Will the antiquities be saved from the bus terminal? The turnaround at the Ramat Gan stadium parking lot
A commercial-industrial complex from the early Muslim period, about 1,300 years old, was uncovered in the Winter Stadium parking lot in Ramat Gan. The original plan was to cover the antiquities and build a bus terminal above them, but following opposition from the Ramat Gan municipality and public pressure, work was halted. Alternatives for preserving the site are now being considered, including an archaeological park or integrating the antiquities into a city square.
In the Winter Stadium parking lot in Ramat Gan, a well-organized and well-planned commercial-industrial complex from about 1,300 years ago, dating to the early Muslim period (between the 7th and 9th centuries CE), was uncovered. The findings include a network of straight intersecting streets, drainage systems, kilns, about 12 shops and warehouses, coins, oil lamps, and bronze and iron tools. Remains of later settlement from the 10th century were also found, including residential buildings and clay baking ovens. The excavations were conducted as salvage digs ahead of the construction of a bus terminal and parking lot by the Ayalon Highways Company. The original plan stipulated that the findings would be covered with soil after documentation to allow the terminal to be built above them. The Mayor of Ramat Gan, Carmel Shama Hacohen, sent an urgent letter to Transportation Minister Miri Regev and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu demanding a halt to the work and a review of relocating the terminal. Shama Hacohen presented a vision of turning the complex into an open archaeological museum and stated the municipality's willingness to share in the funding. On the other hand, voices criticized the conduct and called the public letter a media "spin," arguing that the appeal should have been made to the Israel Antiquities Authority. Following the pressure, Minister Eliyahu instructed the Israel Antiquities Authority to hold an urgent meeting with the involved parties. Engineering alternatives are being examined, including leaving the antiquities visible in a city square or an archaeological park, alongside changes to the terminal's design. The site is under a temporary freeze.