Aqaba

{{Short description|City in Aqaba Governorate, Jordan}} {{other uses|Al Aqabah (disambiguation)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox settlement |official_name = Aqābaʾ |native_name = الْعَقَبَة |native_name_lang = ar |nickname = ''The Bride of the Red Sea'' |settlement_type = City |image_skyline = AQABA 2.png |imagesize = 300px |image_caption = 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. |image_flag = |image_seal = |seal_size = 200px |pushpin_map = Jordan |pushpin_map_caption = |image_map = Map of Aqaba.png |mapframe = yes |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = {{Flag|Jordan}} |subdivision_type1 = Governorate |subdivision_name1 = Aqaba Governorate |government_footnotes = |leader_title = Chief Commissioner |leader_name = |leader_title1 = Chief Commissioner; Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority |leader_name1 = |established_title = Founded |established_date = 4000 BC |established_title2 = Authority |established_date2 = 2001 |area_magnitude = |area_total_km2 = 375 |area_total_sq_mi = |area_land_km2 = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_water_km2 = |area_water_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |population_as_of = 2021 |population_note = |population_total = 95048 <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_home_a/main/population/census2015/No_of_pop_depand_on_GOV.pdf|title=The General Census – 2015|publisher=Department of Population Statistics|access-date=21 January 2018|archive-date=20 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920150540/http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_home_a/main/population/census2015/No_of_pop_depand_on_GOV.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> |population_urban = 148398 |population_density_km2 = 502 |population_density_sq_mi = |timezone1 = +2 Eastern European Standard Time |timezone1_DST = +3 Arabia Standard Time | postal_code_type = Postal code | postal_code = 77110 |coordinates = {{coord|29|31|55|N|35|00|20|E|region:JO|display=inline,title}} |elevation_m = 6 |elevation_ft = |website = {{ubl|{{URL|http://www.aqabazone.com}}|{{URL|http://www.aqaba.jo}}}} |area_code = +(962)3 |footnotes = | population_demonym = Aqabawi }}

'''Aqābaʾ''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|pron|ˈ|æ|k|ə|b|ə}} {{respell|AK|ə|bə}},<ref name="Dictionary">{{Citation|last=Jones|first=Daniel|title=English Pronouncing Dictionary|year=2003|editor=Peter Roach|orig-year=1917|place=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=3-12-539683-2|author-link=Daniel Jones (phonetician)|editor2=James Hartmann|editor3=Jane Setter}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|USalso|ˈ|ɑː|k|-}} {{respell|AHK|-}};<ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|Aqaba|access-date=27 July 2019}}</ref> {{langx|ar|الْعَقَبَة|al-ʿAqaba}}, {{IPA|ar|ælˈʕæqɑba, ælˈʕæɡæba|pron}}) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba.<ref name="Ad Dustour">{{cite web|url=http://www.addustour.com/17903/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9..+%D9%85%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%A9+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%85%D8%B3+%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%80%D9%80%D9%80%D8%AD%D8%B1+%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85.html|title=العقبة.. مدينة الشمس والبـــحر والسلام|work=Ad Dustour|access-date=22 April 2016|date=1 April 2016|language=ar}} {{Dead link|date=December 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate.<ref name="aqabazone">{{cite web|url=http://www.aqabazone.com/en/faq-2/|title=Fact Sheet|work=Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority|publisher=Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority.|access-date=27 September 2015|year=2013|archive-date=24 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924184804/http://www.aqabazone.com/en/faq-2/|url-status=live}}</ref> The city had a population of 148,398 in 2015 and a land area of {{convert|144.8|sqmi|km2|order=flip}}.<ref name="Demographics">{{cite news|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/population-stands-around-95-million-including-29-million-guests|title=Population stands at around 10.24 million, including 2.9 million guests|access-date=22 January 2016|work=The Jordan Times|publisher=The Jordan News|last=Ghazal|first=Mohammad|date=22 January 2016|archive-date=8 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208092804/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/population-stands-around-95-million-including-29-million-guests|url-status=live}}</ref> Aqaba has significant trade and tourism. The Port of Aqaba also serves other countries in the region.<ref name="worldfolio">{{cite web|url=http://www.theworldfolio.com/news/port-expansion-strengthens-jordanian-city-of-aqabas-position-as-modern-shipping-hub/3541/|title=Port expansion strengthens Jordanian city of Aqaba's position as modern shipping hub|access-date=27 September 2015|date=27 February 2015|publisher=Worldfolio Ltd|work=The Worldfolio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527085907/http://www.theworldfolio.com/news/port-expansion-strengthens-jordanian-city-of-aqabas-position-as-modern-shipping-hub/3541/|archive-date=27 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Aqaba's strategic location at the northeastern tip of the Red Sea between the continents of Asia and Africa has made its port important for thousands of years.<ref name="worldfolio"/> The ancient city was called ''Elath'', known in Latin as ''Aela'') and in Arabic as ''Ayla''. Its strategic location and proximity to copper mines made it a regional hub for copper production and trade in the Chalcolithic period.<ref name="academia">{{citation|author=Florian Klimscha|url=https://www.academia.edu/2614141|title=Long-range Contacts in the Late Chalcolithic of the Southern Levant. Excavations at Tall Hujayrat al-Ghuzlan and Tall al-Magass near Aqaba, Jordan|access-date=22 April 2016|year=2011|archive-date=31 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831144006/https://www.academia.edu/2614141|url-status=live}}</ref>

