Lod
Lod
| |
|---|---|
 Lod city center | |
 | |
  Lod | |
| Coordinates: 31°57′7″N 34°53′17″E / 31.95194°N 34.88806°ECoordinates: 31°57′7″N 34°53′17″E / 31.95194°N 34.88806°E | |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Central |
| Founded | 5600–5250 BCE (Initial settlement) 1465 BCE (Canaanite/Israelite town) |
| Government | |
| • Type | City |
| • Mayor | Yair Revivo |
| Area | |
| • Total | 12,226 dunams (12.226 km2 or 4.720 sq mi) |
| Population (2017) | |
| • Total | 74,604 |
| • Density | 6,100/km2 (16,000/sq mi) |
Lod (Hebrew: לוד, לֹד; Arabic: اللد al-Lidd, al-Ludd; Latin: Lydda, Diospolis, Ancient Greek: Λύδδα / Διόσπολις - city of Zeus) is a city 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Tel Aviv in the Central District of Israel. In 2017 it had a population of 74,604.
The name is derived from the Biblical city of Lod, and it was a significant Judean town from the Maccabean Period to the early Christian period. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War most of the city's Arab inhabitants were expelled in the 1948 Palestinian exodus from Lydda and Ramle. The town was resettled by Jewish immigrants, most of them from Arab countries, alongside 1,056 Arabs who remained. Today, the city has an Arab population of 30%.
Israel's main international airport, Ben Gurion Airport (previously known as Lydda Airport, RAF Lydda, and Lod Airport) is located on the outskirts of the city.