Editing Ashdod

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{{about|the modern city|the ancient city|Ashdod (ancient city)||Ashdod (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Ashdod
| native_name        = {{native name|he|אשדוד|italics=off}}<br />{{native name|ar|أسدود|italics=off}}
| settlement_type    = [[List of cities in Israel|City]]
| translit_lang1     = Hebrew
| translit_lang1_type1 = [[ISO 259]]
| translit_lang1_info1 = ʔašdod
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image | border = infobox | | perrow = 1/2/2/ | total_width = 300 | align = center
| image1 = פארק ואגם המרינה לקראת סוף עבודות הבנייה, מרץ 2024.jpg 03.jpg
| caption1 = Ashdod skyline
| image2 = כיכר המפרשים באשדוד, דצמבר 2023 03.jpg
| caption2 = Sails Square
| image3 = PhilistineCultureMuseum.JPG
| caption3 = [[Museum of Philistine Culture]]
| image4 = מוזיאון_אשדוד_לאמנות,_דצמבר_2023_06.jpg
| caption4 = [[Ashdod Museum of Art]]
| image5 = מצודת אשדוד-ים בערב, ספטמבר 2022.jpg
| caption5 = [[Ashdod-Yam]]
}}
| imagesize          = 280px
| image_flag         = Flag of Ashdod.svg
| image_blank_emblem = [[File:City of Ashdod, Israel — 60th anniversary logo with COA — colorful.svg|60px]]
| blank_emblem_type  = Coat of arms
| pushpin_map_alt    = 
| pushpin_map        = Israel ashkelon#Israel
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|31|48|0|N|34|39|0|E|region:IL|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{ISR}}
| subdivision_type1  = 
| subdivision_name1  = 
| subdivision_type2  = [[Districts of Israel|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern]]
| subdivision_type3  = Subdistrict
| subdivision_name3  = [[Ashkelon Subdistrict|Ashkelon]]
| established_title  = Founded
| established_date   = 1956 <small> (Israeli city)</small>
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–council]]
| governing_body     = Municipality of Ashdod
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = [[Yehiel Lasri]]
| unit_pref          = dunam
| area_total_dunam   = {{formatnum:47242|R}}
| population_footnotes = {{Israel populations|reference}}
| population_total   = {{Israel populations|Ashdod}}
| population_as_of   = 2022
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = Ashdodian
| timezone1          = [[Israel Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1        = +2
| timezone1_DST      = [[Israel Summer Time|IDT]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +3
| website            = [https://web.archive.org/web/20060407053527/http://www.ashdod.muni.il/ www.ashdod.muni.il]
}}
'''Ashdod''' ({{langx|he|אשדוד|ʾašdōḏ}}, {{IPA|he|ʔaʃˈdod|pron|Ashdod.ogg}}; {{langx|ar|أسدود|ʾasdūd}}, {{IPA|ar|ʔasˈduːd|pron}}, or {{langx|ar|إسدود|ʾisdūd|label=none}} {{IPA|ar|ʔɪsˈduːd|}}; [[Philistine language|Philistine]]: {{script/Phoenician|𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃}}, <small>romanized:</small> *''ʾašdūd'') is the [[List of Israeli cities|sixth-largest city]] in [[Israel]]. Located in the country's [[Southern District (Israel)|Southern District]], it lies on the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] [[Israeli coastal plain|coast]] {{convert|32|km|mi|abbr=off}} south of Tel Aviv and {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of [[Ashkelon]]. [[Port of Ashdod|Ashdod's port]] is the largest in Israel, handling 60% of the country's imported goods.

Ashdod has a history spanning approximately 3,700 years.<ref>{{cite book |author=B.Frenkel |title=The Philistines |publisher=Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch |year=1990 |location=Israel |page=119 |language=he |id=ULI Sysno. 005093624}}</ref> In ancient times, Ashdod developed as an active maritime trade center, with its ports identified at [[Ashdod-Yam]] and Tel Mor. The remains of the ancient city and later settlements are located at [[Ashdod (ancient city)|Tel Ashdod]]. In [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|biblical times]], it was one of the five principal cities of the [[Philistines]]. The city's name was later preserved in the Arab town of [[Isdud]], which was depopulated during the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]].

Modern Ashdod was established in 1956 on the sand hills, 6 kilometers northwest of the ancient site.<ref>{{cite book |author=Karṭa (Firm) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jxtGwWDXo-AC |title=Carta's Official Guide to Israel: And Complete Gazetteer to All Sites in the Holy Land |publisher=State of Israel, Ministry of Defence Publishing House |year=1983 |isbn=978-965-220-047-1 |page=81 |quote=Tel Ashdod... Ancient tel, 7 km S. of modern Ashdod within abandoned Arab village of Isdud ... |access-date=2022-12-22}}</ref> It was incorporated as a city in 1968, with a land-area of approximately {{convert|60|km2|sqmi}}. Being a [[Planned community|planned city]], expansion followed a main [[development plan]], which facilitated traffic and prevented [[air pollution]] in the residential areas, despite population growth. Alongside the port, the city hosts additional national infrastructure, making it an important industrial center. Dr. [[Yehiel Lasri]] has been the mayor of Ashdod since 2008. The city is a member of the Forum of 15 cities.

Since its establishment, Ashdod has absorbed extensive Jewish immigration from around the world, resulting in one of the highest percentages of new immigrants in Israel. The city is home to the largest [[Moroccan Jewish|Moroccan]] and [[Karaite Jewish]] communities in Israel,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://archive.moia.gov.il/Hebrew/Subjects/ImmigrantAbsorption/Documents/OlimByTown_2011.pdf |title=OlimByTown 2011 |access-date=2019-05-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223234240/http://archive.moia.gov.il/Hebrew/Subjects/ImmigrantAbsorption/Documents/OlimByTown_2011.pdf |archive-date=2019-12-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=קהילת אשדוד - היהדות הקראית העולמית|url=http://www.karaite.org.il/community/Ashdod|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016070525/http://www.karaite.org.il/community/Ashdod|archive-date=2017-10-16|access-date=2017-10-16|website=www.karaite.org.il}}</ref> and to the largest [[History of the Jews in Georgia|Georgian Jewish]] community in the world.<ref>[http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3688063,00.html The chess queen was hosted in Ashdod] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016070439/http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3688063,00.html |date=2017-10-16 }} mynet, 19.03.09</ref>  According to the [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]], Ashdod had a population of {{Israel populations|Ashdod}} in {{Israel populations|Year}},{{Israel populations|reference}} with an area of {{convert|47242|dunam|km2 sqmi}}.<ref name="profile">{{cite web |title=Local Authorities in Israel 2005, Publication #1295 – Municipality Profiles – Ashdod |url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2005/pdf/108_0070.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529073224/http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/local_authorities2005/pdf/108_0070.pdf |archive-date=2008-05-29 |access-date=April 14, 2008 |publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |language=he}}</ref> 

==History==
===Stone Age===
Three stone tools dating from the [[Neolithic era]] were discovered, but no other evidence of a [[Stone Age]] settlement in Ashdod was found, suggesting that the tools were deposited there in a later period.<ref name="Ashdod VI">Moshe Dothan, Ashdod VI: The Excavations of Areas H and K (1968–1969) (Iaa Reports) (v. 6), Israel Antiquities Authority, 2005, {{ISBN|978-965-406-178-0}}</ref>

===Historical Ashdod and Ashdod-Yam===
{{main|Ashdod (ancient city)|Ashdod-Yam}}
[[File:Madaba map Mediterranean hinterland 1355 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The [[Madaba Map]], showing the two cities of ΑϹΔⲰ... / ASDŌ... / Asdod ([[Isdud|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 prominent [[Philistines|Philistine]] city, one of the [[Philistia|five Philistine city-states]]. The coastal site of [[Ashdod-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 fortified [[Canaan|Canaanite]] city.<ref name="Excavation">{{cite book |author=Moshe Dothan |title=Ashdod – Seven levels of excavations |publisher=Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch |year=1990 |location=Israel |page=91 |language=he |id=ULI Sysno. 005093624}}</ref> It was destroyed at the [[Bronze Age Collapse|end of the Late Bronze Age]].