Aela became a bishopric under Byzantine rule and later became a Latin Catholic titular see after Islamic conquest around AD 650, when it became known as ''Ayla''; the name ''Aqaba'' is late medieval.<ref name="refD1">{{cite web|url=https://addustour.com/16888/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9..+%D8%AB%D8%BA%D8%B1+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85.html|date=21 June 2013|access-date=27 September 2015|title=العقبة.. ثغر الاردن الباسم|work=Ad-Dustor Newspaper|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073739/https://addustour.com/16888/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9..+%D8%AB%D8%BA%D8%B1+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86+%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%85.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the Great Arab Revolt's Battle of Aqaba Arab forces defeated the Ottoman defenders.<ref name="clio">{{cite web|url=https://www.cliohistory.org/thomas-lawrence/akaba/|title=The Taking of Akaba – 1917 – T.E. Lawrence, Auda abu Tayi, Prince Feisal, Port of Aqaba|website=www.cliohistory.org|access-date=14 October 2016|archive-date=31 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531131613/https://www.cliohistory.org/thomas-lawrence/akaba/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Aqaba's location next to Wadi Rum and Petra has made it one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan.<ref name="UEFA">{{cite news|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordan-tapping-popularity-uefa-champions-league-promote-tourism|title=Jordan tapping popularity of UEFA Champions League to promote tourism|access-date=27 September 2015|date=26 March 2015|publisher=The Jordan News|work=The Jordan Times|archive-date=14 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414184507/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/jordan-tapping-popularity-uefa-champions-league-promote-tourism|url-status=live}}</ref> The city is administered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, which has turned Aqaba into a low-tax, duty-free city, attracting several mega projects like Ayla Oasis, Saraya Aqaba, Marsa Zayed and expansion of the Port of Aqaba.<ref name="king checks">{{cite news|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/king-checks-aqaba-mega-projects|title=King checks on Aqaba Mega-Projects|access-date=27 September 2015|date=7 June 2012|newspaper=The Jordan Times|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928141515/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/king-checks-aqaba-mega-projects|archive-date=28 September 2015}}</ref> They are expected to turn the city into a major tourism hub in the region.<ref name="yourmiddleast">{{cite news|url=http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/features/aqaba-has-caught-megaproject-fever-from-its-gulf-neighbours_8529|title=Aqaba has caught mega-project fever from its Gulf neighbours|access-date=27 September 2015|date=29 April 2013|publisher=Your Middle East|archive-date=28 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160628110518/http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/features/aqaba-has-caught-megaproject-fever-from-its-gulf-neighbours_8529|url-status=live}}</ref> However, industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's only seaport.<ref name="Jean">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iM_vusM9sN8C|title=Knowledge Economies in the Middle East and North Africa: Toward New Development Strategies|date=2003|author1=Jean-Eric Aubert|author2=Jean-Louis Reiffers|publisher=World Bank Publications|page=59|isbn=978-0-8213-5701-9|access-date=19 September 2017|archive-date=16 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216214724/https://books.google.com/books?id=iM_vusM9sN8C|url-status=live}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256094346|title=Cross border interactions across a formerly hostile border: The case of Eilat, Israel and Aqaba, Jordan|website=Researchgate.net|access-date=5 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021196800473|title=Is Eilat-Aqaba a bi-national city? Can economic opportunities overcome the barriers of politics and psychology?|first=Yehuda|last=Gradus|date=1 May 2001|journal=GeoJournal|volume=54|issue=1|pages=85–99|access-date=5 December 2021|via=Springer Link|doi=10.1023/A:1021196800473|bibcode=2001GeoJo..54...85G |s2cid=141312410 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.euborderscapes.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/Working_Papers/EUBORDERSCAPES_Working_Paper_15_Tamar_Arieli.pdf|title=Working Paper 15 : Municipal Cooperation across Securitized Borders in the PostConflict Environment: The Gulf of Aqaba|website=Euborderscapes.eu|access-date=5 December 2021}}</ref>

==Name== ===Elath and derivates=== The ancient endonym (name given by the local population) of the city was '''{{lang|hbo-Latn|Elath}}''' or '''{{lang|hbo-Latn|Ailath}}'''. The name may be derived from the Semitic name of a tree in the genus ''Pistacia'',<ref>{{cite journal|author=Grinzweig, Michael|editor1-last=Cohen|editor1-first=Meir|editor2-last=Schiller|editor2-first=Eli|year=1993|title=From the Items of the Name Eilat|issue= 93–94: Eialat – Human, Sea and Desert|journal=Ariel|publisher=Ariel Publishing|page=110|lang=he}}</ref> or from the West Semitic word *''<nowiki/>'ayl'' 'ram' with the feminine suffix ''-at''. A Phoenician variant of the name אֵלוֹת is mentioned once in the Hebrew Bible in {{bibleref|1|Kings|9:26}}, reflecting the Phoenician vowel shift.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rendsburg |first=Gary A. |date=2014 |title=What We Can Learn about Other Northwest Semitic Dialects from Reading the Bible |url=https://ixtheo.de/Record/1854832301 |journal=Discourse, Dialogue, and Debate in the Bible |lang=en |pages=160}}</ref> Modern Eilat (established 1947), situated about {{Convert|5|km|4=|abbr=on}} north-west of Aqaba, also takes its name from the ancient settlement. In the Hellenistic period, it was renamed '''''Berenice''''' ({{langx|grc|Βερενίκη}} {{transliteration|grc|Bereníkē}}), but the original name survived, and under Roman rule was re-introduced in the forms '''{{lang|la|Aila}}''',<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tsafrir|first=Yoram|title=The Transfer of the Negev, Sinai and Southern Transjordan from 'Arabia' to 'Palaestina.'|journal=Israel Exploration Journal|year=1986|volume=36|number=1/2|page=78|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27926015|access-date=18 May 2021|publisher=Israel Exploration Society|jstor=27926015|language=en|quote=Aila is described as a city of Arabia|archive-date=18 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518020133/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27926015|url-status=live}}</ref> {{lang|la|Aela}} or {{lang|la|Haila}}, adopted in Byzantine Greek as {{lang|grc|Αἴλα}} {{transliteration|grc|Aíla}} and in Arabic as {{lang|ar-Latn|Ayla}} ({{lang|ar|آيلا}}).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zaEHRF7ZS7IC&pg=PA183|title=The Umayyads: The Rise of Islamic Art|page=183|publisher=AIRP|year=2000|isbn=978-1-874044-35-2|access-date=19 September 2017|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726073732/https://books.google.com/books?id=zaEHRF7ZS7IC&pg=PA183|url-status=live}}</ref> The crusaders called the city '''''Elyn'''''.<ref name="auto">{{cite book |last= Runciman |first= Steven |title= A History of the Crusades: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East 1100-1187 |volume= 2 |year= 1952 |publisher= Cambridge University Press |page= 79}}</ref>

===Aqaba=== The present name {{lang|ar-Latn|al-ʿAqaba}} ({{lang|ar|العقبة}}) is a shortened form of {{lang|ar-Latn|ʿaqabat ʿAylah}} ({{lang|ar|عقبة آيلة}}, usually translated as {{gloss|the mountain-pass of Ayla}}), a name first mentioned in the 12th century by Idrisi, at a time when the settlement had been mostly reduced to a military stronghold (not positively identified by archaeologists; see here),<ref>{{cite book |last= Sharon |first= Moshe |author-link= Moshe Sharon |title= Corpus Inscriptionum Arabicarum Palaestinae |volume= 3 |year= 1997 |page= 89}}{{failed verification |date= February 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Elitsur |first= Yoel |title= Ancient place names in the Holy Land: Preservation and history |pages= 35-36, 345 |publisher= Magnes Press, Hebrew University of Jerusalem |year= 2004}}</ref> possibly referring to the pass just to the north-east of the settlement ({{coord|29.559|N|35.095|E}}, now traversed by the Jordanian Aqaba Highway).

