ʿAydhab عَيذاب | |
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  ʿAydhab Location in theHalaib Triangle | |
| Coordinates:22°19′51″N36°29′25″E / 22.33083°N 36.49028°E /22.33083; 36.49028 | |
| Country | De jure Disputed area between:  Egypt SudanDe facto Administered by: Egypt |
| Governorate | Red Sea Governorate (Egypt) |
| State | Red Sea State (Sudan) |
ʿAydhab (Arabic:عَيذاب, also Aidab) was an important medieval port on the west coast of theRed Sea. The abandoned site of the town is located in theHalaib Triangle, a territory disputed betweenEgypt and theSudan.
ʿAydhab was occupied by theBeja before its conquest byFatimid Egypt in the 10th century.[1] It was located about 20 km north of the modern portHalaib.[2]Abulfeda gave its coordinates as 21°N, 58°E:[3] it is actually located at 22°19'N, 36°28'E. The site was identified in January 1896 by the English explorerTheodore Bent.[4]
ʿAydhab became an important port for eastern trade (particularly withYemen) and for Muslimpilgrims from Africa on their way toMecca during the 10th and 11th centuries for a number of reasons. First, the rediscovery of the Egyptian mines of theWadi Allaqi led to agold rush between the 10th and 14th centuries. Second, the establishment of the Fatimid caliphate increased the relative importance of Egypt in Middle Eastern trade, while piracy and instability in thePersian Gulf moved more international trade into the Red Sea. This had to be located far down the coast because steady southerly winds made it difficult for large ships to travel toSuez before theage of steam.[5]
ʿAydhab was close toJiddah and linked by a regular ferry; caravans connected it toAswan and other cities on theNile. The travellersibn Jubayr andibn Battuta both passed through the town.Maimonides's brother David drowned on his way from ʿAydhab to India.[6]Nasir Khusraw believed the region to have the bestcamels in the world.[1]
The town's customs were divided between theBanyan merchants and theBeja nomads, who in turn protected the town and merchants.[7]
The town was sacked by thecrusaderRaynald of Châtillon in 1182 and byKing Dawud ofNubia around 1270. The retaliatory raid ofDongola by the SultanBaybars brought that country under Egyptian vassalage.
The town declined as the end of the Crusades and development ofSuakin increased competition with other ports. In 1326, the well-known travellerIbn Battuta intended to travel fromEgypt toMecca via 'Aydhab - which was at the time considered the least-travelled of three possible routes. However, upon approaching ʿAydhab he was forced to turn back due to a local rebellion, return to Cairo and go to Mecca by a different route.[2]
After the rise of theMamluks,Jiddah received preferential treatment for Indian trade.
Finally, in 1426, the Mamluk sultanBarsbay destroyed the town in reprisal for plundering of goods en route to Mecca. The inhabitants of the town fled to Dongola and Suakin,[8] but were massacred in the latter.[1] This was part of Barsbay's campaign to secure for Egypt the exclusive rights over theRed Sea trade betweenYemen and Europe.[9]
The former port of the town no longer exists, and the site has been abandoned.
Authority control databases: National |
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