Clockwise from the left top: Aqaba's skyline, Aqaba Fort and Aqaba Fields, Al-Hammamat Al-Tunisyya Street in Down Town, Resort in Aqaba, Ayla old City, Aqaba Port, Aqaba Flagpole.
Aqaba (English:/ˈækəbə/AK-ə-bə,[2]US also/ˈɑːk-/AHK-;[3]Arabic:الْعَقَبَة,romanized: al-ʿAqaba,pronounced[ælˈʕæqɑba,ælˈʕæɡæba]) is the only coastal city inJordan and the largest and most populous city on theGulf of Aqaba.[4] Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of theAqaba Governorate.[5] The city had a population of 148,398 in 2015 and a land area of 375 square kilometres (144.8 sq mi).[6] Aqaba has significant trade and tourism. ThePort of Aqaba also serves other countries in the region.[7]
Aqaba's strategic location at the northeastern tip of theRed Sea between the continents of Asia and Africa has made its port important for thousands of years.[7] The ancient city was calledElath, known in Latin asAela) and in Arabic asAyla. Its strategic location and proximity to copper mines made it a regional hub for copper production and trade in theChalcolithic period.[8]
Aqaba's location next toWadi Rum andPetra has made it one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan.[11] The city is administered by theAqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, which has turned Aqaba into a low-tax, duty-free city, attracting several mega projects likeAyla Oasis,Saraya Aqaba,Marsa Zayed and expansion of the Port of Aqaba.[12] They are expected to turn the city into a major tourism hub in the region.[13] However, industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's onlyseaport.[14] The city sits right across the border fromEilat, likewise Israel's only port on the Red Sea. After the 1994Israel–Jordan peace treaty, there were plans and hopes of establishing a trans-border tourism and economic area, but few of those plans have come to fruition.[15][16][17]
Inantiquity, the name of the city wasElath orAilath. The name is presumably derived from theSemitic name of a tree in the genusPistacia.[18] ModernEilat (established 1947), situated about 5 km (3.1 mi) north-west of Aqaba, also takes its name from the ancient settlement. In theHellenistic period, it was renamedBerenice (Ancient Greek:ΒερενίκηBereníkē), but the original name survived, and underRoman rule was re-introduced in the formsAila,[19]Aela orHaila, adopted in Byzantine Greek asΑἴλαAíla and in Arabic asAyla (آيلا).[20] The crusaders called the cityElyn.[21]
The present name comes from the identically-namedGulf of Aqaba, named that as early as 150 A.D. (or somewhat later, if added by a subsequent editor), as evidenced by the plotting of a Mt. Acabe ('Ακάβη όρος) inPtolemy's Geography[22], which mountain is shown directly across from the mouth of theGulf of Aqaba, on the western coast of the Red Sea, probably somewhere in the vicinity of modernHurghada, Egypt, and ancientMons Claudianus, both of which placenames could also themselves be derivedcognate forms of the word Aqaba, the former by morphological drift, the latter as a translation intoLatin, wherein "Claudianus" also suggests limping or stumbling[23], a perfect semantic overlap for the literal Arabic meaning of "Aqaba" (عقبة), as an "obstacle," "stumbling block," or "spine." Thus the Gulf of Aqaba may've in turn gotten its name from this older region, West of it, around Mt. Acabe (not necessarily a single identifiable mountain), construed as the rough spine of highland that must be crossed, to pass thru the natural trade corridor there, from the UpperNile to theRed Sea, along modern Egyptian Highway 60.