The root of ''ʿaqaba[t]'' means slope, the word itself meaning either 'mountain road', 'pass', 'ascent', or in a wider sense 'obstacle'. Authors like Harold W. Glidden (1952) connect the name to the pass to the north through Wadi el-Yutm (see the King's Highway), with Alois Musil seeing behind the ''aqabat'' the pass to the south toward Mecca (see History of the Hajj: Egyptian route), while Donald Whitcomb suggests a connection to a hillock inside the settlement, interpreting the name as "slope/obstacle of Ayla".<ref name= DW97>{{cite book |last= Whitcomb |first= Donald |title= The Town and Name of 'Aqaba: An Inquiry Into the Settlement History From An Archaeological Perspective |year= 1997 |publisher=Department of Antiquities |place= Amman |series= Studies in the History and Archeology of Jordan |volume= VI |pages= 359-363 |via= academia.edu |url= https://www.academia.edu/393674/The_Town_and_Name_of_Aqaba_An_Inquiry_Into_the_Settlement_History_From_An_Archaeological_Perspective |access-date= 12 February 2026}}</ref>

==History== [[File:AqabaComposite.png|thumb|250px|Main historical sites in the northern part of the Gulf of Aqaba]]

===Nearby Chalcolithic sites=== thumb|200px|Tall Hujayrat Al-Ghuzlan excavations

Excavations at two tells (archaeological mounds) Tall Hujayrat Al-Ghuzlan and Tall Al-Magass, both a few kilometres north of modern-day Aqaba city, revealed inhabited settlements from c. 4000 BC during the Chalcolithic period, with thriving copper production on a large scale.<ref name="historic places">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R44VRnNCzAYC&pg=PA72|title=International Dictionary of Historic Places: Middle East and Africa, المجلد 4|author1=Trudy Ring|author2=Robert M. Salkin|author3=Sharon La Boda|year=1994|isbn=978-1-884964-03-9|publisher=Taylor & Francis|page=72|access-date=19 September 2017|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726074437/https://books.google.com/books?id=R44VRnNCzAYC&pg=PA72|url-status=live}}</ref> This period is largely unknown due to the absence of written historical sources.<ref name="academia"/> University of Jordan archaeologists have discovered the sites, where they found{{where|date=January 2021}} 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.alghad.com/articles/722736-%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A3%D8%AB%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%B2%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9|access-date=22 April 2016|date=18 February 2008|title=اكتشافات أثرية في موقع حجيرة الغزلان بوادي اليتيم في جنوب الأردن|work=Alghad|language=ar|archive-date=5 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305002959/http://www.alghad.com/articles/722736-%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%AA%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A3%D8%AB%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A9-%D8%AD%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%BA%D8%B2%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Early history=== ====Elath==== {{further|Elath}} The Edomites, who ruled over Edom just south of the Dead Sea, are believed to have built the first port in Aqaba called Elath around 1500 BC,{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} turning it into a major hub for the trade of copper as the Phoenicians helped them develop their maritime economy. They profited from its strategic location at the junction of trading routes between Asia and Africa.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

====Tell el-Kheleifeh==== Archaeologists have investigated an Iron Age settlement at Tell el-Kheleifeh, immediately west of Aqaba, inhabited between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Aqaba|url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a4add4d1482149d787fa5b7c8d9b2de2|access-date=2020-11-24|website=ArcGIS StoryMaps|language=en|archive-date=15 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315231533/https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a4add4d1482149d787fa5b7c8d9b2de2|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Undefined==== Around 735 BC, the city{{dubious|Which? Kheleifeh? Goes for the entire paragraph. Was there one city north of the golf? Two? Which archaeological sites have remains from the time?|date=January 2021}} was conquered by the Assyrian 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. The Babylonians 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 Persian Achaemenid Empire took the city in 539 BC.<ref name="AQABA">{{cite web|url=http://www.aqaba.jo/en/aqaba/beach-of-history#page|title=The Beach of History (3700 BC to date)|work=aqaba.jo|publisher=AQABA|access-date=27 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928032739/http://www.aqaba.jo/en/aqaba/beach-of-history#page|archive-date=28 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=May 2018}}{{dubious|Unaccebtably poor source, useless, faulty and against Wikipedia standards.|date=January 2021}}

===Classical antiquity=== ====Hellenistic period==== {{further|History of the Romans in Arabia|Arabia Petraea|Via Traiana Nova}}The city continued to grow and prosper which made it a major trading hub by the time of the Greek rule by 300 BC, after the Wars of Alexander the Great, it was described by a Greek historian to be "one of the most important trading cities in the Arab World".<ref name="AQABA" /> The Ptolemaic Greeks called it ''Berenice''.<ref name="ahp1">{{harvnb|Mayhew|2006}}</ref>

The Nabatean kingdom had its capital north of the city, at Petra.

====Roman period==== [[File:Aqaba Archeological Museum04.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Roman milestone that marked the starting point of the Via Nova Traiana]]

In 64 BC, following the Roman conquest, they{{who|date=January 2021}} annexed the city and called it ''Aela'' (also ''Haila'', ''Aelana'', in Greek rendered Αἴλα ''Aila'').<ref>In classical texts the Roman city is known as ''Aela'', occasionally ''Haila'' or ''Aelana''. ''Aela'' is the standard form of the name in Roman-era classical studies. See: {{cite book|author=Glen Warren Bowersock|title=Roman Arabia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4NBigJ3NF4C&pg=PA172|year=1994|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-77756-9|page=172|access-date=20 February 2016|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726074807/https://books.google.com/books?id=L4NBigJ3NF4C&pg=PA172|url-status=live}} {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xeJMAgAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PA56|page=56|title=''The Oxford Companion to Archaeology''|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2012|author=Neil Asher Silberman|isbn=978-0-19-973578-5|access-date=20 February 2016|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726075322/https://books.google.com/books?id=xeJMAgAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PA56|url-status=live}} {{cite book|editor1=Averil Cameron|editor2=Peter Garnsey|title=The Cambridge Ancient History|year=1928|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zdoUNivK_hsC&pg=PA846|volume=13|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-30200-5|page=846|access-date=20 February 2016|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726075158/https://books.google.com/books?id=zdoUNivK_hsC&pg=PA846|url-status=live}} [Stéphanie Benoist (editor), ''Rome, A City and Its Empire in Perspective'' (BRILL 2012 {{ISBN|978-9-00423123-8}}), p. 128] [https://books.google.com/books?id=khR0apPid8gC&pg=PA436 Suzanne Richard, ''Near Eastern Archaeology: A Reader''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726074924/https://books.google.com/books?id=khR0apPid8gC&pg=PA436 |date=26 July 2020 }} (Eisenbrauns 2003 {{ISBN|978-1-57506083-5}}), p. 436</ref><ref name=":0" />

Both Petra and Aela were under strong Nabatean influence despite the Roman rule.{{dubious|When? After 106 Nabataea itself became a Roman province. Before? But before 106 Petra WAS Nabataean, so this looks like total nonsense. Utterly misunderstood sense of "patriotism".|date=January 2021}} Aela reached its peak during Roman times, the great long-distance road the Via Traiana Nova led south from Bostra through Amman, terminating in Aela, where it connected with a west road leading to the Paralia and Roman Egypt.

