Ashdod-Yam

Ashdod-Yam (Greek: Άζωτος παράλιος, romanized: Azotus Paralios, lit. 'Ashdod on the Sea') is an ancient port city on the Mediterranean coast of Israel, located in the southern part of the modern city of Ashdod, and about 5 kilometres northwest of the ancient site of Tel Ashdod, where ancient Ashdod stood in the time of the Philistines. Ashdod-Yam and its inland counterpart, Ashdod or Azotus Mesogaios (Άζωτος Μεσόγειος), were for most of their history two closely connected but distinct entities. Much of the surrounding environ is covered by sand dunes and remains unexplored.

Names

The ancient Levantine settlement of Ashdod-Yam had several names. In Assyrian records, it is attested as "asdudi-immu", corresponding to the Hebrew "’ašdód-yamm". The first part of the name, "Ašdod", is believed to be derived from the Late Bronze Age Canaanite "’aṯdādu".

In the Hellenistic period, the name of the settlement became "Azotus Paralios", literally "Azotus-by-the-sea", in contrast to Azotus Mesogaias, literally "Inland Azotus". In the Islamic period, it became "Mahuz Azdud", literally "harbour of Azdud", a combining the ancient Aramaic word for harbour, mahuz, and "Azdud".

During the Crusades, as property of the lord of Ramla, Hugh, it was bequeathed to the knight Nicolas de Beroard and became known as "Castellum Beroart". Its contemporary Arabic name is "Minat al-Qal'a", after the Umayyad-era fort that was built at the site and whose ruins remain partially intact to this day.