beach
Eilat
Israel's southernmost city on the Red Sea coast, famous for its year-round warmth, coral reef nature reserve, and dolphin reef.
6 km · about 10 min drive
AsiaJordanAqaba
Aqaba
Aqaba, Jordan · Asia
About Aqaba
Aqaba is worth a stop: 15 minutes from Eilat, 29km from Timna Park.
Aqaba is in Jordan, with about 95,000 people. The nearest town is Eilat, about 7 km away.
Aqābaʾ ( AK-ə-bə, US also AHK-; Arabic: الْعَقَبَة, romanized: al-ʿAqaba, pronounced [ælˈʕæqɑba, ælˈʕæɡæba]) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had aRead more
population of 148,398 in 2015 and a land area of 375 square kilometres (144.8 sq mi).
Aqaba's location at the northeastern tip of the Red Sea between the continents of Asia and Africa has made its port important for millennia. The ancient city was called Elath, whose proximity to copper mines made it a regional hub for copper production and trade in the Chalcolithic period. Under Byzantine rule, Aela became a bishopric, and the Aqaba Church, the world's oldest known purpose-built Christian church, was constructed there. Following the Islamic conquest around AD 650, the city became known as Ayla and later became a Latin Catholic titular see. The name Aqaba did not come into use until the late medieval period. During the Great Arab Revolt, the prominent Battle of Aqaba saw joint Arab and British victory over Ottoman troops.
Aqaba's location next to Wadi Rum and Petra has made it one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan. The city is administered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, which has turned Aqaba into a low-tax, duty-free city, attracting several tourist resort area like Ayla Oasis, Saraya Aqaba, Marsa Zayed, and Tala Bay. They are expected to turn the city into a major tourism hub in the region. However, industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's only seaport.
The city is served by the King Hussein International Airport, while the Port of Aqaba serves as Jordan's principal seaport and a gateway for other countries in the region. The city sits right across the border from Eilat, likewise Israel's only port on the Red Sea. After the 1994 Israel–Jordan peace treaty, there were plans and hopes of establishing a trans-border tourism and economic area, but few of those plans have become real.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Aqaba?
Within an hour or so of Aqaba: Eilat (6 km), Timna Park (29 km), Wadi Rum Protected Area (40 km), Wadi Rum (Lawrence of Arabia) (40 km).
Are there any good drives near Aqaba?
The nearest famous roads are Dana to Petra Trail.
Where is Aqaba?
Aqaba is in Aqaba, Jordan, about 7 km from Eilat.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 95,048
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Jordan
- Region
- Aqaba
- Timezone
- Asia/Amman
- Coordinates
- 29.5267, 35.0078
Tags
Worth the detour from Aqaba
5 notable places within an hour's drive.
national park
Timna Park
A desert valley of red sandstone north of Eilat with the Mushroom hoodoo, the Arches and Solomon's Pillars, plus Egyptian copper mines and a Hathor shrine from Seti I's reign. A driving route links the formations.
29 km · about 35 min drive
national park
Wadi Rum Protected Area
A vast red desert landscape of sandstone arches, canyons, and towering cliffs known as the Valley of the Moon.
40 km · about 45 min drive
film location
Wadi Rum (Lawrence of Arabia)
The sandstone desert where David Lean shot Lawrence of Arabia, and since then The Martian, Rogue One, Dune and countless others.
40 km · about 45 min drive
natural wonder
Wadi Rum Desert Camps
Bedouin-style desert camps offering overnight stays under some of the clearest and most star-filled skies in the Middle East.
41 km · about 45 min drive
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