Lod

About

First mentioned in the 15th century BC, Lod was an important Judean town up through the early Christian period. The birthplace of St. George, the Crusaders built a cathedral here in the dragon-slayer’s honor, which was transformed into a mosque once Lod came under Muslim rule. Up until the 1948 war, the city’s population was almost entirely Muslim, and today, it’s one of the few places in Israel that still has a large Arabic community. Lod’s Great Mosque stands as a symbol of this mixed community, being one of the best-preserved Crusader churches in Israel, where both medieval Christian and Muslim inscriptions can be seen. The city’s most precious historic monument are the intricate Byzantine mosaics which are among the largest and finest in the country.