This name first became mentioned in connection with the city itself of Aqaba, in the 12th century, asʿaqabat Aylah (عقبة آيلة,'the mountain-pass of Ayla'), mentioned byIdrisi, at a time when the settlement had been mostly reduced to amilitary stronghold, properly referring to the pass just to the north-east of the settlement (29°33′32″N35°05′42″E / 29.559°N 35.095°E /29.559; 35.095, now traversed by the JordanianAqaba Highway).[24][25]
Excavations at twotells (archaeological mounds)Tall Hujayrat Al-Ghuzlan andTall Al-Magass, both a few kilometres north of modern-day Aqaba city, revealed inhabited settlements from c. 4000 BC during theChalcolithic period, with thrivingcopper production on a large scale.[26] This period is largely unknown due to the absence of written historical sources.[8]University of Jordan archaeologists have discovered the sites, where they found[where?] a small building whose walls were inscribed with human and animal drawings, suggesting that the building was used as a religious site. The people who inhabited the site had developed an extensive water system in irrigating their crops which were mostly made up of grapes, olives and wheat. Several different-sized clay pots were also found suggesting that copper production was a major industry in the region, the pots being used in melting the copper and reshaping it. Scientific studies performed on-site revealed that it had undergone two earthquakes, with the latter one leaving the site completely destroyed.[27]
TheEdomites, who ruled overEdom just south of theDead Sea, are believed to have built the first port in Aqaba calledElath around 1500 BC,[citation needed] turning it into a major hub for the trade of copper as thePhoenicians helped them develop their maritime economy. They profited from its strategic location at the junction of trading routes between Asia and Africa.[citation needed]
Archaeologists have investigated anIron Age settlement atTell el-Kheleifeh, immediately west of Aqaba, inhabited between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE.[28]
Around 735 BC, the city[dubious –discuss] was conquered by theAssyrian empire. Because of the wars the Assyrians were fighting in the east, their trading routes were diverted to the city and the port witnessed relative prosperity. TheBabylonians conquered it in 600 BC. During this time, Elath witnessed great economic growth, which is attributed to the business background of its rulers who realized how important the city's location was. The PersianAchaemenid Empire took the city in 539 BC.[29][unreliable source?][dubious –discuss]
The city continued to grow and prosper which made it a major trading hub by the time of theGreek rule by 300 BC, after theWars of Alexander the Great, it was described by a Greek historian to be "one of the most important trading cities in the Arab World".[29] ThePtolemaic Greeks called itBerenice.[30]
In 64 BC, following theRoman conquest, they[who?] annexed the city and called itAela (alsoHaila,Aelana, in Greek rendered ΑἴλαAila).[31][28]
Both Petra and Aela were under strongNabatean influence despite the Roman rule.[dubious –discuss] Aela reached its peak during Roman times, the great long-distance road theVia Traiana Nova led south fromBostra throughAmman, terminating in Aela, where it connected with a west road leading to theParalia andRoman Egypt.
TheAqaba Church was constructed under Roman rule between 293 and 303 and is considered to be the oldest known purpose-built Christianchurch in the world.[32] By the time ofEusebius, Aela became the garrison of theLegio X Fretensis, which was moved to Aela from Jerusalem.[33]
Aqaba Church from around AD 300
One of the oldest known texts written in theArabic alphabet is a late 4th-century inscription found inJabal Ram 50 kilometres (31 miles) east of Aqaba.[34]
Aila fell to theIslamic armies by 629, and the ancient settlement was left to decay, while a new Arab city was established outside its walls underUthman ibn Affan,[40] known asAyla (Arabic:آيلا).
The Early Muslim city was excavated in 1986 by a team from theUniversity of Chicago. Artefacts are now on exhibit atAqaba Archaeological Museum andJordan Archaeological Museum inAmman.[citation needed] The fortified city was inscribed in a rectangle of 170 by 145 metres (558 ft × 476 ft), with walls 2.6 metres (8 ft 6 in) thick and 4.5 metres (14 ft 9 in) high, surrounding a fortified structure, occupying an area of 35 by 55 metres (115 ft × 180 ft).[dubious –discuss][citation needed] 24 towers defended the city. The city had four gates on all four sides, defining two main lines intersecting at the centre. The intersection of these two thoroughfares was indicated by atetrapylon (a four-way arch), which was later transformed into a luxury residential building decorated with frescoes dated to the tenth century.[citation needed] This type of urban structure, known as amisr (pl.amsar), is typical of early Islamic fortified settlements.[citation needed]
Early Muslim Ayla
Early Muslim Ayla
The city prospered from 661 to 750 under theUmayyads and beyond under theAbbasids (750–970) and theFatimids (970–1116). Ayla took advantage of its key position as an important step on the road toIndia and Arab spices (frankincense, myrrh), between theMediterranean Sea and theArabian Peninsula. The city is also mentioned in several stories of theArabian Nights.[citation needed]