During the [[Iron Age]], it was a prominent [[Philistines|Philistine]] city, one of the [[Philistia|five Philistine city-states]]. It is mentioned 13 times in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. After being captured by [[Uzziah]], it was briefly ruled by the [[Kingdom of Judah]] before it was taken by the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrians]]. During the [[Yehud (Persian province)|Persian period]], [[Nehemiah]] condemned the returning Jews for intermarrying Ashdod's residents. Under [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic rule]], the city was known as ''Azotus''. It was later incorporated into the [[Hasmonean dynasty|Hasmonean kingdom]]. During&nbsp;the 1st century BCE, [[Pompey]] removed the city from Judean rule and annexed it to the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] [[Roman Syria|province of Syria]]. Ashdod was a [[Diocese|bishopric]] under [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine rule]], but its importance gradually slipped and by the [[Middle Ages]] it was a village.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ashdod {{!}} Israel {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Ashdod |access-date=2022-06-25 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> 

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.<ref name=home>{{cite web|url=http://www.ashdod-yam-archaeological-excavations.com/#!copy-of-introducing-ashdod-yam/c1qx3 |title=Introducing Ashdod-Yam: History and Excavations |work=Ashdod-Yam Archaeological Project, website of |publisher=The Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University, Institut für Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft Universität Leipzig |date=2014 |accessdate=24 May 2015 }}</ref> 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 the [[Council of Jerusalem (536)|council of Jerusalem in 536]] seem to have resided in Azotos Paralios rather than in Azotos Mesogeios.<ref name=home/><ref name=Madaba97>{{cite web |url=http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/097discuss.html |title=Azotus Paralus - (Ashdod, al-Minah) |work=A virtual travel through the Madaba Map |publisher=Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, Jerusalem |date=2000 |accessdate=24 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307195904/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/discussion/097discuss.html |archive-date=7 March 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The prominence of Hellenised, then Christian Azotus continued until the 7th century, when it came under [[Muslim]] rule. The city was represented at the [[Council of Chalcedon]] by Heraclius of Azotus. A [[Coastal defence and fortification|coastal fort]] "[[Kal'at Al Mina|Minat al-Qal'a]]" (lit. "the port with the castle" in [[Arabic]]) was erected by the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad Caliph]] [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan|Abd al-Malik]], the builder of the [[Dome of the Rock]], at or near the former Azotus Paralios,<ref name=hadashot125>{{cite web |url=http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=2294 |title=Horbat Ashdod-Yam |author=Reuven Vunsh, Oren Tal and Dorit Sivan |publisher=Hadashot Arkheologiyot |volume=125 |date=8 August 2013 |access-date=5 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412193618/http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=2294 |archive-date=12 April 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> which was later reconstructed by the Fatimids and Crusaders.<ref name=Petersen>{{Cite book
| last = Petersen | first = Andrew
| title= The Towns of Palestine under Muslim Rule AD 600–1600
| url = https://archive.org/details/TheTownsOfPalestineUnderUnderMuslimRule/mode/1up
| pages = 85–86
| series = BAR International Series 1381 | year = 2005
| isbn = 978-1-84171-821-7
| place = Oxford
| publisher= British Archaeological Reports Publishing
}}</ref> The port city stops being mentioned during the [[Ayyubid dynasty|Ayyubid]] and [[Mamluk Sultanate|Mamluk]] periods, making it likely that it was destroyed due to fears that they might again be used by Crusader invasions from the sea.<ref name=Petersen/>

===Isdud before 1948===
Isdud was to be part of the Arab Palestinian state according to the [[United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine]], but Egyptians defending Isdud withdrew in late 1948, causing most of Isdud's roughly 5,000 residents to flee.<ref name=zochrot>{{Cite web |url=https://www.zochrot.org/en/village/48983 |title=Zochrot - Isdud |access-date=2018-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428035410/http://zochrot.org/en/village/48983 |archive-date=2018-04-28 |url-status=live }}</ref> The 300 townspeople who remained were driven southwards by the [[Israel Defense Forces]].<ref name=imemc>{{cite web |publisher=International Middle East media Center|title=From Isdud to Ashdod: One man's immigrant dream; another's refugee nightmare|date=April 13, 2006 |url=http://www.imemc.org/article/18022|access-date=September 21, 2007 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220630/http://www.imemc.org/article/18022| archive-date= 26 September 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref name=morris>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uM_kFX6edX8C |first=B. |last=Morris |author-link=Benny Morris |year=2004 |title=The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited |isbn=978-0-521-00967-6 |publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=471 }}</ref>

Excavations at Tel Mor ([[Arab Suqrir]]) revealed traces of Late Ottoman [[infant]] [[Jar burial|jar-burials]], commonly associated with [[Nomad|nomads]] or [[Itinerant groups in Europe|itinerant workers]] of [[Egyptians|Egyptian]] origins.<ref name=":02">Taxel, Y., [[Roy Marom|Marom, R]]., & Nagar, Y. (2025). [https://www.academia.edu/129069336/An_Infant_Jar_Burial_from_Zarn%C5%ABqa_Muslim_Funerary_Practices_and_An_Infant_Jar_Burial_from_Zarn_qa_Muslim_Funerary_Practices_and_Migrant_Communities_in_Late_Ottoman_Palestine_Migrant_Communities_in_Late_Ottoman_Palestine An Infant Jar Burial from Zarnūqa: Muslim Funerary Practices and Migrant Communities in Late Ottoman Palestine]. ''<nowiki/>'Atiqot'', 117, 269–293.</ref>

