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Ashdod
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Ashdod
Ashdodăsh'dŏd, ăshdōd' [Heb.,=stronghold], city (1994 pop. 120,100), SW Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is Israel's leading port after Haifa. Construction is Ashdod's main industry; its manufactures include synthetic fibers, woolen yarn, and knitted goods. Nearby is the site of ancient Ashdod, which was settled as early as the Bronze Age. Conquered by the Philistines in the 12th cent. B.C., it became an important city of the Philistine Pentapolis and a center for the worship of Dagon. The city was later ruled by Judah, Egypt, and Assyria. The Jews of Ashdod had been considered idolatrous by other Jews since the time of the return to Jerusalem (6th cent. B.C.), but they were cleansed by Judas Maccabeus in 163 B.C. Jonathan, the brother of Judas Maccabeus, took the city in 148 B.C. and destroyed the temple of Dagon. Ashdod was revived by the Romans and was an early Christian center. The first modern Israeli settlement in Ashdod was made in 1955, and in 1965 the deepwater port was completed.

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Wikipedia search results for: Ashdod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ashdod, is the fifth-largest city in Israel, located in the Southern District of the country, on the Mediterranean coast, with a population of 207,000. Ashdod is an important regional industrial centre. The Port of Ashdod is Israel's largest port accounting for 60% of the country's imported goods. The first documented settlement in Ashdod dates to the Canaanite culture of 17th century BC, making the city one of the oldest in the world. Ashdod is mentioned thirteen times in the Bible. During its history the city was settled by Philistines, Israelites, Byzantines, Crusaders and Arabs. Modern Ashdod was established in 1956 on the sand hills near the site...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Ashdod
Results 1 - 4  of 4
  • Philistia

    Philistia, region of SW ancient Palestine, comprising a coastal strip along the Mediterranean and a portion of S Canaan. The chief cities of Philistia were Gaza, Ashqelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and G...

  • Haifa

    Haifa, city (1994 pop. 246,700), NW Israel, a port on the Mediterranean Sea, at the foot of Mt. Carmel. Haifa is the chief city of N Israel and the country's principal oil refining center. Alo...

  • Jaffa

    Jaffa, Heb. Yafo, part of Tel Aviv, W central Israel, on the Mediterranean Sea. Originally a Phoenician city, Jaffa has been historically important largely because of its port (which was close...

  • Israel, country, Asia

    Israel, officially State of Israel, republic (2005 est. pop. 6,277,000, including Israelis in occupied Arab territories), 7,992 sq mi (20,700 sq km), SW Asia, on the Mediterranean Sea. (The ar...

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