Around AD 106 Aela was one of the main ports{{clarify|reason=Do we mean, "main ports to the Red Sea"?|date=May 2018}} for the Romans.{{dubious|Could we cite something better than a tourism website?|date=May 2018}}

====Late Roman and Byzantine periods==== {{Further|Aqaba Church|Palaestina Tertia}} The Aqaba Church was constructed under Roman rule between 293 and 303 and is considered to be the oldest known purpose-built Christian church in the world.<ref name="First purpose-built church">{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-purpose-built-church|title=First purpose-built church|access-date=27 September 2015|work=Guinness World Records|archive-date=17 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617193456/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-purpose-built-church|url-status=live}}</ref> By the time of Eusebius, Aela became the garrison of the Legio X Fretensis, which was moved to Aela from Jerusalem.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=s4NMuZf3o4QC&pg=PA26 Hannah Cotton (editor), ''Corpus Inscriptionum Iudaeae/Palaestinae''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726074738/https://books.google.com/books?id=s4NMuZf3o4QC&pg=PA26 |date=26 July 2020 }} (Walter de Gruyter 2010 {{ISBN|978-31-1022219-7}}), pp. 25–26 [Brian M. Fagan, Charlotte Beck (editors), ''The Oxford Companion to Archaeology''] (Oxford University Press 1996 {{ISBN|978-0-19507618-9}}), p. 617. [https://books.google.com/books?id=jjcPG5UInzgC&pg=PA336 Benjamin H. Isaac, ''The Near East Under Roman Rule: Selected Papers''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830064815/https://books.google.com/books?id=jjcPG5UInzgC&pg=PA336 |date=30 August 2018 }} (BRILL 1998 {{ISBN|978-9-00410736-6}}), p. 336</ref> thumb|200px|Aqaba Church from around AD 300

One of the oldest known texts written in the Arabic alphabet is a late 4th-century inscription found in Jabal Ram {{convert|50|km|0|abbr=off}} east of Aqaba.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fweY0lTEJogC&pg=PA33|page=33|title=Treks and Climbs in Wadi Rum, Jordan|isbn=978-1-85284-254-3|author1=Di Taylor|author2=Tony Howard|publisher=Cicerone Press Limited|year=1997|access-date=19 September 2017|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726073421/https://books.google.com/books?id=fweY0lTEJogC&pg=PA33|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city became a Christian bishopric at an early stage. Its bishop Peter was present at the First Council of Nicaea,<ref>Irfan Shahid, Byzantium and the Arabs in the Fourth Century (Dumbarton Oaks, 1984) page 345.</ref> the first ecumenical council, in 325. Beryllus was at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, and Paul at the synod called by Patriarch Peter of Jerusalem in 536 against Patriarch Anthimus I of Alexandria, a council attended by bishops of the Late Roman provinces of Palaestina Prima, Palaestina Secunda and Palaestina Tertia, to the last-named of which Aela belonged.<ref>Siméon Vailhé, v. ''Aela'', in [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6562709t/f344.image ''Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503062452/http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6562709t/f344.image |date=3 May 2015 }}, vol. I, Paris 1909, coll. 647–648</ref><ref>Siméon Vailhé, [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rebyz_1146-9447_1900_num_3_6_3298 ''Notes de géographie ecclésiastique''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006160652/http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rebyz_1146-9447_1900_num_3_6_3298 |date=6 October 2014 }}, in ''Échos d'Orient'', tome 3, nº 6 (1900), pp. 337–338</ref>

A citadel was also built in the area{{where|date=January 2021}}{{when|date=January 2021}} that became the focal point of the Roman southern defense system.{{clarify|date=May 2018}}

In the 6th century, Procopius of Caesarea mentioned a Jewish population in Eilat and its surroundings which enjoyed autonomy until the time of Justinian I ({{Reign|527|565}}).{{clarify|date=May 2018}}

According to Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad himself reached Aila during the expedition of Tabuk of 630, and extracted tribute from the city.<ref>Francis E. Peters, ''Muhammad and the Origins of Islam'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=FS8W4fEXJpsC&pg=PA241 p. 241] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726084316/https://books.google.ch/books?id=FS8W4fEXJpsC&pg=PA241 |date=26 July 2020 }}.</ref>

During the Late Byzantine or even Early Muslim period, Aila was the origin of what came to be known as the Ayla-Axum amphoras.<ref>M. Raith – R. Hoffbauer – H. Euler – P. Yule – K. Damgaard, ''The view from Ẓafār – an archaeometric study of the ʿAqaba late Roman period pottery complex and distribution in the 1st millennium CE'', Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie 6, 2013f, 320–50</ref>

===Early Muslim Ayla=== Aila fell to the Islamic armies by 629, and the ancient settlement was left to decay, while a new Arab city was established outside its walls under Uthman ibn Affan,<ref>{{cite web|title=The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago – Aqaba Project|url=http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/projects/aqa/|work=Aqaba project|publisher=The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago|access-date=7 May 2018|archive-date=4 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104204035/http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/projects/aqa/|url-status=live}}</ref> known as ''Ayla'' ({{langx|ar|آيلا}}).

The Early Muslim city was excavated in 1986 by a team from the University of Chicago. Artefacts are now on exhibit at Aqaba Archaeological Museum and Jordan Archaeological Museum in Amman.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} The fortified city was inscribed in a rectangle of {{Convert|170 x 145|m|abbr=}}, with walls {{Convert|2.6|m|abbr=}} thick and {{Convert|4.5|m|ftin|abbr=}} high, surrounding a fortified structure, occupying an area of {{Convert|35 x 55|m|abbr=}}.{{dubious|It makes no sense. What were the dimensions of the fortified area, 170x145 or 35x35 m? Certainly the former. I guess it's a confusion with the Late Muslim fort. Or did Ayla also have a citadel inside the fortified city? Very unlikely.|date=January 2021}}{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} 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 a tetrapylon (a four-way arch), which was later transformed into a luxury residential building decorated with frescoes dated to the tenth century.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}} This type of urban structure, known as a ''misr'' (pl. ''amsar''), is typical of early Islamic fortified settlements.{{cn |date=July 2025}}

<gallery mode="packed" heights="200px"> File:Ayla02.jpg|Early Muslim Ayla File:Ayla01.jpg|Early Muslim Ayla </gallery>

The city prospered from 661 to 750 under the Umayyads and beyond under the Abbasids (750–970) and the Fatimids (970–1116). Ayla took advantage of its key position as an important step on the road to India and Arab spices (frankincense, myrrh), between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Peninsula. The city is also mentioned in several stories of the Arabian Nights.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

