus Cooperative.
Sea Transport
There is a passenger pier in the
Port of Ashdod. The traffic at this gateway is constantly growing, especially due to
cruise ship activities. The other sea gateway is the newly opened
Blue Marina.
Demographics
Population
| Year | Population |
|---|
| 1961 | 4,600[23] |
| 1972 | 40,300 |
| 1983 | 65,700[24] |
| 1990 | 83,900 |
| 1995 | 125,820 |
| 1996 | 137,100 |
| 2000 | 174,224 |
| 2001 | 187,000 |
| 2003 | 192,200[25] |
| 2006 | 204,400 |
According to the
Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Ashdod had a population of about 204,400 at the end of 2006, making it the fifth 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% of 12th grade students in Ashdod were eligible for matriculation certificates in 2000. The average salary in 2000 was
NIS 4,821 compared to the national average of
NIS 6,835.
Origins
Ashdod, like many Israeli cities, has seen much of its growth as the result of absorption of
immigrants. The first major group to move to the city were Jews of
Moroccan and
Egyptian descent. In the 1960s Ashdod accepted a large number of immigrants from
Romania, followed by a large number from
Georgia and
India in the 1970s. More than 60,000 Jews
immigrated to Ashdod from the former
Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Recent demographic figures suggest that about 32%
[27] of the city's population are new immigrants, 85% of whom are originally from the former Soviet Union.
During the 1990s the city absorbed a large number of Jews of
Ethiopian descent, and in more recent years Ashdod has absorbed a large number of immigrants from
France and
Argentina.
Ashdod also receives a significant amount of internal migration, especially from the
Gush Dan region.
Religion
Over 95% of Ashdod's population is Jewish, over 30% of whom are religiously observant. Despite this, the city is generally secular, although most of the non-Jewish population is a result of mixed marriages. The large
Haredi community of the city live mainly in Neighborhood 7 (Rova Za'in) which is specially dedicated for their needs with
Talmud Torah,
Cheder,
Mikvah and other religious institutions.
Ashdod is home to a wide range of synagogues, catering to the religious diversity of its population. The city is home to the world's largest
[28] Karaite community, about five thousand strong. There is also a
Protestant church, which mostly serves the Scandinavian seamen who arrive at the
port.
Government
City Hall
The Ashdod
City Council has twenty-five elected members, one of whom is the mayor. The mayor serves a five-year term and appoints six deputies. The current mayor of Ashdod,
Zvi Zilker was last elected in 2003 and has been in office continuously since 1989.
[ Local council elections 2003 results. Haaretz (October 29, 2003). ] Within the city council there are various factions representing different population groups, both secular and religious. The headquarters of the Ashdod Municipality and the mayor's office are at city hall. This new municipal building is located in the main culture and business area.
Mayors
★
Robert Hayim was chosen to the council chairmanship in the first municipal elections, in 1961.
★ 1963 -
Avner Garin
★ 1969 -
Zvi Zilker
★ 1983 -
Aryeh Azulay
★ 1989 -
Zvi Zilker
Culture
Music and theatre
Ashdod is home to the Israeli
Andalusian Orchestra which performs music originating in
Andalusia, a blend of Western and Arabic music. The orchestra was awarded the
Israel Prize in 2006.
The ACADMA
conservatory, a professional educational institute for music and peformance studies is based in Ashdod. Operated under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, the institute was established in 1966, and serves as a home for 600 young musicians in different fields. The conservatory is a vivacious and vigorous center of the music and the culture life in the city, and it is involved in the community life and educates a second generation of musicians made in Ashdod.
The MonArt center is a newly opened
performing arts center which has different art schools, studios and events. Theatre and concerts are hosted in several cultural venues; the most important are performed at Yad LaBanim concert hall. The new city concert hall is in its final building stages, and will enlarge capacity to 1600.
Museums and exhibitions
★ The
Korin Maman Museum has a permanent archeology exhibition called "Philistian World" as well as various changing art exhibitions.
[1]
★
Ashdod Art Museum located in the MonArt center, has 13 exhibition halls.
[2]
Sports
Ashdod's
football team,
FC Ashdod represents the city in
Ligat ha'Al, Israel's Premier League. The club is known for its successful soccer school. The city's top basketball team is
Maccabi Ashdod. The men squad plays in
Liga Leumit, Israel's second tier league, and the women squad plays in top division.
Ashdod plays host to many national and international sporting tournaments, including the annual Ashdod International
Chess Festival.
[29] The city has a
cricket team, a rarity in Israel. It is run and organized by citizens of
Indian descent. Like many coastal settlements in Israel, Ashdod's beaches is a venue for water sport, like as
windsurfing,
yachting, and
SCUBA diving operating in the
Marina area.
Ashdod has produced a number of famous sportsmen:
★
Haim Revivo - international soccer player
★
Alon Hazan - international soccer player
★
Vered Borochovsky - 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics swimmer.
★
Gocha Tzitziashvili - 2004 Summer Olympics wrestler
Sister cities
★
Bordeaux,
France
★
Bahia Blanca,
Argentina
★
Spandau,
Germany
★
Tampa, Florida,
USA
References
1. TABLE 3. - POPULATION(1) OF LOCALITIES NUMBERING ABOVE 1,000 RESIDENTS
2. Ashdod - Seven levels of excavations, M. Dotan, , , SPNI Ashdod branch, 1990,
3. The Philistines, B.Frenkel, , , SPNI Ashdod branch, 1990,
4. Judah under Assyrian Hegemony: A Reexamination of Imperialism and Religion, Mordechai Cogan, , , Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 112, No. 3, 1993,
5. A brief history of Iranian Jews Massoume Price
6. Yamani stronghold in Ashdod-Sea, J. Kaplan, , , SPNI Ashdod branch, 1990,
7. Isaiah 20:1
8. Philistia under Assyrian Rule, H. Tadmor, , , The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 29, No. 3, 1966,
9. at 4:1, 13:23, etc.
10. Geschichte Israels (1898), H. Wilckner, , , , 1898,
11. A. Petersen, The Towns of Palestine under Muslim Rule AD 600-1600. (BAR International Series 1381, 2005), p133.
12. Wellcome to Isdud
13.
14. Plague in Ashdod. Art and Images in Psychiatry, , , , Archives of General Psychiatry, Vol. 63, No. 3, 2006,
15. Battle Sites in the Land of Israel, Carta Jerusalem, , , Carta, 2003,
16. Development Plan for city of Ashdod
17. Data of population in the city of Ashdod
18. Monthly Average of Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperature
19. Precipitation
20. Ashdod Port Development, Israel port-technology.com
21. New lineation plan to the city of Ashdod, J. Herz U. Fogel, , , SPNI Ashdod branch, 1990,
22. Press release Dec 2005
23. Israel in Figures, Population
24. The districts of Israel and all Israeli cities of more than 20,000 inhabitants
25. Latest Population Figures for Israel
26. TABLE 3. - POPULATION(1) OF LOCALITIES NUMBERING ABOVE 1,000 RESIDENTS
27. Absorption and immigration
28. 7 Stages of the beginning of Judaism
29. Ashdod International Chess festival
External links
★
Ashdod official website
★
Ashdod Port official website
★
Ashdod Local News (in Hebrew)
★
Ashdod City Promo Video (Hebrew)
★
Ashdod Image Gallery
★
From Isdud to Ashdod: One man's immigrant dream; another's refugee nightmare
★
The Israeli Andalusit Orchestra
★
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