Ashkelon National Park
Ashkelon is a coastal city in southern Israel, located on on the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in the Holy Land, with a history dating back several millennia. Today, tel Ashkelon National Park a great destination to immerse yourself in the history of the Holy Land, and in the Mediterranean’s water at its beautiful beach.
History of Ashkelon
Settled as early as the Neolithic period, about 8,000 years ago byt the Canaanite times, Ashkelon was a thriving seaport with remarkable fortifications. In the 12th century BCE, the Philistines settled in Ashkelon, making it one of their five main cities (pentapolis). Persians, Romans, Byzantines, and Muslims later inhabited the city as well.
Male Infanticide in Byzantine Ashkelon
Archaeologists excavating a Byzantine-era bath house in Ashkelon uncovered skeletal remains of about 100 newborns, primarily males. This unique discovery suggests infanticides of a local brothel operating in the city’s bath house.
In 1099 AD, the Crusaders defeated the Muslims in a battle near Ashkelon but failed to conquer the city itself. In response, they formed a chain of strongholds around the city to protect Jerusalem’s region from a Muslim assault. In the following two centuries, the town changed hands several times until 1270AD when the Mamluk Sultan Baybars ordered the city’s destruction. Later Ashkelon was barely inhabited.
Lady Hester Stanhope is the first recorded archaeologist to dig in Ashklon. In 1812 her team unearthed a large-scale marble sculpture of Zeus. Several archaeological expeditions excavated the site in the following years, uncovering a wealth of finds from different periods.
Touring Ashkelon National Park
Ashkelon is a 45 minutes drive from Tel Aviv. Its national park covers an area of 150 acres, framed by its walls, which both the Canaanites and the Crusaders used. At its northern end, the medieval fortification covered a 4,000 year-old-gate. Dating to the Canaanite period, it is one of the oldest arched structures in the world, second only to the arched gate in Tel Dan. Walking through the gate, the path continues along sandstone cliffs towering above the Mediterranean coastline. The walk provides stunning panoramas of the sea, the golden-colored sandy beach, and the archaeological site.
A display of Roman-era sculptures is set at the partially restored Roman Basilica located between lawns and playgrounds designed for public recreational activity. Several Ottoman-era wells with camel-operated pumps are also scattered throughout the site. At the site’s exit, the foundations of a medieval church can be seen, built into the old city’s walls.
Outside the National Park, in the Barne’a neighborhood, the remains of a Byzantine church can be seen. At Afridar Center, is an exhibition of local antiquities includes a remarkable Roman marble sarcophagus with detailed reliefs of battles and mythological themes. Muslim Shi’ites venerate a site on the grounds of the local Barzilai hospital as the burial place of Muhammad’s grandson head – Hussein ibn Ali.
A tour of Ashkelon can be combined with a day tour of sites around the Gaza Strip.
