Jerusalem (the Lordship of Ramla within the County of Jaffa and Ascalon). It was a city of some economic significance and an important way station for pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem. The Crusaders identified it with the biblical Ramathaim and called it Arimathea.
Around 1163 Rabbi Benjamin of Tudela visited "Rama, or Ramleh, where there are remains of the walls from the days of our ancestors, for thus it was found written upon the stones. About 300 Jews dwell there. It was formerly a very great city; at a distance of two miles (3 km) there is a large Jewish cemetery." He wrote that the Crusaders had found the bones of Samuel, the biblical prophet, close to a Jewish synagogue in Ramla and "conveyed them unto Shiloh, and erected over them a large church, and called it St. Samuel of Shiloh unto this day". This site is identified with Nebi Samuel overlooking Jerusalem.
Ramla was sometimes referred to as Filastin, in keeping with the common practice of referring to districts by the name of their main city.
Earthquakes
The city suffered severe damage from earthquakes in 715, 1033, 1068, 1546 and 1927.
Modern history
In the early days of the Ottoman period, Ramla was a desolate town with few inhabitants. In 1548, 528 Muslim families and 82 Christian families were living there. On March 2, 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte occupied Ramla during his unsuccessful bid to conquer Palestine, using the Franciscan hospice as his headquarters. Expansion began only at the end of the 19th century. Under the British Mandate, the population grew steadily, reaching 12,000 Muslims and 3,300 Christians in 1945. Although Ramla was primarily an Arab city, it had a small Jewish community until the Arab riots in 1936–1939 Sheikh Mustafa Khairi was mayor of Ramla from 1920 to 1947. The 1945/46 survey gives 'Ramle' a population of 15,160. Of whom 11,900 were Muslim and 3,260 Christian.
Ramla was part of the territory allotted to a