===Foundation of modern Ashdod===
{{multiple image
| image1            = 11-13-Ashdod-1960.jpg
| image2            = Modern Ashdod versus historical Isdud (Esdud) and Minet el Kulah.png
| caption1          = Ashdod in 1960. Historical [[Isdud]] is south of the mapped area, shown [[:File:1011-12-Nizanim-1958.jpg|on the adjacent map here]]
| caption2          = Isdud (Esdud) in 1870 overlaid with the outline of modern Ashdod
| align             = right
| footer            = Maps comparing the location of historical [[Isdud]] (Esdud) and [[Minat al-Qal'a|Minet 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, then [[Finance Minister of Israel|finance minister]] [[Levi 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 by [[Oved Ben-Ami]] and [[Philip Klutznick]].
The first settlers, 22 families from [[Morocco]], arrived in November 1956, followed by a small influx of immigrants from [[Egypt]].<ref name="ashdod on offer">{{cite web |last=Davis |first=Barry |url=http://www.jpost.com/Travel/Around-Israel/Ashdod-on-offer |title=Ashdod on offer &#124; JPost &#124; Israel News |date=7 November 2012 |publisher=JPost |access-date=2013-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020071043/http://www.jpost.com/Travel/Around-Israel/Ashdod-on-offer |archive-date=2013-10-20 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ModernT">{{cite book|title=Ashdod. From repatriants settlement to the City|page=163|language=he|author=R.Yaniv|publisher=Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch|location=Israel|year=1990|id=ULI Sysno. 005093624 }}</ref>
[[File:Ma'abara of Ashdod-Yam, 1957.jpg|thumb|Ashdod in 1957]]
In July 1957, the government granted a {{convert|24|km2|0|abbr=off}}, approximately {{convert|32|km|mi}} from Tel Aviv, to the Ashdod Company Ltd., for building the modern city of Ashdod.<ref name="ModernT"/> The building of the [[Eshkol Power Station|Eshkol A]] power station in Ashdod was completed in 1958 and included 3 units: 2 units of 50&nbsp;megawatt, and one unit of 45&nbsp;megawatt (with [[Seawater|sea water]] [[desalination]] 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1960/08/08/archive/rogosin-plant-in-israel-to-start-production-of-nylon-yarn-today|title=Rogosin Plant in Israel to Start Production of Nylon Yarn Today|date=August 8, 1960|access-date=March 2, 2020|archive-date=March 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302002013/https://www.jta.org/1960/08/08/archive/rogosin-plant-in-israel-to-start-production-of-nylon-yarn-today|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/04/29/archives/israel-rogosin-is-dead-ag-85-texgile-man-and-philanthropist.html|title=Israel Rogosin Is Dead at 85; Textile Man and Philanthropist|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 29, 1971|access-date=March 2, 2020|archive-date=March 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302002908/https://www.nytimes.com/1971/04/29/archives/israel-rogosin-is-dead-ag-85-texgile-man-and-philanthropist.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Three of the high schools he funded were also built in Ashdod.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1968/02/15/archive/israel-rogosin-dedicates-three-new-schools-in-ashdod|title=Israel Rogosin Dedicates Three New Schools in Ashdod|date=February 15, 1968|access-date=March 2, 2020|archive-date=March 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200302002906/https://www.jta.org/1968/02/15/archive/israel-rogosin-dedicates-three-new-schools-in-ashdod|url-status=live}}</ref> The Main boulevard in Ashdod is named in his honour as a founder of the city.

The first [[local council (Israel)|local council]] was appointed in October 1959. Dov Gur was appointed the first local council head on behalf of the [[Ministry of Interior (Israel)|Israeli Ministry of Interior]].<ref name="Majors">{{cite book|title=Head of the local council and the city|page=179|language=he|author=R.Yaniv|publisher=Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch|location=Israel|year=1990|id=ULI Sysno. 005093624 }}</ref> In 1961, Ashdod was a town of 4,600. The [[Israeli judicial system#Magistrate courts|Magistrates' Court]] in the city was inaugurated in 1963. The building of the [[port of Ashdod]] began in April 1961. The port was inaugurated in November 1963, and was first utilized in November 1965, with the coming of the [[Sweden|Swedish]] ship "Wiengelgad".<ref name="ModernT"/> 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 of [[Aliyah|immigrants]] from the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Ethiopia]] and infrastructure development. From 1990 to 2001 the city accepted more than 100,000 new inhabitants, a 150% growth.<ref name="Landver Data">{{cite web|publisher=The Center for Research and Information, [[Knesset]]|title=Data of population in the city of Ashdod|date=April 17, 2001|url=https://www.knesset.gov.il/mmm/data/docs/m00121.rtf|format=Word|access-date=September 21, 2007|language=he|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927215208/https://www.knesset.gov.il/mmm/data/docs/m00121.rtf|archive-date=27 September 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="jpost1">{{cite web |last=Ziri |first=Danielle |url=http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=305715 |title=Six cities across the country win 2012 education prize |date=17 February 2013 |publisher=Jpost.com |access-date=2013-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507164922/http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=305715 |archive-date=2013-05-07 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Urban development ==
{{Historical populations
|title=Historical population
|type = Israel
|footnote =
|1961|4600
|1972|40300
|1983|65700
|1995|129800
|2008|204300
|2016|221591
}}
[[File:Menachem Begin boulevard tunnel in Ashdod.jpg|thumb|Menachem Begin Boulevard]]
The modern city of Ashdod city was built outside the historic settlement site in [[Rimal Isdud]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Marom |first=Roy |author-link=Roy Marom |last2=Fantalkin |first2=Alexander |date=2025 |title=Vines Among the dunes: sand/dune agriculture in Rimāl Isdūd/Ashdod-Yam during the Late Ottoman and British Mandate periods |url=https://www.academia.edu/128219356/Vines_Among_the_dunes_sand_dune_agriculture_in_Rim%C4%81l_Isd%C5%ABd_Ashdod_Yam_during_the_Late_Ottoman_and_British_Mandate_periods |journal=Contemporary Levant}}</ref> The development followed a main [[development plan]].<ref name="city plan">{{cite web |publisher=The Society of Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch|title=Development Plan for city of Ashdod|year=2000 |url=http://www.geocities.com/parkholot3/mitaar.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128094323/http://www.geocities.com/parkholot3/mitaar.pdf |archive-date=November 28, 2007|language=he}}</ref> 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 a [[central business district|business and administrative center]], built in the mid-1990s, when the city population grew rapidly more than doubling in ten years.<ref name="Landver Data"/>

Three [[industrial district|industrial zone]]s were placed adjacent to the port in the northern part of the city, taking into account the prevailing southern winds which take [[air pollution]] away from the city.<ref name="city plan"/> 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.<ref name="cityplan lect">{{cite book|title=New lineation plan to the city of Ashdod|page=29|language=he|author=J. Herz U. Fogel|publisher=Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, Ashdod branch|location=Israel|year=1990|id=ULI Sysno. 005093624 }}</ref>

The city was planned for a maximum of 250,000 inhabitants, and an additional area in the south was reserved for further development.<ref name="city plan"/>

In 2012, a plan to build an industrial zone on part of the [[Ashdod 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 {{convert|400|dunam|km2 sqmi|1}}, including 130 dunams of built-up space, with the rest of the area being preserved as a nature reserve.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rinat |first=Zafrir |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-greens-up-in-arms-over-building-plans-on-last-stretch-of-major-sand-dunes.premium-1.485488 |title=Israeli greens up in arms over building plans on last stretch of major sand dunes Israel News &#124; Haaretz Daily Newspaper |publisher=Haaretz.com |access-date=2013-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421020454/http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/israeli-greens-up-in-arms-over-building-plans-on-last-stretch-of-major-sand-dunes.premium-1.485488 |archive-date=2013-04-21 |url-status=live |newspaper=Haaretz |date=2012-12-18 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rinat |first=Zafrir |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/high-tech-and-banquets-creep-into-israel-s-last-surviving-dunes-1.449173 |title=High-tech and banquets creep into Israel's last surviving dunes Israel News &#124; Haaretz Daily Newspaper |publisher=Haaretz.com |date=2012-07-06 |access-date=2013-03-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130421020345/http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/high-tech-and-banquets-creep-into-israel-s-last-surviving-dunes-1.449173 |archive-date=2013-04-21 |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition, the [[Port of Ashdod]] is undergoing a massive expansion program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dhvgroup.com/Projects/2011/Ashdod-port-expansion,-Israel?ui=/Markets/Water |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130121100523/http://www.dhvgroup.com/Projects/2011/Ashdod-port-expansion,-Israel?ui=/Markets/Water |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-21 |title=Royal HaskoningDHV - Consultants, Project Managers and Engineers |publisher=Dhvgroup.com |access-date=2013-03-12 }}</ref>

==Geography==
The [[Ashdod Sand Dune|Ashdod-Nitzanim sand dune nature reserve]] is a {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=off|sp=us|adj=on}} stretch of sand dunes on the southern outskirts of Ashdod.

