Al-Majdal

Majdal lies on the southern Palestinian coastal plain near the ruins of ancient Ascalon. The Ottoman registers recorded a growing settlement here: in 1537 it had 187 households, and by 1596 the number had risen to 559. The town became known for weaving, with local looms producing cloth of cotton and wool for clothing used throughout southern Palestine. Fields and orchards surrounded the settlement on the road between Gaza and the northern coast.