Minat al-Qal’a, sometimes wrongly named Qal’at al-Mina, is a medieval coastal fort protecting the port known as Ashdod-Yam, which was historically separate from Ashdod proper but whose archaeological remains are today located on the southern beach of the sprawling modern city of Ashdod.
The fort was built by the Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan (reign 685–705 CE) before the end of the 7th century on top of Byzantine-era remains. It was in use during the 10th-11th centuries, and was restored and used again by the Crusaders in the late 12th century after sustaining serious damage from the 1033 earthquake. Its medieval Arabic name was Mahuz Azdud, “harbour of Azdud”, a very interesting return to Semitic toponyms after centuries of Hellenistic culture at “Azotus paralios”
The fort was meant to protect the port from raids by the strong Byzantine navy, while the port itself was used by the very same navy to exchange Muslim prisoners for ransom money
