From upper left: Eilat coastline at night (×2), evening view of Eilat marina, view of Eilat North Beach, view from the promenade to the outskirts and the surroundingmountains of Eilat.
Eilat is located at the southernmost tip of Israel, at the southern end of theArava valley and theNegev desert, adjacent to theEgyptian resort city ofTaba to the south, theJordanian port city ofAqaba to the east, and within sight ofHaql,Saudi Arabia, across the gulf to the southeast.
Eilat hosts numerous hotels, holiday resorts, and beaches. Its renownedcoral reefs make it a popular destination fordiving tourism, with activities such assnorkeling andscuba diving. The city's shopping centers benefit from its status as atax-free zone. Notable attractions include theDolphin Reef, where visitors can swim with dolphins; theCoral Beach Nature Reserve, the northernmost shallow coral reef on Earth; theCoral World Underwater Observatory, the Ice Mall, and the city's marina and sea-side promenade, home to many bars, restaurants and shops. The city also offers opportunities for hiking and exploration in nearby natural reserves likeTimna Valley Park and the Eilat Mountains.
Eilat's ariddesert climate and low humidity are moderated by proximity to a warm sea. Temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in summer, and 21 °C (70 °F) in winter, while water temperatures range between 20 and 26 °C (68 and 79 °F). Eilat averages 360 sunny days a year.[2]
The geology and landscape are varied: igneous andmetamorphic rocks, sandstone and limestone; mountains up to 892 metres (2,927 ft)above sea level; broad valleys such as the Arava, and seashore on the Gulf of Aqaba. With an annual average rainfall of 28 millimetres (1.1 in) and summer temperatures of 40 °C (104 °F) and higher,water resources and vegetation are limited. "The main elements that influenced the region's history were the copper resources and other minerals, the ancient international roads that crossed the area, and its geopolitical and strategic position. These resulted in a settlement density that defies the environmental conditions."[5]
On the left a map drawn by the first foreigner to explore the area in modern times with current borders overlaid; modern Eilat is located between the mountain "Gatal Mahamar" and the area labelled "marais saumâtre" (brackish marsh). On the right, an early Israeli map drawn shortly after the founding of modern Eilat. The site of ancient Elath, later Ayla, is located midway between modern Eilat andAqaba,Jordan, on the Jordanian side of the border; the Israeli map includes the wordsHebrew:אֵילַת הרומאית,lit. 'Roman Eilat'. The mound shown on the 1822 map as "Ruines d'Elana" is today known asTell el-Kheleifeh, speculated to be BiblicalEzion-Geber; it is shown on the Israeli map asHebrew:עֶצְיֹן גֶּבֶר,lit. 'Ezion-Geber'. The mountain peak named "Gebel Gatal Mahamar" in 1822 is namedHebrew:הַר שְׁלֹמֹה,lit. 'Mount Solomon' in the Israeli map
An Islamic community of 250–400 residents flourished for one or two generations in the area during theUmayyad period.[7] It dealt in agriculture, copper mining andsmelting, as well as trading with pilgrims by taking advantage of the adjacentDarb el-Hajj ('Way of theHajj') route in the 8th century CE.[7] There was some sporadic reuse of the abandoned site by pastoralists during the 9th.[7] It was one of six very similar contemporary villages discovered in close vicinity, two along the northbound leg of theDarb, and three to the southwest, along the coastal road, all of them depending on the nearby port ofAyla and the Hajj road.[7] Its remains were found and excavated in 1989, between the industrial zone at the northern edge of Eilat and nearbyKibbutzEilot.[7]
The town developed over the following years.Eilat Airport was built in 1949 and individual ships began arriving in the 1950s, but as there were no dedicated port facilities they unloaded their goods at sea. In the early 1950s, Eilat was a small and remote town, populated largely by port workers, soldiers, and former prisoners. The town's development accelerated in 1955, when it had a population of about 500. The Timna Copper Mines[10] near theTimna Valley and thePort of Eilat were opened that year and concerted effort by the Israeli government to populate Eilat began, starting with Jewish immigrant families fromMorocco being resettled there. Eilat began to develop rapidly after theSuez Crisis in 1956, with its tourism industry in particular starting to flourish. TheIsraeli Navy's Eilat naval base was founded that year.[11] The town's population grew to 5,300 in 1961.Yoseftal Medical Center and theEilat-Ashkelon pipeline were completed in 1968, and the population increased further, reaching 13,100 in 1972 and 18,900 in 1983.
