Above Ashdod's sand dunes a fortress named "Kal'at el-Mina" can be found. A moat surrounds the building on all sides except the western. After the Byzantine invasion of the area the fortress was not destroyed leaving it ready for reoccupation in the late 12th century AD following the Byzantine departure from the region. Recent archeological digs have retrieved earthenware and ancient Arab coins belonging to the 10th century AD, indicating that the fortress was in Arab hands from that time.