Ashkelon

Ashkelon

A gateway to the Mediterranean

Ashkelon was a major Canaanite and Philistine port, and its mound has yielded some of the best-known finds of that era, including an early arched gate, a silver calf figurine, and a Philistine cemetery. The city later passed through Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader hands, and Saladin ordered its walls destroyed in 1191. Today the national park on the beach holds the ruins along with the remains of a Roman council house and columns, and the modern city lies just north.

Glossary: Ashkelon