== Climate ==
Ashdod has a [[Mediterranean climate]] with hot summers, and cool, rainy winters. As a seaside town, the humidity tends to be high many times year round, and rain occurs mainly from November to March. In winter, temperatures seldom drop below {{convert|5|C|0}} and are more likely to be in the range of {{convert|10|-|15|C|F|0}}, while in summer the average is {{convert|27|C|0|abbr=on}}. The average annual rainfall is {{convert|510.|mm|abbr=on}}.

== Economy ==
[[File:Ashdod Port Aerial View.jpg|thumb|[[Port of Ashdod]]]]
[[File:Friendly Sea Mall in Ashdod, October 2023.jpg|thumb|Ashdod Sea Mall]]
[[File:Rogozin street, Ashdod, October 2023.jpg|thumb|Rogozin street, Rova Alef — former main "city square" before the rise of Rova HaKirya]]
[[File:BIG Fashion Ashdod, 2020.jpg|thumb|BIG 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. The [[port of Ashdod]] is the largest port in [[Israel]], handling about 60% of Israel's port cargo. It was mainly upgraded in recent years and will be able to provide berths for [[Panamax]] ships.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.port-technology.com/projects/ashdod/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123104544/http://www.port-technology.com/projects/ashdod/|archive-date=November 23, 2007
|title=Ashdod Port Development, Israel
|publisher=Port Technology
|access-date=September 20, 2007}}
</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.israports.org.il/dev/yovel.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227022828/http://www.israports.org.il/dev/yovel.asp |archive-date=December 27, 2007 |title=Eitan Port – A NIS 3 Billion Project Among Israel's Largest Infrastructure Projects |publisher=Ports and Railways Authority |access-date=September 20, 2007 }}</ref> Various shipping companies offices are also located in the port area which also is home to an [[Eshkol Power Station|Eshkol A]] power station and [[coal]] terminal.

The Northern industrial zone is located on [[Highway 41 (Israel)|Highway 41]] and includes various industry including an [[Ashdod Oil Refineries|oil refinery]], which is one of only two in the country. The [[heavy industry]] zone located south of the [[Lakhish River|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|soybean oil]] producer. Ashdod is also home to [[Elta Systems|Elta]], a part of [[Israel Aerospace Industries|Israel Aircraft Industries]] where [[radar]] equipment, [[electronic warfare]] systems, and [[Signals intelligence|ELINT]] are developed.

==Retail and entertainment==
[[File:Ashdod 2005, rooftop view p2.JPG|thumb|Ashdod from above]]

Historically each neighborhood of Ashdod had its own commercial center. In 1990, however, when the [[shopping mall|mall]] shopping culture developed in Israel, the main commercial activity in Ashdod moved to malls. The first mall to open in Ashdod was the Forum Center in the industrial zone. Restaurants, bars and [[Nightclub|night clubs]] were opened in the area. Today, the Forum center is mainly used for offices. Lev Ashdod Mall, which opened in 1993, has been enlarged and upgraded since then.<ref>{{cite web|last=kenyonim.com|title=Lev Ashdod Mall|url=http://www.kenyonim.com/mall.asp?mid=11|language=he|access-date=2007-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031073657/http://www.kenyonim.com/mall.asp?mid=11|archive-date=2007-10-31|url-status=live}}</ref> Ashdod Mall, billed at the time as the city's largest shopping mall, has also been redesigned since its opening in 1995.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ashdod News |title=Ashdod Mall closed its gates |date=December 1, 2005 |url=http://www.ashdodnews.co.il/economic_p2.asp?page_id=107&page_id_2=4286 |access-date=September 29, 2007 |language=he |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721135036/http://www.ashdodnews.co.il/economic_p2.asp?page_id=107&page_id_2=4286 |archive-date=July 21, 2011 }}</ref> [[City Mall, Ashdod]] was opened in a combined building with the central bus station in 1996,<ref>{{cite web|last=kenyonim.com|title=City Mall, Ashdod|url=http://www.kenyonim.com/mall.asp?mid=58|language=he|access-date=2007-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071101080343/http://www.kenyonim.com/mall.asp?mid=58|archive-date=2007-11-01|url-status=live}}</ref> following the examples of the [[Tel Aviv Central Bus Station]] and the [[Jerusalem Central Bus Station]]. The Sea Mall, a three-story mall near the government offices, has a climbing wall and [[movie theater]]. Star Center doubled in size in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Debby Communications Ltd|title=Filgar broaden Star Center cite in Ashdod|year=2006 |url=http://www.debby.co.il/uploads/%D7%97%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%AA%20%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%92%D7%A8%20%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%99%D7%91%D7%94%20%D7%90%D7%AA%20%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%97%D7%9D%20%D7%94%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%90%D7%A8%20%D7%A1%D7%A0%D7%98%D7%A8%20%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%93%D7%95%D7%93.doc |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025092900/http://www.debby.co.il/uploads/%D7%97%D7%91%D7%A8%D7%AA%20%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%92%D7%A8%20%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%97%D7%99%D7%91%D7%94%20%D7%90%D7%AA%20%D7%9E%D7%AA%D7%97%D7%9D%20%D7%94%D7%A1%D7%98%D7%90%D7%A8%20%D7%A1%D7%A0%D7%98%D7%A8%20%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A9%D7%93%D7%95%D7%93.doc |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2007 |format=Word|access-date=September 25, 2007|language=he}}</ref>

==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.<ref name="jpost1"/>

Lycée français Guivat-Washington, a French international high school, is in [[Givat Washington]], in proximity to Ashdod.<ref>"[http://www.washington.ac.il/francaise/ La maison]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20151017033831/http://www.washington.ac.il/francaise/ Archive]). Lycée français Guivat-Washington. Retrieved on September 17, 2015. "L 'Oulpena Francaise se trouve dans le campus de Guivat Washington, a un quart d`heure d`Ashdod"</ref>

==Healthcare==
[[File:AshdodAssutaMC.jpg|thumb|[[Assuta Ashdod Medical Center]]]]

[[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 with [[Ben-Gurion University of the Negev]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.friendsofassutaashdod.org|title=Friends of Assuta Ashdod|website=www.friendsofassutaashdod.org|access-date=2019-05-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181204052145/http://www.friendsofassutaashdod.org/|archive-date=2018-12-04|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 to [[Kaplan Medical Center]] in [[Rehovot]] or [[Barzilai Medical Center]] in [[Ashkelon]].