The geographer Shams Eddin Muqaddasi describes Ayla as nearby the ruined ancient city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alrai.com/article/357602.html|title=حفريات أثرية.. العقبة منطقة اقتصادية منذ 6 آلاف سنة|access-date=28 September 2015|date=10 July 2009|work=Al-Rai Newspaper|archive-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018082807/http://www.alrai.com/article/357602.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The city was mentioned in Medieval{{when|date=January 2021}} Arabic sources as having a mixed population of Jews and Christians. It subsequently became an important station for pilgrim caravans on the way to Mecca.{{clarify|reason=When? From-till, historical periods. Since it did continue to play this part during later periods, this must be mentioned there too. Also here, maybe it belongs higher up in the paragraph.|date=January 2021}}<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M0wUKoMJeccC&q=Moshe+Gil+history+of+palestine|title = A History of Palestine, 634-1099|isbn = 9780521599849|last1 = Gil|first1 = Moshe|date = 27 February 1997| publisher=Cambridge University Press |access-date = 17 June 2021|archive-date = 31 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831144006/https://books.google.com/books?id=M0wUKoMJeccC&q=Moshe+Gil+history+of+palestine|url-status = live}}</ref>

The city was "completely destroyed" by the 1068 Near East earthquake.<ref name=Klinger>{{cite journal|first1=Y. |last1=Klinger |first2=J. P. |last2=Avoua |first3=L. |last3=Dorbath |first4=N. |last4=Abou Karaki |first5=N. |last5=Tisnerat |title=Seismic behaviour of the Dead Sea fault along the Araba valley, Jordan |journal=Geophysical Journal International |publisher=Wiley-Blackwell |volume=142 |issue=3 |year=2000 |page=772 |doi=10.1046/j.1365-246x.2000.00166.x |bibcode=2000GeoJI.142..769K |doi-access=free|quote=The AD 1068 event caused major damage from the Banyas area in northern Israel to Hejaz, and the ancient city of Aila (at the present location of Aqaba and Eilat) was completely destroyed.}}</ref>

===Crusader/Ayyubid and Mamluk periods=== {{See also|Lordship of Transjordan}} [[File:Aqaba Fort.jpg|thumb|200px|The Muslim fortress of Aqaba]]

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,{{dubious |Nobody knows that! |date= February 2026}} and the crusader fortress of ''Elyn'' was built, which allowed the Kingdom of Jerusalem to dominate all roads between Damascus, Egypt, and Arabia, protecting the Crusader 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 on Pharaoh's Island{{dubious |Nobody knows that! No archaeol. proof. |date= February 2026}} (called ''Île de Graye'' by the Franks),{{dubious |Wrong, modern invention. |date= February 2026}} the modern ''Jazīrat Fir'aun'' in Egyptian territorial waters about {{convert|7|km||abbr=off}} west of Aqaba.<ref name="auto"/>

The garrison of Elyn (now serving primarily as a military outpost) was further strengthened in 1142 by Pagan 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 the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba remained mainly inhabited by Bedouins, who were obliged to pay tribute to the Lordship of Oultrejourdain.<ref>{{cite book | author = Steven Runciman | title = A History of the Crusades: The Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Frankish East 1100-1187| volume = 2 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | page = 186| year = 1952}}</ref> Despite all efforts to fortify the region, the city was captured in 1170 by a squadron sent by Saladin as he was besieging Gaza; while it was successfully raided by Raynald of Châtillon in 1182,<ref>Runciman (1952), vol. 2, p. 318.</ref> it was never retaken by the Crusaders.<ref>Runciman (1952), vol. 2, pp. 356–357.</ref>

What is known today as Aqaba Fortress was built by Mamluk sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh Al-Ghuri in the early 16th century, possibly on top of the Crusader fort. For the next four centuries, the site was a simple fishing village of little importance.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

===Modern history=== During World War I, the Ottoman forces were forced to withdraw from Aqaba in 1917 after the Battle of Aqaba, led by T. E. Lawrence and the Arab forces of Auda Abu Tayi and Sherif Nasir. The capture of Aqaba allowed the British to supply the Arab forces.<ref name="clio"/> In 1918, the regions of Aqaba and Ma'an were officially incorporated into the Kingdom of the Hejaz. In 1925, Ibn Saud the ruler of Nejd with the help of his Wahhabi Ikhwan troops successfully annexed the Hejaz, but gave up the Ma'an and Aqaba to the British protectorate of Transjordan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_transjordan.html|title=Jordan - History - the Making of Transjordan|access-date=25 February 2019|archive-date=21 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921111449/http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/his_transjordan.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

File:Lcamel.jpg|Lawrence of Arabia on a camel in Aqaba in 1917 File:Air films (1937). Akkaba. Closer view LOC matpc.17054.jpg|Aqaba in 1937 File:1822 Rüppell map of the Gulf of Aqaba with modern borders.jpg|1822 area map by Eduard Rüppell, modern borders overlaid. His "Ruines d'Elana" is the site of Tell el-Kheleifeh. </gallery> The Jordanian census of 1961 found 8,908 inhabitants in 'Aqaba.<ref>Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics, 1964, pp. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p06.pdf 6][http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensusPages/JordanCensus1961-p13.pdf 13]</ref>

In 1965, King Hussein, through an exchange deal with Saudi Arabia, gave {{convert|6000|km2|0|abbr=off}} of desert land in Jordanian territories in exchange for other territories, including {{convert|12|km|0|abbr=off}} of an extension of prime coastline south of Aqaba, which included the Yamanieh coral reef.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism6e.html|title=Aqaba|work=kinghussein.gov.jo|access-date=28 September 2015|archive-date=16 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116050332/http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism6e.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Aqaba was a major site for imports of Iraqi goods in the 1980s until the Persian Gulf War.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k5xIAAAAYAAJ|title=The Economic Consequences of the Persian Gulf War: Accelerating Opec's Demise|isbn=978-0-944029-18-3|year=1992|author=Eliyahu Kanovsky|publisher=Washington Institute for Near East Policy|access-date=19 September 2017|archive-date=26 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726074835/https://books.google.com/books?id=k5xIAAAAYAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1997, the Aqaba Marine Reserve was established within the southern boundaries of the Gulf of Aqaba.

On 27 June 2022, a port in Aqaba became the scene of a toxic gas leak when a chemical storage container carrying 25 tons of chlorine fell from a crane onto a ship and ruptured. The leak resulted in the deaths of 13 people.

