Sights in Aqaba

Aqaba is a great place, its golden sands, good whether and towering palm trees makes it an experimental oasis of Turkish delights. For a first timer like me, it has been a great experience to escape from the rough and tumble of city life and just stroll along its promonenades, quite streets and rich golden beeches.

Aqaba is nothing quite like any other touristic resort, its small, cozy, and yet has everything to discover and all within a short walking distance. Its serenity, cafes and restaurants is only matched by the plenty in duty free shops as Aqaba city is part of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone which has been created since the year 2000 to offer the best in Jordanian hospitality.

Today its part of an amalgmation of economic development of foreign investor attractiveness as well as a tourist destination where it is linked to a “golden triangle” of Wadi Rum, and further up to Petra, which makes it ideal for different tourists, the corporate exectutive as well as the ordinary buff looking for easy pace, exotic sorroundings, for the sea as well as the sense of history, for someone who doesn’t want the traffic lights, yet who wants a good time this is the place to be.

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling in Aqaba

The Gulf of Aqaba is a world known diving area and a natural haven for scuba diving, snorkeling and scientific exploration. It offers eager divers a great chance to experience virgin coral reefs, rare marine life forms, and encounters with friendly sea animals like turtles and dolphins. The Gulf’s average water temperature of 23 degrees Celsius allows water-activity oriented tourist to enjoy the sea year round.

The Red Sea’s unique marine ecosystem includes about 110 species of soft corals, 120 species of hard corals and countless varieties of brightly colored fish and other invertebrates, some of which are unique to the region, creating a colorful kaleidoscope. This, combined with the Gulf’s depth and its isolation of sea currents, which minimize turbulence and improve visibility, make it one of the most rewarding scuba diving and snorkeling spots in the world.

Aqaba’s climate makes it a refreshing location for year-round diving. The water temperature averages 22.5°C (72.5°F) in winter and 26°C (78.8°F) in summer. The prevailing northern winds from Wadi Araba keep the water surface shimmering clean, and the flows within the gulf ensure transparent waters.

Aqaba’s Royal Diving Center and several other qualified dive operates offer complete diving services including PADI and BSAC courses, equipment rental and fully supervised dives. For those who prefer to see marine life at arm’s length, glass bottomed boats can be easily rented.

Transportation in Aqaba

The Hijaz railway system no longer functions for travellers, therefore the popular routes in and out from Aqaba are taxis (to the city of Eilat, Israel- through the Rabin passage), boat to Egypt (through the Red Sea to the city of Nuweiba or Sharm el-Sheikh) or by air, from the Aqaba Airport - to Amman or outside of Jordan.

History of Aqaba

Aqaba has been inhabited settlement since 4000 BC profiting from its strategic location at the junction of trading routes between Asia, Africa, Europe. The early settlement was known as Eilat in Biblical Hebrew (and presumably Edomite) in ancient times. It was a centre of the Edomites, and then of the Arab Nabataeans, who populated the region extensively

The Bible refers to the area in (1 Kings 9:26)"King Solomon also built ships in Ezion-Geber, which is near Eilat in Edom, on the shores of the Red Sea.” This verse probably refers to an Iron Age port city on the same ground as modern Aqaba.

The Ptolemaic Greeks called it Berenice, and the Romans Aila and Aelana. During Roman times, the great long distance road the Via Traiana Nova led south from Damascus through Amman, terminating in Aqaba, where it connected with a west road leading to Palestine and Egypt.

Soon after Muhammad’s time, it became part of the new Caliphate, and thereafter passed through the hands of such dynasties as the Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids, and Mamluks. The early days of the Islamic era saw the construction of the city of Ayla, which was described by the geographer Shams Eddin Muqaddasi as being next to the true settlement, which was lying in ruins closeby. The ruins of Ayla (unearthed in the 1980s by an American-Jordanian archeological team) are a few minutes walk north along the main waterfront road.

During the 12th century the Crusaders occupied the area and built their fortress of Helim, which remains relatively well-preserved today. In addition to building a stronghold within Aqaba, the Crusaders fortified the small island of Ile de Graye (now known as Pharaoh’s Island - about 7 kilometers offshore). The island now lies in Egyptian territorial waters.

By 1170, both Aqaba and the island had been recaptured by Saladin. The Mamluks took over in 1250 and rebuilt the fort in the 14th century under one of the last Mamluk sultans, Qansah al-Ghouri.

Introducation of Aqaba

Aqaba is a coastal town with a population of 101,290 (2000) and 2% of Jordan’s population in the far south of Jordan (29.5167° N 35.0° E). It is the capital of Aqaba Governorate. Aqaba is strategically important to Jordan as it is the country’s only seaport. The town borders Eilat, Israel and there is a border post where it is possible to cross between the two countries. Both Aqaba and Eilat are at the head (inside) of the Gulf of Aqaba.

The town is best known today as a diving and beach resort. However, industrial activity remains important to the area, and the town is an exporter of phosphate and some shells. The town is also an important administrative centre within the far south of Jordan.

Aqaba , town (1996 est. pop. 52,000), SW Jordan, at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, on the border with Israel. It is the only Jordanian port with direct access to the Red Sea; it remains the trade entrepot to Iraq. Phosphates are the chief export. Aqaba is also a popular winter and summer seaside resort. Since at least 1000 B.C., a port has existed continuously on the site to handle trade between Palestine and Syria.

Aqaba stands on or near the biblical Elath (Elat). The Roman military post of Aelana later occupied the site. A great road built under Emperor Trajan linked the area with Damascus and Egypt. Occupied and fortified by the Crusaders in 1115, Aqaba was retaken by Saladin in 1187. During the 19th cent. the town became a staging point on the pilgrim route to Mecca. T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) captured Aqaba for the Allies in World War I; it later became part of the Hejaz but was ceded to Transjordan in 1924. The town’s name is sometimes spelled Akaba.