There are public and private clinics operating in the city. A special clinic run by [[Hatzalah]] operates at times when all other clinics in the city are closed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hatzolahdarom.org/clinic.html |title=Hatzolah Darom - Emergency Response of Southern Israel - the Ashdod Clinic |access-date=2017-04-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170212011453/http://hatzolahdarom.org/clinic.html |archive-date=2017-02-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Transportation ==
[[File:Central Station of Ashdod.jpg |thumb|Ashdod central bus station]]
[[File:Ashdod marina.JPG|thumb|[[Ashdod Marina]]]]

=== Road ===
[[File:Bus lanes in Ashdod.jpg|thumb|Bus lanes in Herzl boulevard, Rova HaKirya]]
Ashdod is located on the historic [[Via Maris]]. [[Highway 4 (Israel)|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 [[Gush Dan|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.<ref name="cityplan lect"/>

[[Ashdod Interchange]] was opened in 2009.<ref name="AD Interchange">{{cite web|url=http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3721041,00.html|title=Ad Halom interchange was opened|date=May 26, 2009|publisher=MYnet|access-date=August 21, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090609115859/http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3721041,00.html|archive-date=June 9, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The interchange continues the [[freeway]] section of Highway 4 further south, by removing the traffic light at this junction, and also added [[grade separation]] with the railway.<ref name="press">{{cite web|url=http://www.mof.gov.il/beinle/press217.doc|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128094325/http://www.mof.gov.il/beinle/press217.doc|archive-date=November 28, 2007
|title=Government approved today (11/12/05) Minister of Finance and Minister of Transport proposal for a five-year plan for the design, development, paving, safety and maintenance of intercity roads, at a volume of NIS 19 billion|date=December 11, 2005|publisher=Israeli Ministries of Finance and Transport|format=Word|access-date=September 20, 2007}}</ref> The other main road in the area is [[Highway 41 (Israel)|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.

In late 2012, Ashdod won a [[Israeli new shekel|NIS]] 220 million grant from the [[Ministry of Transport and Road Safety|MOT]] to improve public transportation and decrease private car use. by opening exclusive bus lanes along the main boulevards of the city, establishing a BRT system, smart bus stops equipped with touch screens and paving cycling and pedestrians-only lanes. In August 2019, the initial stage of the program, which was named 'Reway' was completed — with bus lanes established in Menachem Begin and Herzl boulevards. In early 2022, the second stage was completed too — adding bus lanes on Jabotinsky boulevard, commencing operation of the Reway control center and opening the Bnei Brit bus terminal at north.

=== Train ===
{{Main|Ashdod Ad Halom Railway Station}}
[[File:Ashdod Ad-Halom Station, 2023.jpg|thumb|Ashdod Ad Halom railway Station]]
[[File:Ashdod Ad Halom 2.jpg|thumb|Ad Halom (Ashdod South) interchange and the railway station]]

The passenger railway connection to Ashdod opened in 1992<ref name="railway">{{cite web|url=http://www.railnewsil.com/follow-up/ashd-plesh/ashd-plesh_main.htm|title=The duplication of section Pleshet jnct. – Ashdod, Ad Halom and upgrading of railway station Ashdod, Ad Halom |date=May 30, 2004|publisher=Railway News Israel|access-date=September 26, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071009150546/http://www.railnewsil.com/follow-up/ashd-plesh/ashd-plesh_main.htm| archive-date= 9 October 2007 | url-status= dead|language=he}}</ref> after the renovation of the historical railway to [[Egypt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israrail.org.il/english/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071124142156/http://www.israrail.org.il/english/index.html|archive-date=November 24, 2007|title=General Information – Milestones|publisher=[[Israel Railways]] official site|access-date=September 26, 2007}}</ref> 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 2003<ref name="railway"/> when a new terminal building was built. The station building is modern, but proper road access to it was only organized on September 23, 2008, when a new road to the station was opened.<ref>{{cite news|title=New Access Road to the Railway Station Opened|url=http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3601272,00.html|publisher=[[Ynet|Mynet]]|date=September 24, 2008|author=Harush, Yair|access-date=September 28, 2008|language=he|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103212503/http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3601272,00.html|archive-date=January 3, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There is also heavy freight traffic in the area. [[Port of Ashdod]] has its own railway [[branch line|spur line]] as well as a special terminal for [[potash]] brought from the [[Sodom and Gomorrah|Sodom]] area and exported abroad.

=== Buses ===
A new central [[bus station]] opened in 1996. It serves as the [[bus terminus|terminus]] both for inter- and intracity lines. The central bus station is attached to the City Mall. Intercity bus lines connect the city with most population centers in central and southern [[Israel]]. Following is the list of bus companies serving routes at the central bus station:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Company name!!Major destinations
|-
|[[Egged Bus Cooperative|Egged]]
|[[Jerusalem]], a seasonal line to [[Eilat]]
|-
|[[Metropoline]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://metropoline.com/map.asp |title=Metropoline line maps |publisher=Metropoline |access-date=November 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217065744/http://www.metropoline.com/map.asp |archive-date=December 17, 2008 |language=he |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|[[Beersheba|Be'er Sheva]], [[Kiryat Gat]], [[Sderot]], [[Netivot]]
|-
|[[Afikim (company)|Electra Afikim]]
|[[Tel Aviv]] ([[Tel Aviv Central Bus Station|CBS]] and [[Tel Aviv 2000 Terminal|Arlozorov Terminal]]), [[Bar-Ilan University|Bar Ilan University]], [[Tel HaShomer]], [[Rishon LeZion|Rishon LeTziyon]], [[Rehovot]], [[Yavne]], [[Ashkelon]], [[Kiryat Malakhi|Kiryat Mal'akhi]], [[Gedera]], [[Gan Yavne]]
|-
|[[Afikim (company)|Electra Afikim]]
|''Intracity service''
|}

===Cruise ships and yachts===
[[File:מגדל המציל, חוף מי עמי באשדוד, דצמבר 2023.jpg|thumb|Ashdod beach]]
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 [[Ashdod Marina|Blue Marina]].

== Demographics ==
[[File:LAMimunia.JPG|thumb|right|LaMimunia [[History of the Jews in Morocco|Moroccan]] culture center]]
{{Historical populations|align = left
|percentages=pagr
|1961| 4,600
|1972| 40,300
|1983| 65,700
|1990| 83,900
|1995| 125,820
|1996| 137,100
|2000| 174,224
|2001| 187,000
|2003| 192,200
|2006| 204,400
|2008| 209,200
|2016| 220,883
|footnote = Sources:
* 1983:<ref>{{cite web|last=City Population|title=The districts of Israel and all Israeli cities of more than 20,000 inhabitants|url=http://www.citypopulation.de/Israel.html|access-date=2007-07-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809025753/http://www.citypopulation.de/Israel.html|archive-date=2007-08-09|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 2003:<ref>{{cite web |last=Jewish Virtual Library |title=Latest Population Figures for Israel |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/newpop.html#_ftnref3 |access-date=2019-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143059/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_%26_Culture/newpop.html#_ftnref3 |archive-date=2018-06-12 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
According to the [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]], Ashdod had a population of about {{Israel populations|Ashdod}} at the end of {{Israel populations|Year}}, making it the sixth largest city in Israel.{{Israel populations|reference}} 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 [[Twelfth grade|12th grade]] students in Ashdod were eligible for matriculation certificates in 2000. The average salary in 2000 was [[Israeli new sheqel|NIS]] 4,821 compared to the national average of [[Israeli new sheqel|NIS]] 6,835.

