Á Qaba ( Arabic: العقبة , Al-Aqaba ) - a city in Jordan , which is its only seaport, as well as the only sea resort. Located on the northern coast of the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea near the Israeli city of Eilat . The port specializes in the export of phosphates , as well as Iraqi oil.
| City | |
| Aqaba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A country |  Jordan |
| History and Geography | |
| Based | |
| Square | |
| Center height | |
| Timezone | UTC + 2 , in summer UTC + 3 |
| Population | |
| Population | 140 thousand people ( 2014 ) |
| Digital identifiers | |
| Telephone code | + (962) 3 |
| Postcode | |
The population is 140 thousand people ( 2014 ) - about 2% of the population of Jordan.
Content
Resort
The length of the coast of Aqaba is 27 km. It has many hotels and restaurants. There are free beaches in the city. The temperature here does not drop below 22 ° C (in winter). Due to the richness of the underwater world of the Red Sea, the city is popular with scuba diving enthusiasts. Aqaba has a very developed infrastructure for diving.
Like in Eilat , there is an underwater aquarium, but it is a bit simpler. Overall, the entertainment industry is present; the resort is more free from religious Islamic influence than other cities in Jordan - women allow themselves to dress easier. In addition, Aqaba, like Eilat, is declared a duty-free zone , which contributes to the development of shopping: for this, Aqaba is nicknamed the "economic lungs of Jordan" [1] .
The city is famous for the gigantic flag of the Arab Revolution, located on the coast. The height of the flagpole is 136 meters, and the size of the panel is 60 by 30 meters. The flag is clearly visible from neighboring countries (Eilat in Israel and Taba in Egypt) and is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest flag in the world.
History
The first settlement appeared on the site of the city about 6 thousand years ago.
In ancient times, the city bore the name of Elath, it was inhabited by the Edomite people, then the Nabataeans , and was a large commercial center. Then, under the name Aelana (Aelana) or Aila (Aila) entered the Roman Empire . Later it belonged to the Byzantines , the crusaders , was part of the Arab caliphate , the Ottoman Empire . It was an important center on the way of pilgrims performing the hajj to Mecca .
During World War I was taken by rebellious Arabs (see also Lawrence of Arabia ). After the war, he entered the Arab kingdom of Hijaz , then to Saudi Arabia . In 1925, it was ceded to the British protectorate Transjordan (the forerunner of modern Jordan).
Economics
In the 1980s, the city and port experienced rapid development thanks to the construction of an oil pipeline from Iraq.
In 2001, in order to develop the tourism sector, services and industry in Aqaba, a special economic zone (ASEZ) was founded .
Transport
Aqaba has the only seaport in Jordan. Arab Bridge Maritime has organized a ferry service between Aqaba and the Egyptian cities of Taba and Nuweiba .
Twin Cities
- Saint Petersburg , Russia ( 2003 )
See also
- Tala bay
Notes
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has Aqaba- related media files
- Aqaba's Traveler Blog