The city was mentioned in Medieval[when?] Arabic sources as having a mixed population of Jews and Christians. It subsequently became an important station for pilgrim caravans on the way toMecca.[clarification needed][42]
Baldwin I of Jerusalem took over the city in 1115 without encountering much resistance. The centre of the city then moved to 500 meters along the coast to the south, and the crusader fortress ofElyn was built, which allowed theKingdom of Jerusalem to dominate all roads betweenDamascus,Egypt, andArabia, protecting theCrusader states from the east and allowing for profitable raids on trade caravans passing through the area. In order to secure this strategic position, Baldwin also built and garrisoned a fortress onPharaoh's Island (calledÎle de Graye by the Franks), the modernJazīrat Fir'aun inEgyptian territorial waters about 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) west of Aqaba.[21]
The garrison of Elyn (now serving primarily as a military outpost) was further strengthened in 1142 byPagan the Butler,Lord of Oultrejourdain, who pursued an ambitious program of castle building throughout his domain. However, there was no large-scale settlement of Europeans in the area, and the region between theDead Sea and theGulf of Aqaba remained mainly inhabited by Bedouins, who were obliged to pay tribute to the Lordship of Oultrejourdain.[44] Despite all efforts to fortify the region, the city was captured in 1170 by a squadron sent bySaladin as he was besiegingGaza; while it was successfully raided byRaynald of Châtillon in 1182,[45] it was never retaken by the Crusaders.[46]
During World War I, the Ottoman forces were forced to withdraw from Aqaba in 1917 after theBattle of Aqaba, led byT. E. Lawrence and the Arab forces ofAuda Abu Tayi andSherif Nasir. The capture of Aqaba allowed the British to supply the Arab forces.[10] In 1918, the regions of Aqaba and Ma'an were officially incorporated into theKingdom of the Hejaz. In 1925,Ibn Saud the ruler ofNejd with the help of his WahhabiIkhwan troops successfully annexed the Hejaz, but gave up the Ma'an and Aqaba to the Britishprotectorate ofTransjordan.[47]
The Jordanian census of 1961 found 8,908 inhabitants in 'Aqaba.[48]
In 1965,King Hussein, through an exchange deal withSaudi Arabia, gave 6,000 square kilometres (2,317 square miles) of desert land in Jordanian territories in exchange for other territories, including 12 kilometres (7 miles) of an extension of prime coastline south of Aqaba, which included the Yamaniehcoral reef.[49] Aqaba was a major site for imports ofIraqi goods in the 1980s until thePersian Gulf War.[50]
The city lies at Jordan's southernmost point, on the Gulf of Aqaba lying at the tip of the Red Sea. Its strategic location is shown in the fact that it is located at the crossroads of the continents of Asia and Africa, while bordering Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.[51]
Aqaba has ahot desert climate (Köppen climate classificationBWh) with mild, sometimes warm winters and very hot dry summers. Subzero temperatures can be observed every few years. The record high temperature of 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) was registered on 14 August 2025[52]. The record low temperature of −3.9 °C (25.0 °F) was on January 16, 2008, as inEilat.
In August 2000, the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) was established which acted as the statutory institution empowered with administrative, fiscal, regulatory and economic responsibilities.[54]
Jordan is divided into 12 administrative divisions, each called aGovernorate.Aqaba Governorate divides into 3Districts, some of which are divided into Subdistricts and further divided into villages.
With status as Jordan's special economic zone, Aqaba's economy is based on the tourism and port industry sectors.[4][7]Aqaba's location next toWadi Rum andPetra has strengthened the city's location on the world map and made it one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan.[11] The city is administered by theAqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, which has turned Aqaba into a low-tax, duty-free city, attracting several mega projects likeAyla Oasis,Saraya Aqaba,Marsa Zayed and expansion of the Port of Aqaba.[12] They are expected to turn the city into a major tourism hub in the region.[13] Industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's onlyseaport.[14]
Aqaba is the only seaport of Jordan so virtually all of Jordan's exports depart from here. Heavy machinery industry is also flourishing in the city with regional assembly plants being located in Aqaba such as theLand Rover Aqaba Assembly Plant. By 2008 the ASEZ had attracted $18bn in committed investments, beating its $6bn target by 2020 by a third and more in less than a decade. The goal was adjusted to bring in another $12bn by 2020, but in 2009 alone, deals worth $14bn were inked.[55] Some projects currently under construction are:
Marsa Zayed a $10 billion is the largest mega mixed-use development project ever envisioned in both Jordan and the region. Marsa Zayed will host facilities including residential neighborhoods, commercial outlets and amenities, entertainment venues, financial and business facilities, and a number of hotels. Additionally, the property will feature marinas and a cruise ship terminal. Marsa Zayed will encompass 6.4 million square meters of built-up property.