===Immigrant absorption===
[[File:Beit Canada Absorption Center, Ashdod, November 2023.jpg|thumb|Beit Canada Absorption Center]]
Ashdod has seen much of its growth as the result of absorption of [[Aliyah|immigrants]]. The first settlers were Jewish immigrants from [[Morocco]] and [[Egypt]].<ref name="ModernT"/> In the 1960s Ashdod accepted a large number of immigrants from [[Romania]], followed by a large number from [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] (then part of the [[Soviet Union]]) in the 1970s.<ref name="ModernT"/> More than 60,000 [[Russian Jews]] from the former Soviet Union who [[Russian immigration to Israel in the 1990s|immigrated]] to Israel in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union settled in Ashdod. Recent demographic figures suggest that about 32%<ref>{{cite web|last=Ashdod Municipality|title=Absorption and immigration|url=http://www.ashdod.muni.il/htmls/english/Openning_eng.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208010545/http://www.ashdod.muni.il/htmls/english/Openning_eng.asp|archive-date=2015-12-08}}</ref> 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 [[Beta Israel]] immigrants from [[Ethiopia]], and in more recent years Ashdod absorbed a large number of immigrants from the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Argentina]], and [[South Africa]]. Many of the 60,000 [[Marathi language|Marathi]]-speaking [[Bene Israel]] from [[Maharashtra]], [[India]] who moved to Israel also settled there. Ashdod also receives a significant amount of internal migration,<ref>{{cite journal|last=[[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]]|title=Internal migration in Israel|journal=Labour Force Surveys|url=http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/in_migration02/pdf/e_print.pdf|issn=0793-5382|access-date=2007-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207131318/http://www.cbs.gov.il/publications/in_migration02/pdf/e_print.pdf|archive-date=2012-02-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> especially from the [[Gush Dan]] region.

===Religion===
[[File:Orot Haim.JPG|thumb|Orot Haim yeshiva]]
Over 95% of Ashdod's population is Jewish, over 30% of Ashdod's population are [[Haredi Judaism|Haredi]]. The Haredi population has been growing in Ashdod, and Haredi children make up the majority in the city's schools.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morris |first=Benny |date=2012-01-18 |title=How Ultra-Orthodox Are Harming Israel |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/how-ultra-orthodox-are-harming-israel/251570/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> 

The rapidly increasing Haredi population has caused some social and community tensions, particularly regarding the city's character, Mayor Lasri levying fines against retail stores if they are open on Shabbat,<ref>{{Cite web |title='Character' of Israel seen at stake - Baltimore Sun |url=https://digitaledition.baltimoresun.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=797aa79b-bb7b-44c8-aee2-4729d2481bcf |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=digitaledition.baltimoresun.com}}</ref> and growing community tensions with secular Russian Jews.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Issue That Finally Forced Russian-speaking Israelis to Take to the Streets |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2018-01-26/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-russian-speaking-israelis-are-taking-to-the-streets-in-ashdod/0000017f-e0a7-d804-ad7f-f1ffde8b0000 |access-date=2023-07-13}}</ref> 

Despite this, the city is generally secular, although most of the [[Gentile|non-Jewish]] population is a result of mixed marriages. About 100 families are affiliated with the [[Pittsburg (Hasidic dynasty)|Pittsburg]] [[Hasidic Judaism|Hasidic]] group, established there in 1969 by Grand Rabbi [[Avraham Abba Leifer]] and continued today by his son, Grand Rabbi [[Mordechai Yissachar Ber Leifer]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.pittsburghdynasty.org/default.aspx 
 |title=Overview of Pittsburgh: A Warm Hasidic Community in Ashdod, Israel 
 |access-date=February 18, 2010 
 |publisher=www.pittsburghdynasty.org 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426180827/http://www.pittsburghdynasty.org/Default.aspx 
 |archive-date=2009-04-26 
}}</ref> Ashdod has many synagogues serving different streams of Judaism. The city is also home to the world's largest<ref>{{cite web |last=Last Days Reporters |title=7 Stages of the beginning of Judaism|url=http://www.lastdaysreporter.com/beginning-judaism-relig.html|url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928042639/http://www.lastdaysreporter.com/beginning-judaism-relig.html|archive-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref> [[Karaite Judaism|Karaite]] community, about five thousand strong.<ref name="Community of Ashdod">{{Cite web|url=http://www.karaite.org.il/community/Ashdod|title=קהילת אשדוד &#124; היהדות הקראית העולמית|website=www.karaite.org.il}}</ref> There is also a Scandinavian Seamen [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[church (building)|church]], established by Norwegian [[Righteous among the Nations|Righteous Among the Nations]] pastor [[Per Faye-Hansen]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Per Faye-Hansen|url=http://www1.yadvashem.org/righteous/bycountry/norway.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080129135119/http://www1.yadvashem.org/righteous/bycountry/norway.html|archive-date=January 29, 2008|last=Righteous Among the Nations|first=Norway|access-date=September 26, 2007|publisher=[[Yad Vashem]] The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Per Faye-Hansen recognised as Righteous Among the Nations|url=http://www.norway.org.il/bilateral/culture/Faye-Hansen.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107034252/http://www.norway.org.il/bilateral/culture/Faye-Hansen.htm|archive-date=November 7, 2007|last=Bilateral Relations|access-date=September 26, 2007|publisher=Norway – the official site in Israel}}</ref>

== Local government ==
[[File:Ashdod city hall, 2019.jpg|thumb|Ashdod city hall]]
Ashdod was declared a city in 1968. The Ashdod [[city council|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, [[Yehiel Lasri]], was last elected in 2008 after [[Zvi Zilker]] 
has been in office continuously since 1989.<ref name=Haaretz>[http://news.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=354742 Local council elections 2003 results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002020242/http://news.haaretz.co.il/hasite/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=354742 |date=2007-10-02 }}. Haaretz (October 29, 2003). {{in lang|he}}</ref> Within the city council there are various factions representing different population groups. 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 ===
{{Div col}}
* [[Dov Gur]] (1959–61)
* [[Robert Hayim]] (1961–63<ref name="Majors"/>)
* [[Avner Garin]] (1963–69)
* [[Zvi Zilker]] (1969–83)
* [[Aryeh Azulai|Aryeh Azulay]] (1983–89)
* [[Zvi Zilker]] (1989–2008)
* [[Yehiel Lasri]] (2008–)
{{Div col end}}
[[File:מוזיאון אשדוד לאמנות, דצמבר 2023 06.jpg|thumb|Ashdod MonArt Arts Center]]

== Culture and art ==

===Music and performing arts===
[[File:AmphiParkAshdodYam.png|thumb|Amphi Ashdod - more than 6,400 seats]]
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 6588 Ashdod.JPG|thumb|Outdoor sculpture of [[Samson]] in Ashdod]]
Ashdod is home to the [[Israeli Andalusian Orchestra]], which performs [[Andalusian classical music]]. It is an [[Arab music|Arabic music]] style that originates from Moorish Iberia or [[Al-Andalus]], has been jealously preserved in its original form by Arab and Jewish musicians of the [[Maghreb]] over the centuries, and has left its mark on the ''[[cante flamenco]]'', the flamenco singing style, perhaps better known in the West. The orchestra was awarded the [[Israel Prize]] in 2006.<ref>{{cite news|title=Israel Prize awarded to Dvora Omer|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3236001,00.html|last=Barnea|first=Or|newspaper=Ynetnews|date=April 4, 2006|access-date=September 16, 2007|publisher=Ynet|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107070211/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3236001,00.html|archive-date=November 7, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Israel Prize Recipients 2006– Israeli Andalusit Orchestra |url=http://cms.education.gov.il/educationcms/units/prasisrael/tashsav/tizmoretandalusit/nimokyhsoftimandalusit.htm |language=he |publisher=Israel Ministry of Education |access-date=September 16, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081226163334/http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/PrasIsrael/Tashsav/TizmoretAndalusit/NimokyHsoftimAndalusit.htm |archive-date=December 26, 2008 }}</ref>

Ashdod also has one of the biggest open theaters in Israel - [[Amphi Ashdod]] that can hosts more than 6,400 guests. The Amphi hosts Ashdod's international art festival [["Méditerranée"]].