==Geography== 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aqaba.jo/en/node/1410|title=Location|work=aqaba.jo|access-date=1 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929215928/http://www.aqaba.jo/en/node/1410|archive-date=29 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Climate=== Aqaba has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification ''BWh'') with mild, sometimes warm winters and very hot dry summers. Subzero temperatures can be observed every few years. The record high temperature of {{convert|49.6|C}} was registered on 14 August 2025 <ref>{{cite web |url=https://ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=40340&ano=2025&mes=8&day=14&hora=2&min=0&ndays=30 |title= 40340: Aqaba Airport (Jordan)|author= |date= 13 August 2025|website=ogimet.com |publisher=OGIMET |access-date= 16 August 2025|quote=}}</ref>. The record low temperature of {{convert|-3.9|C}} was on January 16, 2008, as in Eilat. {{Weather box |width = auto |location = Aqaba (King Hussein International Airport) (1989–2018 normals) |metric first = yes |single line = yes

|Jan low C = 9.3 |Feb low C = 10.6 |Mar low C = 13.8 |Apr low C = 17.8 |May low C = 21.6 |Jun low C = 24.3 |Jul low C = 26.4 |Aug low C = 26.6 |Sep low C = 24.4 |Oct low C = 20.9 |Nov low C = 15.6 |Dec low C = 10.9 |year low C = 18.3 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 4.2 |Feb precipitation mm = 4.0 |Mar precipitation mm = 2.7 |Apr precipitation mm = 1.5 |May precipitation mm = 0.5 |Jun precipitation mm = 0.0 |Jul precipitation mm = 0.0 |Aug precipitation mm = 0.0 |Sep precipitation mm = 0.0 |Oct precipitation mm = 4.6 |Nov precipitation mm = 2.3 |Dec precipitation mm = 3.5 |year precipitation mm = 23.4 | Jan humidity = 58.5 | Feb humidity = 53.3 | Mar humidity = 49.6 | Apr humidity = 41.7 | May humidity = 38.8 | Jun humidity = 38.4 | Jul humidity = 39.7 | Aug humidity = 43.3 | Sep humidity = 48.5 | Oct humidity = 51.6 | Nov humidity = 53.0 | Dec humidity = 57.0 | year humidity = 47.8 |source 1 = Jordan Meteorological Department<ref>{{Cite web |title=دائرة الأرصاد الجوية > معلومات مناخية وزراعية > المعدلات العامة |publisher=Jordan Meteorological Department |access-date=21 December 2024 |url= http://jometeo.gov.jo/%D9%85%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B2%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%8A%D8%A9/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B9%D8%AF%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A9 |language=Arabic |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221154009/http://jometeo.gov.jo/معلومات-مناخية-وزراعية/المعدلات-العامة |archive-date=21 February 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> }}

==Local government== 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aqabazone.com |title=Aseza |publisher=Aqabazone.com |access-date=17 October 2011 |archive-date=5 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705121454/http://www.aqabazone.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Administrative divisions=== Jordan is divided into 12 administrative divisions, each called a Governorate. Aqaba Governorate divides into 3 Districts, some of which are divided into Subdistricts and further divided into villages.

==Economy== With status as Jordan's special economic zone, Aqaba's economy is based on the tourism and port industry sectors.<ref name="Ad Dustour"/><ref name="worldfolio"/> Aqaba's location next to Wadi Rum and Petra has strengthened the city's location on the world map and made it one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan.<ref name="UEFA"/> The city is administered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, which has turned Aqaba into a low-tax, duty-free city, attracting several mega projects like Ayla Oasis, Saraya Aqaba, Marsa Zayed and expansion of the Port of Aqaba.<ref name="king checks"/> They are expected to turn the city into a major tourism hub in the region.<ref name="yourmiddleast"/> Industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's only seaport.<ref name="Jean"/>

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 the Land 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.<ref name="oxfordbusinessgroup.com">[http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/publication.asp?country=19] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829151238/http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/publication.asp?country=19|date=29 August 2009}}</ref> 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.{{update inline|date=April 2021}} * Ayla Oasis, a $1.4 billion resort around a man made lagoon with hotels, villas, an 18-hole golf course designed by Greg 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. <ref>{{Cite web |title=ADC {{!}} Major Investments {{!}} Real Estate & Tourism Projects {{!}} Ayla Oasis |url=http://www.adc.jo/Public/English.aspx?Lang=&Site_ID=1&Page_ID=2291&Menu_ID=27&M_ID=&M_Title=&T=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928035501/http://www.adc.jo/Public/English.aspx?Lang=&Site_ID=1&Page_ID=2291&Menu_ID=27&M_ID=&M_Title=&T=1 |archive-date=2015-09-28 |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=www.adc.jo}}</ref> *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 {{convert|20|km|0|abbr=off}} 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.<ref name="oxfordbusinessgroup.com"/>

===Tourism=== {{wide image|2005-08-17 Marina City, Aqaba, Jordanien 02.jpg|align-cap=center|950px|View of Tala Bay resort south of Aqaba}} thumb|right|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 {{convert|20|km||abbr=off}} further to the south, which service those who come for fun on the beaches as well as Scuba 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 {{convert|25|km||abbr=off}}, 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 offer mansaf and knafeh, and baqlawa desserts. Another very popular venue is the Turkish Bath (Hamam) built in 306 AD, in which locals and visitors alike come to relax after a hot day.

right|thumb|220px|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aqabazone.com/files/ANN%20REP%20ENG.pdf |title=Final Ann Rep Eng |access-date=17 October 2011 |archive-date=5 March 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305234102/http://www.aqabazone.com/files/ANN%20REP%20ENG.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aqabazone.com/index.php?q=node/529 |title=King visits Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority | ASEZA |publisher=Aqabazone.com |access-date=17 October 2011 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305180758/http://aqabazone.com/index.php?q=node%2F529 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3872851,00.html |title=Arkia to operate flights to Aqaba – Israel Travel, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=20 June 1995 |access-date=17 October 2011 |archive-date=1 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001103353/https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3872851,00.html |url-status=live |last1=Sadeh |first1=Danny }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100211041816/ATO:%20Jordan%20turned%20Aqaba%20into%20a%20distinguished%20city |title=ATO: Jordan turned Aqaba into a distinguished city |publisher=Zawya |date=10 February 2010 |access-date=17 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617063235/http://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZAWYA20100211041816/ATO:%20Jordan%20turned%20Aqaba%20into%20a%20distinguished%20city |archive-date=17 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Jean"/>

