Rosh Ha‘Ayin, Central District, Israel

🇮🇱 Rosh HaAyin (רֹאשׁ הָעַיִן) is a city in the Central District of Israel. To the west of Rosh HaAyin is the fortress of Antipatris and the source of the Yarkon River. To the south-east is the fortress of Migdal Afek (Migdal Tzedek).

Rosh HaAyin is named after its location at the source of the Yarkon River (rosh = head, ayin = fountain, spring). The location, and the ottoman Fort that had existed on the site since the 16th century, has historically been referred to as Ras Al-Ayn (رأس العين). There was a Palestinian Arab village with the same in the location, which was abandoned in 1920s.

Rosh HaAyin was founded in the 1949 near the site of ancient Antipatris and the Ottoman fortress of Ras Al-Ayn and on the land of the depopulated Palestinian village of Majdal Yaba; about 1km north of the village site. Many of the early residents were religious Yemenite Jews airlifted to Israel in 1949 and 1950 in Operation Magic Carpet. They added Biblical words from Exodus 19:4 to the city's logo: "I (God) carried You on eagles' wings". The place was one of the Israel Ma'abarot (transit camps) in the 1950s.

In the 1990s, new neighbourhoods were built, although the town still has a large Yemeni-Jewish population.

Economy According to the CBS, there were 10,972 salaried workers and 1,033 self-employed in 2000. The mean monthly wage for a salaried worker was NIS 6,595, an increase of 11.2% over the course of 2000. Salaried males had a mean monthly wage of NIS 8,408 (a real change of 7.8%) versus NIS 4,857 for females (a real change of 13.1%). The mean income for the self-employed was 6,853. 628 people received unemployment benefits, and 1,057 received an income supplement.

In 2004, the Givot Olam oil company discovered oil at the Meged 5 oil field near Rosh HaAyin. It is one of the largest onshore oil fields in Israel. It began production in 2010, and produces oil as well as some natural gas. Its proven oil reserves are about 1,525 million barrels (242.5×106 m3). TTI Telecom is located in Rosh HaAyin.

Transport The city of Rosh HaAyin is served by Afikim and Egged bus companies. These bus companies, especially Afikim, serve internal transit, and they connect Rosh HaAyin to nearby towns such as Kafr Qasim and Petah Tikva, to Tel Aviv, as well as along Highway 5 to the settlement of Ariel in the Occupied West Bank. The city is served by Rosh HaAyin North railway station, located Northwest of the city. Herzliya–Ashkelon line runs through this station, and it connects Rosh HaAyin to Herzliya in the Northern direction, and to Petah Tikva, Tel Aviv, and Ashkelon in the Southern direction.

Transport: Road The city is located at the interchange between Highway 6 (Trans-Israel Highway) and Highway 5 (Trans-Samaria Highway). Westbound Highway 5 provides connections to North-South thoroughfares that connect to localities in the Tel Aviv Metro Area. Eastbound Highway 5 crosses into the Occupied West Bank, passing through Kafr Qassem/Kafr 'Ein Checkpoint. This highway provides connections to several settlements such as Ariel. Southbound Highway 6 provides connections to Jerusalem, Ben Gurion Airport, and further south to Beersheba. Northbound Highway 6 provides connections to Haifa and Galilee.

Route 444 connects the city to its southern neighbors like El'ad and its northern neighbour Jaljulia. Route 483 connects Rosh HaAyin to Petah Tikva to the west.

The city is also collected to Kafr Qassem via a bridge over Highway 5.

Transport: Air The closest major airport to the city is Ben Gurion Airport near Lod. The airport is located about 25km to the South, accessible via Highway 6.