The MonArt Centre for the Arts, which includes a ballet school, a music center and the Ashdod Museum of Art,<ref name="heidiarad.wordpress.com">{{cite web|url=https://heidiarad.wordpress.com/public-spaces/monart-arts-center/|title=Monart Arts Center|access-date=29 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705085951/https://heidiarad.wordpress.com/public-spaces/monart-arts-center/|archive-date=5 July 2015|url-status=live|date=2012-05-02}}</ref> is a [[performing arts center]] which comprises different galleries, art schools, studios and events. The ambitious architectural complex<ref name="heidiarad.wordpress.com"/> has been inaugurated in 2003. Theatre and concerts are hosted in several cultural venues; the most important are performed at the [[Ashdod Performing Arts Center]], a new 938-seat concert hall<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mishkan-ashdod.co.il|title=המשכן לאמנויות הבמה אשדוד|access-date=29 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623180448/http://www.mishkan-ashdod.co.il/|archive-date=23 June 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> of distinct elegance and originality designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.haimdotan.com/?CategoryID=212 |title=Haim Dotan |access-date=2015-04-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709035539/http://www.haimdotan.com/?CategoryID=212 |archive-date=2015-07-09 }}</ref> and inaugurated in 2012 in the city's cultural center. Ashdod plays host to many national and international music festivals, including the annual [[Super Jazz Ashdod]] [[Festival]] managed by [[Leonid Ptashka]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/White-will-light-up-Ashdod-435312 |title=White will light up Ashdod |publisher=jpost.com |access-date=2015-11-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126010214/http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/White-will-light-up-Ashdod-435312 |archive-date=2015-11-26 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The ACADMA [[College or university school of music|conservatory]] is a professional educational institute for music and performance studies based in Ashdod. Operated under the supervision of the Ministry of Education, the institute was established in 1966,<ref>{{cite web |title=Sounds from the South |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/7/Sounds%20from%20the%20South |last=Yannai |first=Bezalel |date=July 11, 2002 |access-date=September 16, 2007 |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815235628/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/7/Sounds%20from%20the%20South |archive-date=15 August 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> and serves as a home for 600 young musicians in different fields.

===Museums===
The Corinne Mamane [[Museum of Philistine Culture]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phcm.co.il/en |title=המוזאון לתרבות הפלשתים |access-date=2014-12-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141223172808/http://www.phcm.co.il/en |archive-date=2014-12-23 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Collins |first=Liat |url=http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1221489071988&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull |title=Ashdod has an artsy side |publisher=Jpost.com |date=September 18, 2008 |access-date=September 20, 2009 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 2003 the internal spaces of the museum were redesigned by the architects [[Eyal Weizman]], Rafi Segal and [[Manuel Herz]].

== Sports ==
[[File:Yod alef1.JPG|thumb|[[Yud-Alef Stadium]]]]
Ashdod's [[Association football|football]] team, [[F.C. Ashdod|F.C. Ironi Ashdod]] represents the city in the [[Israeli Premier League]]. The club is known for its successful football school. It is also home to [[Hapoel Ashdod F.C.]], which plays in [[Liga Alef]]. The city's top basketball team is [[Maccabi Ashdod B.C.|Maccabi Ashdod]]. The men squad plays in [[Israeli Basketball Super League|First League]], Israel's First tier league, and the women squad [[Maccabi Bnot Ashdod]] plays in top division.

Ashdod plays host to many national and international sporting tournaments, including the annual Ashdod International [[Chess]] Festival. The city has a [[cricket]] team,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ashdodnews.co.il/sport_p2.asp?page_id=109&page_id_2=8596 |title=Cricket Revolution in Ashdod |publisher=Ashdod News |author=Kaplan, Reuven |access-date=October 20, 2008 |language=he |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213102140/http://www.ashdodnews.co.il/sport_p2.asp?page_id=109&page_id_2=8596 |archive-date=December 13, 2007 }}</ref> a rarity in Israel. It is run and organized by citizens of [[History of the Jews in India|Indian descent]]. Ashdod's beaches are a venue for water sports, like as [[windsurfing]] and [[Scuba diving]]. The [[Ashdod Marina]] offers yachting services.

Notable athletes from Ashdod include:
* [[Vered Borochovsky]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Identity. Vered Borochovsky|url=http://www.the-sports.org/swimming-borochovsky-vered-results-identity-s10-c2-b4-o92-w8402.html|publisher=The-sports.org|access-date=September 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224050802/http://www.the-sports.org/swimming-borochovsky-vered-results-identity-s10-c2-b4-o92-w8402.html|archive-date=December 24, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> – [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney Olympics]] and [[2004 Summer Olympics]] swimmer.
* [[Alon Day]] – Professional race car driver.
* [[Alon Hazan]] – international soccer player
* [[Haim Revivo]] – [[International Soccer|international soccer]] player

