In 1268, the Mamluk Sultan Baybars conquered all the Crusader fortresses in the Land of Israel, including the fortified Monastery of St. George in Lod, and the Mamluk period in the Land of Israel began.

The destruction of the ports cut off the Land of Israel from international trade, limiting it to local commerce. As a result, inland cities in the mountains and lowlands flourished, and Lod benefited from the destruction of the coastal cities. During this period, Lod was granted the status of a Nafa (nachiya) city and became a major postal center.

From: Zohar Baram, From Emmaus to Lod: From the Lowlands (Shefela) to the Sea

The Mamluk rule extended over the Gaza-Damascus triangle. Paved roads connected these cities. Along the roads, fortresses and fortified khans were built, and where necessary, bridges were built to facilitate the movement of the army and the official postal service. One of the bridges built over the Ayalon River is the Jindas Bridge, which still carries the road (highway) from Lod to the airport. It is engraved with the symbol of the Baybars - a pair of cheetahs and an inscription that reads: "In the name of God, the Merciful and Compassionate, and with prayers for our Lord Muhammad and all his companions. Our mighty Sultan, A-T' Ahr Rachen A-Din Baybars, son of Abdullah in the days of construction our Master Sultan the King A-Said Nasser A-Din, May the Khan bless their victories and grant them forgiveness. This was done under the supervision of the humble servant who needs Allah's mercy, Ala-Din al-Sawak, may God forgive him and his parents. In the month of Ramadan, in the year six hundred and seventy-one.”

 From the inscription, we learn that the bridge was built in 671 AH, which is 1273 CE.

From: Vakrat, Ora, 1977, Lod - Historical Geography, published by Guma and the Municipality of Lod - Cherikover.

In the name of Baybars, the Jameh al-Umar Mosque (Masjid al-Umari) was also built in 666 CE, which is 1268 CE. According to legend, the Mosque was built because of the envy of the residents of Lod toward their brothers in nearby Ramla. Ramla, which was very important during the Mamluk period, had a white, square mosque that impressed all who saw it. The residents of Lod also wanted a mosque like this. What did they do? They went to the “wise men of Ramla” and asked them to help them build a similar tower in their city. The sages of Ramla gathered the “ignorant” people of Lod and advised them to come at night with a long rope and drag the white mosque to Lod. The people of Lod came in droves, equipped with long ropes, which they wrapped around the Mosque while the residents of Ramla slept. However, the wise men of Ramla tricked the people of Lod and replaced the ropes with rubber cables. The people of Lod pulled until they reached Lod. They did not notice the trick until dawn, when they realized that the people of Ramla had made a mockery of them. So, they went and built a mosque taller and more prominent than the one in nearby Ramla.

Despite the fact that the land was ruled by the Mamluks, who were zealous followers of Islam, Christians and Jews continued to live in the city, and Christian pilgrims and Jews visited the city throughout the Mamluk period. From the writings of these travelers, it can be understood that Lod was at that time a town located next to Ramla, which had regained its status as an administrative center during that period.

From: Vakar, Ora, 1977, Lod - Historical Geography, published by Goma and the Municipality of Lod - Cherikover.

In 1322, Rabbi Ashtori Ha-Parhi, known as the first Jewish scholar of the Land of Israel, visited Lod. During his visit, he found a Jewish community about which he wrote in his book Kaftor Va-Perach: “And you see in the land of Lod, which makes one day a holiday and has a wine press that is a thousand and five hundred cubits long, which they use for two days.”

In 1330, Rabbi Isaac Ibn Hilu immigrated to the Land of Israel and began to tour the country and write down his observations: "From Gamzu they come to Lod, which is now no more than a village, but in ancient times was one of the central cities of our sages... In the days of the uncircumcised, it was called St. George, after their leader, but the Muslims destroyed his shrine and restored the city's ancient name."

Five years later, the traveler Jacopo Morone visited and wrote: Lod is two miles from Ramla, where St. Peter healed the paralyzed Ananias. There is a church here named after St. George, which is completely destroyed.

Ludolf von Suchem, who traveled between 1336 and 1340, was impressed by the city: “To the left of Ramla stands a beautiful city, which is still populated as Diospolis or, by another name, Lydda. The city has a large church decorated with marble work.”

From these and other passages, it can be concluded that during the Mamluk period, Luda was a small town, but it was important because of its location on the caravan route connecting Jaffa and Jerusalem. The population consisted mainly of Muslims, an Orthodox Christian minority, and a tiny Jewish community.

From: Vakar, Ora, 1977, Lod - Historical Geography, published by Goma and the Municipality of Lod - Cherikover.