Saraya Aqaba, a $1.5 billion resort with a man made lagoon, luxury hotels, villas, and townhouses that will be completed by 2017.[needs update]
Ayla Oasis, a $1.5 billion resort around a man made lagoon with hotels, villas, an 18-hole golf course designed byGreg Norman. It also has an Arabian Venice theme with apartment buildings built along canals only accessible by walkway or boat. This project will be completed by 2017.
Tala Bay, Tala Bay was developed in a distinctive architectural style that blends Jordanian and regional architecture with total cost of US$680 million. Another distinguishing feature of this single community resort is its two-kilometer private sandy beach on the Red Sea.
The Red Sea Astrarium (TRSA), the world's only Star Trek themed park, worth $1.5 billion would have been completed by 2014 but cancelled in 2015.
Port relocation. Aqaba's current port will be relocated to the southernmost part of the province near the Saudi border. Its capacity will surpass that of the current port. The project costs $5 billion, and it will be completed by 2013.
Aqaba will be connected by the national rail system which will be completed by 2013. The rail project will connect Aqaba with all Jordan's main cities and economic centers and several countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria.
The Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT) handled a record 587,530 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2008, an increase of 41.6% on the previous year. To accommodate the rise in trade on the back of the increasing popularity of container shipping and the stabilising political situation in Iraq, the Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) has announced plans for a new port. The port relocation 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the south will cost an estimated $600m and will improve infrastructure, while freeing up space for development in the city. Plans for upgrading the King Hussein International Airport (KHIA) and the development of a logistics centre will also help position Aqaba as a regional hub for trade and transport.[55]
Aqaba's coral reefs have made it one of the best diving spots in the world
Aqaba has a number of luxury hotels, including in the Tala Bay resort 20 kilometres (12 miles) further to the south, which service those who come for fun on the beaches as well asScuba diving. Aqaba offers more than thirty primary diving locations, with the majority of them accommodating divers of all skill levels. These diving sites comprise fringing reefs that extend for over 25 kilometres (16 miles), reaching all the way to the border with Saudi Arabia.
It also offers activities which take advantage of its desert location. Its many coffee shops offermansaf andknafeh, andbaqlawa desserts. Another very popular venue is theTurkish Bath (Hamam) built in 306 AD, in which locals and visitors alike come to relax after a hot day.
A beach in Aqaba.
In 2006, the Tourism Division of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) reported that the number of tourists visiting the Zone in 2006 rose to about 432,000, an increase of 5% over previous year. Approximately 65%, or 293,000 were Jordanians. Of foreign tourists, Europeans visited the Zone in the largest numbers, with about 98,000 visiting during the year. The division has financed tourism advertising and media campaigns with the assistance of the European Union.[56]
Aqaba has been chosen for the site of a new waterfront building project that would rebuild Aqaba with new man-made water structures, new high-rise residential and office buildings, and more tourist services to place Aqaba on the investment map and challenge other centers of waterfront development throughout the region.
