Ramla – Attractions, Meaning, and More

Ramla is a city in central Israel (on Via Maris) established more than a thousand years ago. And you can visit various attractions.

Attractions in Ramla

Here is a table of the most popular attractions in the city:

#	Name	Rating	Number of Reviews	Comment
1	Ramla Market	4.3	10,506	You can find more info below.
2	The Pool of Arches	4.1	2,602	The Pool of Arches is an ancient underground pool in Ramla. And you can explore it by sailing in boats.
3	The Truck Museum	4.7	1,544	Trucks and Transport Museum in Ramla presents many old vehicles and is a lovely attraction for families.
4	The White Tower	4.1	629	You can find more info below.
5	The Great Mosque	4.4	227	You can find more info below.
6	Lod Mosaic	4.5	149	Recently a new museum was constructed in the nearby city. This museum is dedicated to one of the largest and best-preserved mosaic floors uncovered in the country.
7	Ramla Museum	4	85	You can find more info below.
8	The Franciscan Church	4.7	64	You can find more info below.

The attractions table is sorted by the number of reviews, which can indicate popularity. However, there are two places for which you can not use that indicator. Ramla Market is used as a regular market and not a tourist attraction. Hence there are many reviews. And Lod Mosaic museum was only recently opened. Hence, places #2 – #4 are probably the most popular among tourists.

Recently Ramla World City Festival took place. And we decided it was the perfect opportunity to visit the city and its best attractions. And this post is the result of that visit.

Map

Ramla is a city in central Israel. It is located about 24 km from Tel Aviv and approximately 50 km from Jerusalem.

Interactive map of the area:

You can reach the city by public transport, either by bus or by train. Also, since the town is not that big (population is around 90,000), and there are not many tourists, there is no problem finding parking.

Moreover, three parking lots were marked before the Ramla World City Festival, and we had no difficulties finding a spot.

Basic Info

Ramla is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish, with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 CE by the Umayyad governor and future caliph Sulayman ibn Abd al-Malik. Ramla lies along the route of the Via Maris, connecting old Cairo (Fustat) with Damascus, at its intersection with the road connecting the port of Jaffa with Jerusalem.

It was conquered many times by the Abbasids, the Ikhshidids, the Fatimids, the Seljuqs, the Crusaders, the Mameluks, the Turks, the British, and the Israelis. After an outbreak of the Black Death in 1347, which significantly reduced the population, an order of Franciscan monks established a presence in the city. Under Arab and Ottoman rule, the city became an important trade center. Napoleon’s French Army occupied it in 1799 on its way to Acre.

The town had an Arab majority before most of its Arab inhabitants were expelled or fled during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Jewish immigrants subsequently repopulated the city. In 2001, 80% of the population was Jewish and 20% Arab (16% Arab Muslims and 4% Arab Christians).

In recent years, attempts have been made to develop and beautify the city, plagued by neglect, financial problems, and a negative public image. New shopping malls and public parks have been built, and a municipal museum opened in 2001.

A 2013 Israeli police report documented that the Central District ranks fourth among Israel’s seven districts concerning drug-related arrests. Today, five prisons are located in Ramla, including the maximum-security Ayalon Prison and Israel’s only women’s prison called Neve Tirza.

Source: Wikipedia

What Does Ramla Mean?

“Ramel” means sand in Arabic. And Ramla was established on the sands along Via Maris (sea road). Hence the name.

Crime Rate in Ramla

When most Israeli hear Ramla, their first thought is not about archeological findings or tourist attractions in the city. Instead, they think about crime in the city. Because whenever you hear about Ramla in the news, it is usually about an additional offense. It is not only a biased feeling, but data support it. For example, this 2014 study checked the crime rate in 230 cities across Israel, and Ramla was in third place. And according to different sources (like this one), it is primarily drug-related crimes. Some even call Ramle and Lod the drug capitals.

This negative image hurts tourism. But it can also be beneficial. You will see and encounter real people, and not something polished for visitors. Moreover, most offenses are performed by offenders against other criminals and are not aimed at tourists. And we walked alone around the city for several hours, and I felt perfectly safe.

Ramla World City Festival

Ramla World City Festival is an annual event that usually takes place around October (during the Sukkot holidays). Besides visiting the most popular touristic attractions, the festival allows you to taste ethnic food, join tours and workshops, and enjoy live music.

We decided to use this opportunity and visit the city. But, since all workshops and tours took place in the middle of the day, and the festival takes place during working days, we could not join any of them (you need to take a vacation for that). Instead, we left work early and toured Ramle from 17:00 to 19:30. This post is the result of that urban exploration.

The World City Festival took place in several different compounds. The smaller one was near Ramla City Hall, and since we parked not far from the Police Station (in the parking lot behind Sderot Herzl 84), we started there.

Mehndi Ceremony

Near the city hall, we saw a small stage and several areas where you could see Mehndi ceremony decorations. Each space showed Mehndi decorations used by people from different places. Ramla is a diverse city. According to the official site, the population consists of Jewish immigrants from over 55 countries, Muslims, Christians, and Karaites. And the Mehndi presentation wanted to show that.

Here is short background information from Wikipedia about Mehndi (or as it is called in Hebrew: Hinna):

Mehndi is a ritual practiced by various peoples in the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and India. This ritual is celebrated before the wedding, and it marks the passage from living alone to a couple life. The ceremony was also adopted by some Eastern Jews. In the ceremony, red-orange material, extracted from the white ransom leaves, is spread in a round shape over the hands of the bride and groom. It is a hint of the shape of a coin, as a blessing of abundance and as a sign of good luck.

Mehndi was used for ancient ceremonies of joy in the ancient Near East. It was celebrated by the Sumerians, Canaanites, Ugaritic inhabitants, Babylonians, and Assyrians. And in Southern China, Mehndi was also used for erotic events for 3,000 years.

I overheard somebody asking about ethnic food at the Bukharian tent. The ladies answered that all food was consumed by noon. Thus, if you want to taste ethnic dishes, come early.

And the Star of David was part of Indian decorations:

From the city hall, we headed to a unique attraction in Ramla.

The Pool of Arches

The Pool of Arches is an ancient underground pool in Ramla. And you can explore it by sailing in boats. You can find my guide at The Pool of Arches.

From the Pool Of Arches, we headed towards Ramla’s bazaar.

On our way, we passed near the Anglican Church (Herzel Street 67), also known as Emmanuel Church.

And nearby you can find the Franciscan Church.

The Franciscan Church

Many Christians believe that Ramla is the town where Joseph of Arimathea lived who, together with Nicodemus, took Jesus off the cross. At the end of the 13th century, some monks came to the Holy Land, representatives of the Vatican, to guard the assets and sites holy to Christianity.

For this purpose, they established the “Custodia di Terra Santa” – the “Guardianship of the Holy Land.” The Franciscan “Terra Santa” organization bought land and, in 1396, erected a monastery on the site. Besides, it served pilgrims on their way from Jaffa to Jerusalem.

In the second half of the 19th century, the church’s construction at the center of the monastery started, with the help of donations from the Spanish church. In 1902, the building was completed. The compound also includes the “Terra Santa School,” which belongs to a countrywide network.

It is told that in the adjacent hospice, Napoleon Bonaparte was hosted during his attempted conquest of the Holy Land in 1799 and that he shot at the muezzin of the nearby mosque who disturbed his sleep. The room he stayed in is closed to visitors.

A visit is possible upon the arrangement in advance through the school’s offices for a symbolic fee.
Telephone: 08-912 7200

Note: unless stated otherwise, all quotes were taken from the official site.