Aqaba

City of Aquaba photo courtesy of Jordan Tourist BoardFamed for its preserved coral reefs and unique sea life, this Red Sea port was in ancient times, the main port for shipments from the Red Sea to the Far East. From as far back as 5000 years ago, Aqaba has played an important role in the economy of the region. It was a prime junction for land and sea routes from Asia, Africa and Europe, a role it still plays today.

According to the Old Testament, King Soloman built a naval base at Ezion Gever, near the border of modern Aqaba. Documentary sourches suggest that Aqaba (ancient Ayla) was founded as a Nabataean city. In 106 AD, the Roman emperor Trajan annexed the area and incorporated it in the newly created Province of Arabia. It became a station for pilgrims visiting Mt. Sinai when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Muslim rule began in 630 AD under a peace treaty. One of the articles suggested the continued importance of commerce to the city’s economy up to the eve of the Muslim conquest. From the mid 7th to early 12th centuries, Arab Muslims founded a new walled town. By 1116 AD when Baldwin I, the king of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem arrived, the inhabitants were too wek to offer any resistance and the walled town was abandoned. It was the Mameluke Sultans of Egypt who took control of the region and renamed it Aqaba in the early 16th century. The Mamelukes were followed by the Ottomans and were taken over in 1917 by Arab forces together with T.E. Lawerence. At the end of WWI the British secured Aqaba for Jordan.

Historical Sites