about Modiin OVERVIEW: Modi’in, Israel’s youngest city, is located in a geographically
strategic intersection in the center of the country.
Intent on maintaining its rightfully designated place as
a lively metropolis, it serves, as it did historically, as the
center for the towns, villages and cities in the region. Modi'in (Hebrew: מוֹדִיעִין) is a city in the Center District of Israel. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in 2005 the city had a total population of 68,000. In December 2003, Modi'in was united with the nearby municipality of Maccabim-Re'ut (now called Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut). Modi'in, Modi'in Illit, Hashmonaim and Matityahu (moshav) are all part of an area known as Emeq Modi'in, with a metropolitan area population of over 150,000. HISTORY: Ancient Modi'in was the place of origin of the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty that ruled Judea in the first and second centuries BCE, and it is where the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Greeks started. Modern Modi'in is located near the location of the ancient Modi'in described in the Talmud, though the specific location is uncertain. For centuries the preferred location was Suba, far from what the Talmud indicates, but this is no longer tenable. Possibilities suggested by modern archaeologists include: Umm el-'Umdan near Route 20 to Canada Park and Latrun, Khirbet el-Midye, and Khirbet el-Burj (Titura). All these locations are close to the present built-up area of modern Modi'in, and some of them have been damaged by the building of the present-day city. The cornerstone for present-day Modi'in was laid in 1993. It is a modern planned city, and the highest standards of urban planning, environmental concern and planning for future growth were taken into consideration during its design. Large greenspaces were incorporated into the city's layout and comprise 50% of the area within the city limits. The long term projection of the ministry of housing is for the city to be home to about a quarter million residents, thus becoming one of the largest localities in Israel. However, plans approved for the city thus far are for only 120,000 residents. The city was planned by the well-known architect Moshe Safdie. Its design was supervised by the Ministry of Building and Housing's main architect Carlos Drimberg and the City Engineer-Architect Daniel Senerman. An Israel Railways rail line has been completed to the city, and as of April 2008 is in operation to a large underground station in Modi'in. Service began in September 2007 to the nearby commercial zone of Paatei Modi'in. This railway connects Modi'in directly to Tel Aviv by way of Ben Gurion Airport. The city is currently the southernmost stop on a major rail line whose other terminus is in Nahariya. In addition, a high speed rail line is planned that will connect Modi'in to Jerusalem, beginning around 2011. With thanks to WikiPedia
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