Eilat in 1963
After the1948 Arab–Israeli War Arab countries maintained a state of hostility with Israel, blocking all land routes; Israel's access to and trade with the rest of the world was by air and sea alone. Further, Egypt denied passage through theSuez Canal to Israeli-registered ships or to any ship carrying cargo to or from Israeli ports. This made Eilat and its sea port crucial to Israel's communications, commerce and trade with Africa and Asia, and for oil imports. Without recourse to a port on the Red Sea Israel would have been unable to develop its diplomatic, cultural and trade ties beyond theMediterranean basin and Europe. This happened in 1956 and again in 1967, when Egypt's closure of theStraits of Tiran to Israeli shipping effectively blockaded the port of Eilat. In 1956, this led to Israel's participation alongside Britain and France in the war against Egypt sparked by theSuez Crisis, while in 1967, 90% of Israeli oil passed through the Straits of Tiran.[12] Oil tankers that were due to pass through the straits were delayed.[13][14] The straits' closure was cited by Israel as an additionalcasus belli leading to the outbreak of theSix-Day War. Followingpeace treaties signed withEgypt in 1979 andJordan in 1994, Eilat's borders with its neighbors were finally opened.
Israeli–Arab conflict
Eilat is especially defended by its own special forces unitLOTAR Eilat. It is a reservistspecial forces unit of the IDF trained in counter-terrorism andhostage rescue in the Eilat area, which has taken part in many counter-terrorist missions in the region since its formation in 1974. The Lotar unit is composed solely of reservists, citizens who must be Eilat residents between the ages of 20 and 60, who are on call in case of a terrorist attack on the city. It is one of only three units in the IDF authorized to free hostages on its own command.[15][16] In 2007 theEilat bakery bombing killed three civilian bakers.[17][18] This was the first such attack in Eilat proper,[19] although other terror attacks had been carried out in the area.[20]
In 2011, terrorists infiltrated Israel across theSinai border to execute multiple attacks on Highway 12, including a civilian bus and private car a few miles north of Eilat, in what became known as the2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks.[21][22]
In order to prevent terrorist infiltration of Israel from the Sinai, Israel has built theEgypt–Israel barrier, a steel barrier equipped with cameras, radar and motion sensors along the country's southern border.[23] The fence was completed in January 2013.[24]
During theGaza war and ensuingRed Sea crisis, the port saw an 85% reduction in volumes and by 12 July 2024 the port of Eilat declared bankruptcy resulting in it seeing no economic activity or revenue for eight months.[25]
The formerEilat Airport was closed on 18 March 2019 after the opening ofRamon Airport. The land occupied by the former airport is to be redeveloped. The new Ramon Airport opened in January 2019, 18 kilometres (11 miles) north of Eilat and replaced both Eilat Airport and the civilian use ofOvda Airport.[27] Hotels and apartment buildings, containing a total of 2,080 hotel rooms and 1,000 apartments will be constructed on the site, as well as 275dunams of public space and pedestrian paths. The plans also set aside space for the railway line and an underground railway station. The plan's goal is to create an urban continuum between the city center and North Beach, as well as tighten the links between the city's neighborhoods, which were separated by the airport.[28]
In addition, there are plans to move thePort of Eilat and theEilat-Ashkelon pipeline terminal to the northern part of the city, as well as to turn it into a university town of science and research, and brand it an international sports city. All these projects are part of a plan to increase Eilat's population to 150,000 people and build 35,000 hotel rooms.[29]
Climate
Eilat has ahot desert climate (Köppen:BWh)[30] with very hot, dry summers and warm, similarly dry winters. Winters are usually between 11–23 °C (52–73 °F). Summers are usually between 26–40 °C (79–104 °F). There are relatively smallcoral reefs near Eilat; however, 50 years ago[when?] they were much larger.[citation needed]
Climate data for Eilat (Temperature: 1987–2010, Precipitation: 1980–2010, extremes 1987–present))
The overwhelming majority of Eilat's population areJews. Arabs constitute about 4% of the population.[39] Eilat's population includes a large number of foreign workers, estimated at over 10,000 working as caregivers, hotel workers and in the construction trades. Eilat also has a growingIsraeli Arab population, as well as many affluentJordanians andEgyptians who visit Eilat in the summer months.
