Ashkelon Sundial
Perched on the cliffs above the sea at the northern end of the city is a giant sundial. The project is almost completed and the fences around the project have been removed. Archeological evidence points to sundials being used in the middle east. This new sundial uses an ultramodern design and enables people to become part of the installation by walking on the field and casting their own shadows.
Ashkelon Byzantine Church
Around the corner from the Byzantine Mosaic Floor, September 11 Memorial and the Harlington, is a the remnant of Byzantine church.
Ashkelon Byzantine Mosaic Floor
Right across from the Harlington Hotel and the New York Square is a mosaic floor - all that remains of another Byzantine church. It is surrounded by a low wall and not wheelchair accessible. If you are walking, you will need to jump down about 60 cm to get to the mosaic floor. Although it is probably best viewed when it is wet, immediately after a light rain, the mosaic is in poor condition and [...]
Ashkelon Roundabouts
Ashkelon uses a lot of roundabouts to enable traffic to flow smoothly. Many of the roundabouts have a sculpture or structure that uses a maritime theme. Below are just some of the roundabouts in Ashkelon.
The Sarcophagi Garden
Tucked away in the center of the Afridar Center is an archeological garden with some very impressive artifacts. The outer circle is lined with various artifacts, including columns and other findings from Ashkelon. The center of the space holds two sarcophagi that are considered to be the best Greek marble sarcophagi from the Roman period. Sitting between the two sarcophagi is a very large lead anchor. There is no charge to see the exhibit and [...]
Sheik Awad Tomb
From 1250 to 1517 Egypt and Syria was ruled by the Mamluk Dynasty. The Sheik Awad tomb from the Mamluk period is located close to Bar Kokhba beach and the Harlington Hotel.
Mosaic Floor
Located very close to the Harlington Hotel is where a Byzantine church was located. All that remains is a mosaic floor, open to the sky. There is a Greek inscription that can be seen in this photo. Look for a low cement wall surrounding the floor, just north of Abba Ahimeir St. Photo by Effie Elian
Beit Eli
Beit Eli, located in the Afridar neighborhood of Ashkelon, was the vacation home of Israel's second president, Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, and his wife, Rachel Yanait. They purchased it as a vacation home to be near near the home of their son Amram, who came to Ashkelon in the early 1950s, from Jerusalem to manage the Egged bus company's local branch. The simple house is hardly what one would expect as a residence for the president of [...]
Street Art in Ashkelon
Street Art in Ashkelon Project This striking mural was created by Royyal Dog. The mural was spray painted directly on to the wall. It was part of a larger Artists 4 Israel painting program done in late Fall of 2019 and took one week to complete. Artist Royyal Dog (Chris Chanyang Shim, 심찬양) is a graffiti writer and graffiti artist from Seoul, Korea. He is best known for his photorealistic murals [...]
Rachel
Rachel Rachel has lived in Israel since 2002 and relocated from Ramat Beit Shemesh to Ashkelon in 2013. She describes her Hebrew as “minimal” but is able to get along. Rachel said: “I know firsthand that a new resident can live here not being fluent in Hebrew, but it is challenging. There are times it takes longer to get things accomplished and it can be frustrating. But it can be done.” [...]
Marvin and Oshrat
Marvin and Oshrat Marvin and Oshrat moved to Ashkelon in 2015. Marvin made Aliyah from the U.S. in 2007 and Oshrat was born in Israel. Prior to living in Ashkelon, they had been living in Ramla, a medium-sized city in the Shfela, located in between Lod and Rehovot. As teachers (Marvin teaches English and dance, Oshrat also teaches English), one of the things that they were looking for was a [...]
Zev and Esther
Zev and Esther Zev’s ties to Ashkelon go way back. Zev, a graduate of Yeshiva University and a student of Rabbi S. Riskin, never lived in Ashkelon. Zev lived in Baltimore Maryland, but his parents lived here for 20 years and he used to visit them often. So, after he retired and decided to make Aliyah, Ashkelon was a natural choice as a place to live. He did not need [...]