THE HOLY LAND REGION BY REGION - Jerusalem and the Holy Land - page 227

Aqaba q
Road map : B7. * 62,000. k @
n El-Koornish St (next to the Fort),
[phone]. www . aqaba.com

The only Jordanian outlet
to the sea, Aqaba is a very
important commercial port
town. The relentless stream
of heavy trucks going to and
coming from Amman along
the Desert Highway is clear
evidence of this.
South of the town however,
away from the busy port, the
crystal clear waters are home
to fabulous coral reefs. These
are the main reason for
Aqaba's popularity with
visitors, as they offer some of
the best scuba diving in the
world. Closer to the shore,
many other types of water
sports also help to provide
escape from the extreme
summer heat. Large sandy
beaches stretch out along the
coast, bounded by modern
hotels, and the steep
mountains behind form a
spectacular natural backdrop.
Aqaba's long and glorious
past also provides it with
some notable archaeological
sites to visit. It is thought to
be close to the site of biblical
Ezion-Geber, the large port
which is said to have been
built by King Solomon. Its
existence has, however, yet
to be proved.
The town's deep freshwater
springs ensured that Aqaba
became a popular caravan
stop for merchants travelling
between Egypt, the Mediterra-
nean coast and Arabia. By the
2nd century BC, the now
prosperous town had fallen

Ruins of the old fortified Islamic town of Ayla, in modern Aqaba

under the control of the
Nabataeans (see p227) . Such
prosperity saw it conquered
by the Romans in AD 106,
and later the Muslims in AD
630. Under Muslim control,
Aqaba became an important
stage on the pilgrimage to
Mecca, and the Muslims built
the fortified town of Ayla
nearby to the
north. After
suffering a major
earthquake in
748, the town
was rebuilt, and
thrived with an
increasing sea
trade. Following
another earthquake in 1068
however, and then the
Crusader conquests of the
12th century, the city was
finally abandoned. Yo u can Y
visit the ruins at the Ayla digs, A
next to the coastal Corniche
road. Much of the foundations
of walls, towers and a series
of buildings still remain. The
Archaeological Museum ,

next to the tourist office,
features material from the
digs, as well as illustrating
the history of Aqaba.
The other main archaeo-
logical site in Aqaba is the
Mameluke Fort , set between
the palm trees on La Côte
Verte. Built in the 16th century,
its portal now bears the coat-
of f arms of the

Hashemites,
placed there
after Lawrence
of Arabia's troops
conquered the
port during World
War I. The fort
also served as
a caravanserai for hundreds
of years, and some restored
rooms pay testament to this
more peaceful role.
By going west past the
industrial port and just
beyond the ferry passenger
terminal you will come to the
small Aqaba Marine Science
Station Aquarium . This
contains a collection of the
most important species of
the varied flora and fauna in
the Gulf of Aqaba, including
moray eels and deadly
stonefish. It also displays
information on the campaign
to protect the Red Sea.
E Archaeological Museum El-Koornish St (next to Fort). Tel (03)

Sign to Aqaba Aquarium

l
201 3731. # 8am-5pm daily. & 7
+ Mameluke Fort
La Côte Verte. Tel [phone]. l

# daily. & 7
O Aquarium
South Coast (near ferry ter m inal).
Tel [phone]. # 8am-5pm

daily. & 7

Sailing boats anchored in the Gulf of Aqaba