The educational system of Eilat accommodates more than 9,000 children in eight day-care centers, 67 pre-kindergartens and kindergartens, 10 elementary schools, and 3 six-year high schools. Also, there are some special-education schools and religious schools.[43]Ben Gurion University of the Negev maintains a campus in Eilat. The Eilat branch has 1,100 students, about 75 percent from outside the city. TheHebrew University of Jerusalem, also maintains a campus in Eilat.[44] In 2010, a new student dormitory was funded and built by the Jewish Federation of Toronto, the Rashi Foundation, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the municipality of Eilat.[45] TheSPNI's Eilat Field School on the outskirts of Eilat offers special hiking tours that focus ondesert ecology, theRed Sea,bird migration and other aspects of Eilat's flora and fauna.[46] TheHesder Yeshiva Ayelet Hashachar, is based in Eilat, established in 1997.[47]
Healthcare
Yoseftal Medical Center, established in 1968, is Israel's southernmost hospital, and the only hospital covering the southernNegev. With 65 beds, the hospital is Israel's smallest. Special services geared to the Red Sea region are ahyperbaric chamber to treat victims of diving accidents andkidney dialysis facilities open to vacationing tourists.[48]
Eilat Airport is located in the city centre and was used largely for domestic flights[49] (IATA: ETH, ICAO: LLET). The former site is to beredeveloped.
International flights often usedOvda International Airport some 50 kilometres (31 mi) northwest of the city[50] (IATA: VDA, ICAO: LLOV). While no civilian flights use the airport any longer, it remains in use as a military airbase and foraircraft storage.
Road
Eilat has two main roads connecting it with the center of Israel –Route 12, which leads North West, andRoute 90 which leads North East, and South West to the border crossing with Egypt.
Bus
Egged, the national bus company, provides regular service to points north on an almost hourly basis as well as in-city on a half-hourly basis during daylight hours. In part due to the comparatively long travel times, there are different booking procedures for buses to Eilat, including the option of advance reservations.[51][52][53]
ThePort of Eilat and Eilat Marina allow travel by sea.
Rail
Future plans also call for a rail link, sometimes referred to as theMed-Red[54] to decrease travel times substantially from Eilat toTel Aviv andJerusalem, via the existing line atBeer Sheba; planning is underway. As of 2021Dimona railway station is the southernmost passenger train station in Israel.[55]
Economy
In the 1970s tourism became increasingly important to the city's economy as other industries shut down or were drastically reduced. Today tourism is the city's major source of income, although Eilat became afree trade zone in 1985.[56]
Eilat offers a wide range of accommodations, from hostels and luxury hotels toBedouin hospitality. In recent years Eilat has been the target of militants from Egypt and Gaza causing a reduced tourist inflow to the region. Attractions include:
Birdwatching and ringing station: Eilat is located on the main migration route between Africa and Europe. International Birding & Research Center in Eilat.[57]
Yotvata Hai-Bar Nature Reserve, established in the 1960s to conserveendangered species, including Biblical animals, from this and similar regions. The reserve has a visitors' center, care and treatment enclosures, and large open area where desert animals are acclimated before re-introduction into the wild. Hai-Bar efforts have successfully re-introduced the Asian wild ass, oronager, into theNegev.[60] The Hai-Bar Nature Reserve and animal re-introduction program were described in Bill Clark's book "High Hills and Wild Goats: Life Among the Animals of the Hai-Bar Wildlife Refuge". The book also describes life in Eilat and the surrounding area.[61]
Timna Valley Park, the oldest copper mines in the world; Egyptian temple of Hathor, King Solomon's Pillars sandstone formation, ancient pit mines androck art[62]
"What's Up", a portable astronomicalobservatory with programs in the desert and on the promenade[63]
Ice Mall, ice skating rink and shopping mall
Dive tourism
Coral World Underwater ObservatoryEilat sea
Skin andscuba diving equipment is for hire on or near all major beaches. Scuba diving equipment rental andcompressed air are available from diving clubs and schools all year round. Eilat is located in theGulf of Aqaba, one of the most popular diving destinations in the world. The coral reefs along Eilat's coast remain relatively pristine and the area is recognized as one of the prime diving locations in the world.[64] About 250,000 dives are performed annually in Eilat's 11 km (6.8 mi) coastline, and diving represents 10% of the tourism income of this area.[65] In addition, given the proximity of many of these reefs to the shore, non-divers can encounter the Red Sea's reefs with relative ease.[64] Water conditions for SCUBA divers are good all year round, with water temperatures around 21–25 °C (70–77 °F), with little or no currents and clear waters with an average of 20–30 metres (66–98 feet) visibility.
