Development of the Old City

Lod is one of the oldest cities in Israel and the world. Over thousands of years, the city has managed to maintain an impressive continuity of settlement throughout the historical periods of the Land of Israel. From the Neolithic period, when agriculture first began, through the Bronze and Iron Ages, the Persian period (the Tannaic period in Lod), the Roman and Byzantine periods, the early Islamic period, the Mamluk period, the Ottoman period, and the British Mandate period.

Each period left behind remains from which we can learn about it. Most of the monuments visible above ground today are remains from the Mamluk, Ottoman, and Mandatory periods. The earliest remains are the church, which dates back to the Byzantine period, and the rare Roman mosaic discovered in 1996, which will soon be on display to visitors at the Mosaic Center currently being built in the city.

The Lod Municipality attaches great importance to the renewal of the Old City for the benefit of its residents and for the development of tourism, culture, commerce, and leisure in the city, with a view to “restoring it to its former glory” as a crossroads and bustling center. In recent years, the Municipality, through the Lod Economic Company, has been leading a specific strategic development plan for the Old City area, which includes a detailed action plan. The action plan focuses on the qualitative development of public spaces and centers, as well as the development and upgrading of streets in a unique manner befitting an ancient city, and includes:

  • Development and establishment of tourist and cultural attractions
  • Development of unique infrastructure in the Old City
  • Strengthening commerce and small businesses

To coordinate tours and receive information

Tourism Department: 08-9279065

Department Manager: Yael Rosental yaelr@lod.muni.il

Bishvil-LOD (“Lod-Path”) – Tours and Awareness Center

Website: www.bishvilod.co.il