Aqaba was chosen as the Arab Tourism City of 2011.[57][58][59][14]
During the 5-day holiday at both the end ofRamadan andEid Al-Adha, Jordanian and western expats flock into the city with numbers reaching up to 50,000 visitors. During this time the occupancy rate of most hotels there reaches as high as 90%, and are often fully booked.[60]
The several development projects (i.e. Ayla, Saraya etc.) now taking place in Aqaba provide "opportunities of empowerment" for local populations that want to expand their agency within the city. According to Fulbright scholar Kimberly Cavanagh development projects will help exhibit the ways global- local partnerships and the resultant cultural exchanges, can result in mutually beneficial outcomes.[61]
The city of Aqaba has one of the highest population growth rates in Jordan in 2011, and only 44% of the buildings in the city had been built before 1990.[62] A special census for Aqaba city was carried by the Jordanian department of statistics in 2007, the total population of Aqaba by the census of 2007 was 98,400. The 2011 population estimate is 136,200. The results of the census compared to the national level are indicated as follows:
Demographic data of the city of Aqaba (2007) compared to Kingdom of Jordan nationwide[62]
ِIslam represents the majority of the population of Aqaba, butChristianity still exists today. Approximately 5,000 Christian families live in the city.[63] There are several churches in the city and multiple Christian schools includingRosary Sisters School Aqaba.[64][65]
Residential buildings in Aqaba are made up of 4 stories, of which are covered with sandstone or limestone. The city has no high-rises; however,Marsa Zayed project is planned to dramatically change that reality through the construction of several high-rise towers that host hotels, residential units, offices and clinics.
Aqaba has recently experienced a great growth in its nightlife, especially during the dramatic increase of tourist number in the 2000s.[citation needed]
TheAqaba railway which transported phosphate to the old port ceased operations in 2018. A successor line to transport phosphate fromAl Shidiya andGhor es-Safi to the new terminal inPort of Aqaba is planned through an agreement between Jordan's Ministry for Transport andEtihad Rail.[66]
There has been propositions to connectEilat to Aqaba by rail.[67][68]
King Hussein International Airport is the only civilian airport outside of Amman in the country, located to the north of Aqaba. It is a 20-minutes drive away from the city center. Regular flights are scheduled from Amman to Aqaba with an average flying time of 45 minutes which is serviced byRoyal Jordanian Airlines andJordan Aviation Airlines. Several international airlines connect the city to Istanbul, Dubai, Alexandria, Sharm el-Sheikh, and other destinations in Asia and Europe.[69] Since the 1994 Peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan, there were plans to jointly develop airport infrastructure in the region.[70] However, when Israel builtRamon Airport only 10 km distant from King Hussein International Airport, this happened without consulting the Jordanian side, which caused a slight deterioration of bilateral relations between the two countries and concerns over the safety of having two airports so close together.[71][72]
Aqaba is connected by an 8,000 kilometres (5,000 mi) modern highway system to surrounding countries. The city is connected to the rest of Jordan by theDesert Highway and theKing's Highway that provides access to the resorts and settlements on theDead Sea.[69] Aqaba is connected toEilat inIsrael by taxi and bus services passing through theWadi Araba crossing. And toHaql in Saudi Arabia by theDurra Border Crossing. There are many bus services between Aqaba and Amman and the other major cities inJordan, JETT and Trust International are the most common lines. These tourist buses are spacious and installed with air conditioning and bathrooms.[73]
ThePort of Aqaba is the only port in Jordan. Regular ferry routes to Taba are available on a daily basis and are operated by several companies such as Sindbad for Marine Transportation andArab Bridge Maritime. The routes serve mainly the Egyptian coastal cities on the gulf like Taba and Sharm Al Sheikh.[69] In 2006, the port was ranked as being the "Best Container Terminal" in the Middle East byLloyd's List. The port was chosen for its recent improvements and its ability to handle local traffic as well as international traffic to four neighboring countries.[74]
TheGulf of Aqaba is rich with marine life. The gulf is home to approximately 500 fish species, with many being permanent residents, likelion fish andoctopus, while others are migratory, typically appearing during the summer, such assailfish, considered the fastest fish in the ocean, as well as the world's largest fish, thewhale shark. Marine mammals and reptiles also inhabit the gulf during summer,hawksbill sea turtles, andbottle nosed dolphins call Aqaba's gulf home as well. A large number of predatoryshark species used to inhabit Aqaba's gulf but, due to overfishing and pollution, this population is in decline. While mostly deep water sharks such as thetiger sharks andthresher sharks are present, there are also a small number ofreef sharks as well. The world's fastest shark, theshort-fin mako shark is the most commonly caught species by fishermen in Aqaba.Whale sharks, locally known as Battan, are the most commonly sighted. Conservationists are working hard to protect Aqaba's shark population.[75][76]
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