Eilat has been utilized by film and television productions – domestic and foreign – for location shooting since the 1960s, most notably in the early 90s as a tropical locale for season 2 of the Canadian productionTropical Heat.
Despite harsh conditions, the region has supported large populations as far back as 8,000 BCE.[citation needed] SeveralNeolithic sites have been discovered in Eilat in its vicinity. One of them is a late Neolithic burial site withfan scrapers, dated by archaeologists to 5410–4250 BCE.[66]
Exploration of ancient sites began in 1861, but only 7% of the area has undergone seriousarchaeological excavation. Some 1,500 ancient sites are located in a 1,200-square-kilometer (460 sq mi) area. In contrast to the gaps found in settlement periods in the neighbouring Negev Highlands and Sinai, these sites show continuous settlement for the past 10,000 years.[citation needed]
^Discovering the World of the Bible, LaMar C. Berrett, (Cedar Fort 1996), page 204
^Eretz Magazine (3 June 2018), Editorial,The Names CommitteeArchived 2020-09-22 at theWayback Machine: "The issue of Eilat took up another chunk of the committee’s time. In 1949, Eilat did not exist. The city was founded only in 1952. But a place by the name of Eilat appears time and again in the biblical record. It was one of the stations in the wanderings of the people of Israel during the exodus from Egypt. King Solomon built ships on the shore of the Sea of Sof, in the land of Edom at Etzion Gever, which is Eilat. King Azariya of Judah built the city of Eilat, and so on and so forth. However, the location of this place called Eilat or Etzion Gaver remained unclear. On the shore of the gulf, where the big shopping mall of Eilat is today, a small adobe hut stood. The hut served as a British police station called Umm Rashrash. “On the map,” Yeivin explained, “we see a place called Umm Rashrash and next to it the name Eilat. But Eilat was not here. Biblical and Roman Eilat were across the border in Jordan. The name Eilat should be erased from the map.”; “We cannot give up Eilat,” Press retorted, “when the real Eilat finally is in our hands, our settlement will expand and reach over to there.” David Amiran, the geographer, suggested that Eilat should be the name of the settlement that would be built on the shore of the gulf, which should be called the Gulf of Eilat. Ben-Zvi was for eliminating Umm Rashrash from the map together with Etzion Gaver. Eilat is Eilat, he said, musing that maybe the committee should call Umm Rashrash Etzion Gaver and establish Eilat elsewhere. The committee ultimately decided to replace the name Umm Rashrash with Eilat. Etzion Gaver was commemorated on the map by dubbing a well along the coast Be’er Etzion Gever. Today the well is buried under the artificial lagoon in Eilat."
^Bartlett, J. R. (1990). “Ezion-geber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Read Sea” (I Kings IX 26). InIn Quest of the Past (pp. 1–16). Brill.
^Avner, U. 2008. Eilat Region. In, A. Stern (ed.). The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavation in theHoly Land, Volume 5 (Supplementary). Jerusalem. 1704–1711.
^Israel Airports Authority (2007)."Eilat Airport". Israel Airports Authority.Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. RetrievedNovember 16, 2007.
^Israel Airports Authority (2007)."Ovda Airport". Israel Airports Authority.Archived from the original on October 31, 2007. RetrievedNovember 16, 2007.
^The Dolphin Reef Eilat (2007)."The Freedom To Choose". The Dolphin Reef Eilat. Archived fromthe original on November 18, 2007. RetrievedOctober 29, 2007.
^Artificial Reefs and Dive Tourism in Eilat, Israel Dan Wilhelmsson, Marcus C. Öhman, Henrik Ståhl and Yechiam Shlesinger Ambio, Vol. 27, No. 8, Building Capacity for Coastal Management (Dec., 1998), pp. 764–766 Published by: Allen Press on behalf of Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences[1]Archived 2016-05-27 at theWayback Machine
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