During the 5-day holiday at both the end of Ramadan and Eid 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/over-50000-vacationers-visited-aqaba-during-eid-al-adha|title=Over 50,000 vacationers visited Aqaba during Eid Al Adha|date=29 September 2015|website=jordantimes.com|access-date=29 September 2015|archive-date=1 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001043322/http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/over-50000-vacationers-visited-aqaba-during-eid-al-adha|url-status=live}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cavanagh|first=Kimberly|date=2020-05-15|title=Exploring the tourism development landscape in Aqaba|url=https://publications.acorjordan.org/2020/05/15/exploring-the-tourism-development-landscape-in-aqaba/|access-date=2020-06-29|website=ACOR Jordan|language=en-US|archive-date=22 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122174058/https://publications.acorjordan.org/2020/05/15/exploring-the-tourism-development-landscape-in-aqaba/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Demographics== 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.<ref name="DoS Jordan Aqaba Census">{{cite web |url=http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_home/cens_aqaba/aqabacity8.4.pdf |title=DoS Jordan Aqaba Census |access-date=17 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110929005232/http://www.dos.gov.jo/dos_home/cens_aqaba/aqabacity8.4.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2011 }}</ref> 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: {| class="wikitable" style=" font-size:90%" |- ! style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| Demographic data of the city of Aqaba (2007) compared to Kingdom of Jordan nationwide<ref name="DoS Jordan Aqaba Census"/> |- ! ! ! Aqaba City (2007) ! Jordan (2004 census) |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 1 || Total population ||98,400 ||5,350,000 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 2 || Growth rate || 4.3% || 2.3% |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 3 || Male to Female ratio || 56.1 to 43.9 || 51.5 to 48.5 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 4 || Ratio of Jordanians to Foreign Nationals ||82.1 to 17.9 || 93 to 7 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 5 || Number of households || 18,425 || 946,000 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 6 || Persons per household || 4.9 || 5.3 |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 7 || Percent of population below 15 years of age || 35.6% || 37.3% |- | style="text-align:center; background:#f0f0f0;"| 8 || Percent of population over 65 years of age || 1.7% || 3.2% |}<ref name="Demographics"/>

===Religion=== [[File:Aqaba Mosque.jpg|thumb|right|Mosque at Marsa Zayed]] ِIslam represents the majority of the population of Aqaba, but Christianity still exists today. Approximately 5,000 Christian families live in the city.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.alghad.com/articles/610940-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%82%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A?desktop=1|language=ar|title=أبناء الطائفة المسيحية في العقبة يطالبون بمقعد نيابي|date=19 April 2012|access-date=28 September 2015|work=Al-Ghad Newspaper|archive-date=4 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604122254/https://www.alghad.com/articles/610940-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%A6%D9%81%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AD%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%B7%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%82%D8%B9%D8%AF-%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%8A?desktop=1|url-status=live}}</ref> There are several churches in the city and multiple Christian schools including ''Rosary Sisters School Aqaba''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ar.lpj.org/2010/08/20/construction-of-a-church-and-multi-purpose-hall-in-aqaba-jordan/|title=Construction of a Church and Multi-Purpose Hall in Aqaba|access-date=1 October 2015|date=20 August 2010|work=lpj.org|archive-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018082807/http://ar.lpj.org/2010/08/20/construction-of-a-church-and-multi-purpose-hall-in-aqaba-jordan/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nerc.gov.jo/FOSTEr/El%20Aqaba%20governorate.html|title=Raising awareness on solar energy among school students in El Aqaba governorate|access-date=1 October 2015|work=NATIONAL ENERGY RESEARCH CENTER|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002113553/http://www.nerc.gov.jo/FOSTEr/El%20Aqaba%20governorate.html|archive-date=2 October 2015}}</ref>

==Cityscape== thumb|right|Skyline of Aqaba 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.

==Culture==

===Museums=== The largest museum in Aqaba is the Aqaba Archaeological Museum.

===Lifestyle=== Aqaba has recently experienced a great growth in its nightlife, especially during the dramatic increase of tourist number in the 2000s.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Transport== === Rail === The Aqaba railway which transported phosphate to the old port ceased operations in 2018. A successor line to transport phosphate from Al Shidiya and Ghor es-Safi to the new terminal in Port of Aqaba is planned through an agreement between Jordan's Ministry for Transport and Etihad Rail.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gccrailway.com/etihad-rail-leads-new-railway-construction-in-jordan/|title=Etihad Rail leads new railway construction in Jordan|date=6 September 2024}}</ref>

There has been propositions to connect Eilat to Aqaba by rail.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://besacenter.org/385-chaziza-the-red-med-railway-new-opportunities-for-china-israel-and-the-middle-east/|title=The Red-Med Railway: New Opportunities for China, Israel, and the Middle East|website=Besacenter.org|date=11 December 2016|access-date=5 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3926029,00.html|title=Netanyahu, Abdullah discuss rail cooperation|first=Ronen|last=Medzini|date=27 July 2010|access-date=5 December 2021|newspaper=Ynetnews}}</ref>

===Airports=== 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 by Royal Jordanian Airlines and Jordan Aviation Airlines. Several international airlines connect the city to Istanbul, Dubai, Alexandria, Sharm el-Sheikh, and other destinations in Asia and Europe.<ref name="Getting to Aqaba">{{cite web|url=http://www.aqaba.jo/en/node/1410|title=Getting to Aqaba|access-date=1 October 2015|work=aqaba.jo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929215928/http://www.aqaba.jo/en/node/1410|archive-date=29 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Since the 1994 Peace Treaty between Israel and Jordan, there were plans to jointly develop airport infrastructure in the region.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/israel-jordan-plan-joint-aqaba-airport|title=Israel, Jordan plan joint Aqaba airport|newspaper=The Jerusalem Post|access-date=5 December 2021}}</ref> However, when Israel built Ramon 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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2013-12-04/ty-article/.premium/israel-flying-in-the-face-of-jordanians/0000017f-e195-d568-ad7f-f3ff2d6b0000|title=Israel's New Airport Is Angering Jordan, a Rare Friend in the Region|access-date=5 December 2021|newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-jordan-airport-idUSKCN0Z81KD|title=Airport planned for Israel-Jordan border clouds neighborly ties|date=22 June 2016|access-date=5 December 2021|website=Reuters.com}}</ref>

===Roads=== right|thumb|Taxis in Aqaba Aqaba is connected by an {{convert|8000|km}} modern highway system to surrounding countries. The city is connected to the rest of Jordan by the Desert Highway and the King's Highway that provides access to the resorts and settlements on the Dead Sea.<ref name="Getting to Aqaba"/> Aqaba is connected to Eilat in Israel by taxi and bus services passing through the Wadi Araba crossing, as well as to Haql in Saudi Arabia by the Durra Border Crossing. There are many bus services between Aqaba and Amman and the other major cities in Jordan, JETT and Trust International are the most common lines. These tourist buses are spacious and installed with air conditioning and bathrooms.<ref name="p266">{{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|p=226}}</ref>

===Port=== [[File:CSCL Rotterdam in Aqaba, Jordan.jpg|thumb|right|The Port of Aqaba is the only port in Jordan.]]

