Ashkelon

Ashkelon (also Ashqelon and Ascalon; Hebrew: אַשְׁקְלוֹן ; Arabic: عسقلان‎ ʿAsqalān ; Latin: Ascalonia ; Akkadian: Isqalluna ) is a coastal city in the South District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Tel Aviv, and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The ancient seaport of Ashkelon dates back to the Neolithic Age. In the course of its history, it has been ruled by the Canaanites, the Philistines, the Egyptians, the Israelites, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Phoenicians, the Hasmoneans, the Romans, the Persians, the Arabs and the Crusaders, until it was destroyed by the Mamluks in 1270.