A visit to Asqalan

Stories from Palestine

On the Mediterranean coast you can find the ruins of a city that first became a large sized city during the Canaanite period. Of this period the oldest brick wall and arched gate have been excavated and can now be visited. You can even pass through the gate! The National Park in which the ruins of Asqalan can be visited has some very interesting sites: the biggest Roman basilica found in the area, a Phoenician dog cemetery, an antilia (water wheel) that brought fresh water up from above the salt water table, a large sycamore tree, the remains of a Byzantine church, the remains of city walls from several time periods and of course you can enjoy the nature in the park and the Mediterranean Sea and beach!
Asqalan was one of the five Philistine cities that formed the Pentapolis: Gaza, Ashdod, Asqalan, Gath and Ekron. It is mentioned several times in the Bible.
To learn more about the history of Asqalan, listen to this episode!
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