The Port 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 and Arab Bridge Maritime. The routes serve mainly the Egyptian coastal cities on the gulf like Taba and Sharm Al Sheikh.<ref name="Getting to Aqaba"/> In 2006, the port was ranked as being the "Best Container Terminal" in the Middle East by ''Lloyd'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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arabiansupplychain.com/article-76-top-10-middle-east-ports/4/ |title=Top 10 Middle East Ports |publisher=ArabianSupplyChain.com |date=31 October 2006 |access-date=31 December 2012 |archive-date=17 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317105424/http://www.arabiansupplychain.com/article-76-top-10-middle-east-ports/4 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Wildlife== The Gulf of Aqaba is rich with marine life. The gulf is home to approximately 500 fish species, with many being permanent residents, like lion fish and octopus, while others are migratory, typically appearing during the summer, such as sailfish, considered the fastest fish in the ocean, as well as the world's largest fish, the whale shark. Marine mammals and reptiles also inhabit the gulf during summer, hawksbill sea turtles, and bottle nosed dolphins call Aqaba's gulf home as well. A large number of predatory shark 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 the tiger sharks and thresher sharks are present, there are also a small number of reef sharks as well. The world's fastest shark, the short-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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.jreds.org/Portals/0/pdf/GIZ%20Booklet%206.10.2015.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=20 November 2020 |archive-date=28 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128104609/https://www.jreds.org/Portals/0/pdf/GIZ%20Booklet%206.10.2015.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://divemagazine.co.uk/destinations/aqaba/6918-marine-life-aqaba|title=Marine Life | Aqaba|access-date=20 November 2020|archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031045305/http://divemagazine.co.uk/destinations/aqaba/6918-marine-life-aqaba|url-status=live}}</ref>

The gulf of Aqaba hosts more than 390 bird species including migratory birds such as the greater flamingo, great white pelican and the pink-backed pelican.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://aqaba.jo/Pages/Details/Attraction/1/Aqaba_Bird_Observatory |title=Aqaba Bird Observatory - Aqaba |access-date=20 November 2020 |archive-date=24 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124172359/https://aqaba.jo/Pages/Details/Attraction/1/Aqaba_Bird_Observatory |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==

There is a University of Jordan Aqaba Branch.

==Twin towns – sister cities== {{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Jordan}} Aqaba is twinned with: {{div col|colwidth=20em}} *{{flagicon|ITA}} Alcamo, Italy<ref>{{cite web|title=Siglato gemellaggio tra Alcamo e il Governatore di Aqaba nel Regno della Giordania|url=https://www.alqamah.it/2013/11/26/siglato-gemellaggio-tra-alcamo-e-il-governatore-di-aqaba-nel-regno-della-giordania/|website=alqamah.it|publisher=Alqama H|language=it|date=2013-11-26|access-date=2020-11-02|archive-date=7 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107032433/https://www.alqamah.it/2013/11/26/siglato-gemellaggio-tra-alcamo-e-il-governatore-di-aqaba-nel-regno-della-giordania/|url-status=live}}</ref> *{{flagicon|IRQ}} Basra, Iraq{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} *{{flagicon|TUN}} Hammamet, Tunisia<ref>{{cite web|title=Coopération Internationale|url=http://www.nabeul.gov.tn/fr/cooperation-internationale/#tab-1-2|website=nabeul.gov.tn|publisher=Gouvernorat de Nabeul|language=fr|access-date=2020-11-02|archive-date=27 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927011525/http://www.nabeul.gov.tn/fr/cooperation-internationale/#tab-1-2|url-status=live}}</ref> *{{flagicon|RUS}} Saint Petersburg, Russia<ref>{{cite web|title=Международные и межрегиональные связи|url=https://www.gov.spb.ru/helper/new_stat/inter/|website=gov.spb.ru|publisher=Federal city of Saint Petersburg|language=ru|access-date=2020-06-30|archive-date=5 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105013852/http://gov.spb.ru/helper/new_stat/inter/|url-status=live}}</ref> *{{flagicon|EGY}} Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt<ref>{{cite web|title=اتفاقية توأمة بين شرم الشيخ والعقبة|url=https://www.alghad.tv/%D8%A7%D8%AA%D9%81%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%A3%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A8%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D9%82%D8%A8%D8%A9/|website=alghad.tv|publisher=Al Ghad|language=ar|date=2015-12-16|access-date=2020-10-21|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030111505/https://www.alghad.tv/%d8%a7%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%a7%d9%82%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d8%aa%d9%88%d8%a3%d9%85%d8%a9-%d8%a8%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%b4%d8%b1%d9%85-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%ae-%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b9%d9%82%d8%a8%d8%a9/|url-status=live}}</ref> *{{flagicon|CHN}} Ürümqi, China<ref>{{cite web|title=Aqaba's twin city Urumchi donates medical equipment for COVID-19 response|url=https://www.adc.jo/News.aspx?id=431|website=adc.jo|publisher=Aqaba Development Corporation|date=2020-04-15|access-date=2020-06-30|archive-date=31 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831144015/https://www.adc.jo/News.aspx?id=431|url-status=live}}</ref> {{div col end}}

==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed">

File:Aqaba3.jpg|View of Aqaba File:Aqaba - 8357894053.jpg File:Ayla02.JPG|The Eastern Gate of the ruins of Ayla File:Sunset in Aqaba.jpg|Sunset File:AqabaVueDeLaMer.JPG|View of the city File:Aqaba_Fort_-_Facade.jpg|Aqaba fort File:Z Aqaba Beatch JO.jpg|View of Aqaba File:Movenpick Tala Bay - Aqaba.png|One of the resorts in the city File:Aqaba Garden.jpg|Shatt Al-Ghandour gardens File:Red Sea Summit in Aqaba.jpg|The Red Sea Summit in Aqaba in 2003 </gallery>

==See also== {{Portal|Jordan|History|Asia}} * Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority * Disi Water Conveyance Project * Midian {{Clear}}

== References == {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Bibliography== {{refbegin}} * {{Cite book|title=Jordan|first=Bradley|last=Mayhew|publisher=Lonely Planet|date=April 2006|edition=6th|isbn=1-74059-789-3|orig-year=1987|location=Footscray}} *{{cite book | title = First Census of Population and Housing. Volume I: Final Tables; General Characteristics of the Population | author = Government of Jordan, Department of Statistics | year = 1964|url=http://cs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/JordanCensus1961bits.pdf}} {{refend}}

== External links == {{commons category}} {{wikivoyage|Aqaba}} * [http://www.aqaba.jo Aqaba Marketing and Tourism Directorate] * [https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:Aqaba%20(Jordan),%20Ayla%20(Jordan) Photos of Aqaba] at the American Center of Research * [https://acor.digitalrelab.com/index.php?s=filter=place_name:Aqaba%20/%20Ayla%20(Jordan) Photos of Aqaba / Ayla] at the American Center of Research * [https://jordan-travel.com/aqaba-the-jewel-of-the-red-sea/ Aqaba - the Jewel of the Red Sea]

Category:Aqaba Category:Populated places in Aqaba Governorate Category:Cities in the Great Rift Valley Category:Port cities and towns in the Arabian Peninsula Category:Port cities and towns of the Red Sea Category:Tourism in Jordan Category:Battlefields