LOD

Lod was settled by the Canaanites and then by the Benjaminites. The exiles returning from Babylon also built houses here. During the rule of the Maccabees it was purely Jewish, but in 43 BCE the inhabitants were sold into slavery.
The New Testament relates that St. Peter visited it when it was known by its Greek name of Lydda. A few decades later, the Romans burned it to the ground before destroying Jerusalem.

The most famous settlers were the Crusaders. Much of the church they built in the 12th century survives and the Greek Orthodox community set up the Church of St. George within part of its ruins in 1874. Inside you can see the right hand apse, two bays of the nave and the northern aisle of the Crusader structure.

Down in the crypt of the church is the Tomb of St. George, the patron saint of England, who is said to have been born in this town in the 3rd century. Note, too, the sculptured portrayal of St. George slaying the dragon above the entrance to the church. Modern Lod has a population of 47,800, many of them immigrants from Russia who work at the nearby airport.

Lod is 2 km. northeast of Ramla. However, just before entering Ramla, turn right for the road back to Tel Aviv, along Route No. 5 in reverse. Alternatively, you could return towards Ben-Gurion Airport and take Highway No. 1 to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

Before you leave the Lod area, it would be a pity if you missed Neot Kedumim, a few kilometres from the Ben Shemen interchange. Neot Kedumim is a Biblical Landscape Reserve, featuring all the plants mentioned in the Bible. Open Sun.-Thurs. 8.30 a. m. to Sunset. Fri, Sat., 8.30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tel. (08)233840.