== Twin towns–Sister cities ==
Ashdod is [[Sister cities|twinned]] with
{|class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
* {{flagicon|ETH}} [[Bahir Dar]], [[Ethiopia]]
* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Bordeaux]], [[France]]<ref name="Bordeaux twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.bordeaux.fr/p63778/europe%C2%A0et%C2%A0international|title=Bordeaux - Rayonnement européen et mondial|access-date=2013-07-29|work=Mairie de Bordeaux|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207154903/http://www.bordeaux.fr/p63778/europe%C2%A0et%C2%A0international|archive-date =2013-02-07}}</ref><ref name="Bordeaux twinnings 2">{{cite web|url=http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-recherche-resultat.asp?searchField=bordeaux&x=36&y=14|title=Bordeaux-Atlas français de la coopération décentralisée et des autres actions extérieures |access-date=2013-07-29|work=Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères)|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130207152951/http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-recherche-resultat.asp?searchField=bordeaux&x=36&y=14|archive-date=2013-02-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bordeaux.fr/ebx/portals/ebx.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pgPresStand8&classofcontent=presentationStandard&id=5344|title=Ashdod, jumelée à Bordeaux le 7décembre 1984|language=fr|publisher=Official Bordeaux website|access-date=September 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208123013/http://www.bordeaux.fr/ebx/portals/ebx.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pgPresStand8&classofcontent=presentationStandard&id=5344|archive-date=December 8, 2006|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|ARG}} [[Bahía Blanca]], [[Argentina]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Bahía Internacional Ciudades Hermanas |url=http://bahiablanca.gov.ar/internacional/ciudadeshermanas.html |publisher=Official Bahia Blanca website |access-date=September 18, 2007 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070902024234/http://www.bahiablanca.gov.ar/internacional/ciudadeshermanas.html |archive-date=September 2, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], [[United States|US]]
* {{flagicon|PRC}} [[Wuhan]], [[China]]
|
* {{flagicon|GER}} [[Spandau]], [[Germany]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Städtepartnerschaften des Bezirks Spandau|url=http://www.berlin.de/ba-spandau/derbezirk/wissenswert/partnerstadt/|publisher=Official Spandua website|language=de|access-date=September 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116124219/http://www.berlin.de/ba-spandau/derbezirk/wissenswert/partnerstadt/|archive-date=November 16, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Tampa, Florida]], [[United States|US]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampagov.net/information_resources/miscellaneous_documents/archives/_sister_cities.asp |title=Tampa Sister Cities |publisher=Official site for the city of Tampa, Florida |access-date=September 18, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018172325/http://www.tampagov.net/information_resources/miscellaneous_documents/archives/_sister_cities.asp |archive-date=18 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* {{flagicon|BLR}} [[Brest, Belarus]]
* {{flagicon|GEO}} [[Batumi]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]
* {{Flagicon|Moldova}} [[Tiraspol]], [[Moldova]]<ref name="pobr">{{cite news|url=http://www.olvia.idknet.com/ol70-04-06.htm|title=С сегодняшнего дня у Тирасполя ещё один побратим – город-герой Волгоград|date=2006-04-12|work=|publisher=Ольвия-пресс|accessdate=2013-11-13|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113105637/http://www.olvia.idknet.com/ol70-04-06.htm|archivedate=2013-11-13}}</ref><ref name="побратимы">{{cite news|url=http://novostipmr.com/ru/news/13-04-18/goroda-sodruzhestva-tiraspolya|title="Города содружества Тирасполя"|date=2013-04-18|work=|publisher=Новости Приднестровья|accessdate=2013-04-24|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113111008/http://novostipmr.com/ru/news/13-04-18/goroda-sodruzhestva-tiraspolya|archivedate=2013-11-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Израиль {{!}} Официальный сайт Государственной администрации г.Тирасполя и г.Днестровска |url=http://tirasadmin.org/izrail |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114100944/http://tirasadmin.org/izrail |url-status=usurped |archive-date=January 14, 2018 |access-date=2021-08-06 |website=tirasadmin.org}}</ref>
|
* {{flagicon|UKR}} [[Zaporizhzhia]], [[Ukraine]]<ref>{{cite news|title=אשדוד חתמה ברית ערים תאומות עם ז'פורוז'יה|trans-title=Ashdod signed a twin city agreement with Zaporizhzhia|quote=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"|first=Yair|last=Harosh|newspaper=[[Yediot Ahronot]]|date=4 November 2011|url=http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4130822,00.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131123180302/http://www.mynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4130822,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-11-23}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|KAZ}} [[Atyrau]], [[Kazakhstan]]
* {{flagicon|RUS}} [[Arkhangelsk]], [[Russia]]
* {{flagicon|MDA}} [[Chișinău]], [[Moldova]]
* {{flagicon|LVA}} [[Jūrmala]], [[Latvia]]<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.jurmala.lv/lv/pasvaldiba/starptautiska_sadarbiba/sadraudzibas_pilsetas/19591-asdoda-izraela | title= Ašdoda (Izraēla) | publisher= Jūrmalas dome | language= lv | access-date= November 26, 2017 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181028151606/https://www.jurmala.lv/lv/pasvaldiba/starptautiska_sadarbiba/sadraudzibas_pilsetas/19591-asdoda-izraela | archive-date= October 28, 2018 | url-status= live }}</ref>
|}

==Notable people==
* [[Ofir Ben Shitrit]] (born 1995), singer
* [[Nir Bitton]] (born 1991), footballer
* [[Alon Day]] (born 1991), racing driver
* [[Igor Olshanetskyi]] (born 1986), Olympic weightlifter
* [[Valery Panov]] (born 1938), dancer and choreographer
* [[Dorit Revelis]] (born 2001), model
* [[Haim Revivo]] (born 1972), footballer
* [[Anna Zak]] (born 2001), social media star

===Past===
[[Georgy Adelson-Velsky]] resided in the city from 1992 until his death in 2014

== See also ==
* [[Ashdod-Yam|Ashdod on the Sea]], Ashdod's historic twin city, now part of modern Ashdod
*[[Isdud]], Palestinian city whose residents were driven out or expelled in 1948
*[[Rimal Isdud]], historical sand/dune cultural landscape in the Ashdod Dune Field.
* [[Kal'at Al Mina|Minat al-Qal'a]], the Early Muslim castle at Ashdod on the Sea
* [[Cities of the ancient Near East]]
* [[Depopulated Palestinian locations in Israel]]
* [[Cities in the Book of Joshua]]

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

===Bibliography===
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* {{cite book|title=Secular buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem: an archaeological Gazetter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC| last= Pringle |first= D.|author-link=Denys Pringle |year=1997|isbn=978-0-521-46010-1|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|access-date=2017-08-30|archive-date=2020-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608230937/https://books.google.com/books?id=-_NbE5obqRMC|url-status=live}}
*{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearc00smitgoog|title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|location=Boston|publisher=[[Crocker & Brewster]]|volume=2}}
*{{cite book|last1=Robinson|first1=E.|author-link1=Edward Robinson (scholar)|last2=Smith|first2=E.|author-link2=Eli Smith|year=1841|url=https://archive.org/details/biblicalresearch03robiuoft|title=Biblical Researches in Palestine, Mount Sinai and Arabia Petraea: A Journal of Travels in the year 1838|location=Boston|publisher=[[Crocker & Brewster]]|volume=3}}
* {{cite book|title=Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae, A|volume=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j1rSzWgHMjoC|first=M.|last=Sharon|author-link=Moshe Sharon|year=1997|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-90-04-10833-2|access-date=2018-12-10|archive-date=2019-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221181711/https://books.google.com/books?id=j1rSzWgHMjoC|url-status=live}} (Isdud: [https://books.google.com/books?id=j1rSzWgHMjoC&pg=PA124 p.124] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221124240/https://books.google.com/books?id=j1rSzWgHMjoC&pg=PA124 |date=2019-12-21 }})
* 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.
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Ashdod}}
{{wikivoyage|Ashdod}}
* Survey of Western Palestine, Map 16: [http://www.iaa-archives.org.il/zoom/zoom.aspx?folder_id=93&type_id=6&id=8378 IAA], [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Survey_of_Western_Palestine_1880.16.jpg Wikimedia commons]
* {{Official website|http://www.ashdod.muni.il/English/Pages/default.aspx }}
* [http://www.ashdodport.co.il/ Ashdod Port official website]
* [https://ashdodcemetery.co.il/ Ashdod Cemetery]
*[https://www.nli.org.il/he/maps/NNL_ALEPH003770585/NLI#$FL25570461 Map of Ashdod region, 1960] - Eran Laor Cartographic Collection, The [[National Library of Israel]]
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{{Southern District (Israel)}}
{{Largest Israeli cities}}
{{Palestinian Arab villages depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Ashdod| ]]
[[Category:Arab villages depopulated during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Israel]]
[[Category:Cities in Southern District (Israel)]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible cities]]
[[Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Israel]]
[[Category:Philistine cities]]
[[Category:Tells (archaeology)]]
[[Category:Planned communities established in the 1950s]]