All Topics  
Gulf of Aqaba

 
Gulf of Aqaba

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Gulf of Aqaba
 
 
  Topics Gulf of Aqaba Topic Home

The Gulf of Aqaba (; transliterated
Arabic transliteration

Different approaches and methods for the romanization of Arabic language exist. They vary in the way that they address the inherent problems of rendering written and spoken Arabic in the Latin alphabet; they also use different symbols for Arabic phonemes that do not exist in English language or other European languages....
: Khalyj al-'Aqabah), in Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
 known as the Gulf of Eilat (Hebrew
Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....
: ???? ????, transliterated: Mifratz Eilat) is a large gulf
Headlands and bays

Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment....
 of the Red Sea
Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
. It is located to the east of the Sinai peninsula
Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, forming a land bridge between Africa and Southwest Asia....
 and west of the Arabian mainland
Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula , Arabia, Arabistan, and the Arabian subcontinent is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia. The area is an important part of the Middle East and plays a critically important geopolitics role because of its vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas....
. Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
, Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
, Jordan
Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
 all have coastlines on the Gulf of Aqaba. Its maximum depth is .

The Gulf of Aqaba is one of two gulfs created by the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, forming a land bridge between Africa and Southwest Asia....
's bifurcation of the northern Red Sea
Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
, the Gulf of Suez
Gulf of Suez

The northern end of the Red Sea is River_bifurcation by the Sinai Peninsula, creating the Gulf of Suez in the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east....
 lying to the west of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Aqaba lying to its east.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Gulf of Aqaba'
Start a new discussion about 'Gulf of Aqaba'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Gulf of Aqaba (; transliterated
Arabic transliteration

Different approaches and methods for the romanization of Arabic language exist. They vary in the way that they address the inherent problems of rendering written and spoken Arabic in the Latin alphabet; they also use different symbols for Arabic phonemes that do not exist in English language or other European languages....
: Khalyj al-'Aqabah), in Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
 known as the Gulf of Eilat (Hebrew
Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....
: ???? ????, transliterated: Mifratz Eilat) is a large gulf
Headlands and bays

Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment....
 of the Red Sea
Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
. It is located to the east of the Sinai peninsula
Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, forming a land bridge between Africa and Southwest Asia....
 and west of the Arabian mainland
Arabian Peninsula

The Arabian Peninsula , Arabia, Arabistan, and the Arabian subcontinent is a peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia. The area is an important part of the Middle East and plays a critically important geopolitics role because of its vast reserves of petroleum and natural gas....
. Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
, Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
, Jordan
Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
, and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south....
 all have coastlines on the Gulf of Aqaba. Its maximum depth is .

The Gulf of Aqaba is one of two gulfs created by the Sinai Peninsula
Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai is a triangular peninsula in Egypt. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, forming a land bridge between Africa and Southwest Asia....
's bifurcation of the northern Red Sea
Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
, the Gulf of Suez
Gulf of Suez

The northern end of the Red Sea is River_bifurcation by the Sinai Peninsula, creating the Gulf of Suez in the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east....
 lying to the west of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Aqaba lying to its east. The Gulf of Aqaba measures at its widest point and stretches some north from the Straits of Tiran
Straits of Tiran

The Straits of Tiran , are the narrow sea passages, about 13 km wide, between the Sinai peninsula and Arabian Peninsula peninsulas which separates the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea....
 to a point where the border of Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
 meets the borders of Egypt
Egypt

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Western Asia. Covering an area of about , Egypt borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west....
 and Jordan
Jordan

Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern part of the Syrian Desert down to the Gulf of Aqaba....
. At this northern end of the Gulf are three important cities: Taba
Taba (Egypt)

Taba is a small Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. Taba is the location of Egypt's busiest Taba Border Crossing with neighboring Israel....
 in Egypt, Eilat
Eilat

Eilat is Israel's South District city, a busy port as well as a popular resort, located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba....
 in Israel, and Aqaba in Jordan. All three cities serve both as strategically important commercial ports and as popular resort destinations for tourists seeking to enjoy the warm climate of the region. Further south, Haql
Haql

Haql is a town in the northwest of Saudi Arabia near the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba.From Haql, coasts of Egypt, Israel and Jordan can be seen....
 is the largest Saudi Arabian city on the gulf. On Sinai, Sharm el-Sheikh
Sharm el-Sheikh

Sharm el Sheikh , is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in Janub Sina', Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai, Egypt....
 and Dahab
Dahab

Dahab is a small town situated on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Formerly a Bedouin fishing village, located approximately 80 km northeast of Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab is still considered to be one of the Sinai's most treasured diving destinations....
 are the major centers.

The Gulf of Aqaba, like the coastal waters of the Red Sea, is one of the world's premier sites for diving.The area is especially rich in coral and other marine biodiversity and contains a number of underwater wrecks, some accidental shipwrecks, others vessels deliberately sunk in an effort to provide a habitat for marine organisms and bolster the local dive tourism industry.

Geologically, the Gulf of Aqaba is an integral part of the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley

The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trough, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa....
 that runs from East Africa
East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN subregion, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
 through the Red Sea and northwards towards the rift valley containing the Dead Sea
Dead Sea

For the Brian Keene book of the same name, see Dead Sea The Dead Sea is a salt lake between Israel and the West Bank to the west, and Jordan to the east....
.

Trade across the Red Sea between Thebes port of Elim
Elim

Elim may refer to one of the following locations:* Elim, Alaska* Elim, Pennsylvania* Elim, Western Cape, South Africa* Elim Constituency, Namibia...
 and Elat at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba is documented as early as the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt
Fourth dynasty of Egypt

The Fourth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, also written Dynasty 4 and Dynasty IV, is characterized as a golden age of the Old Kingdom....
. Red Sea
Red Sea

The Red Sea is a salt water inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb sound and the Gulf of Aden....
 Expeditions crossing the Red Sea and heading south to Punt
Punt

Punt can mean the following:* A type of boat**Punt , a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow developed on the River Thames**Norfolk Punt, a type of racing dinghy developed in Norfolk...
 are mentioned in the Fifth dynasty of Egypt
Fifth dynasty of Egypt

The Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Old Kingdom....
, the Sixth dynasty of Egypt
Sixth dynasty of Egypt

The Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of History of Egypt are often combined under the title "Old Kingdom"....
, the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt
Eleventh dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh dynasty of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
, the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt
Twelfth dynasty of Egypt

The Eleventh , Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, Middle Kingdom of Egypt....
 and the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt
Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eighteenth Dynasty is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt. As well as a number of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, it included Tutankhamun, whose tomb, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922, was one of the greatest of all archaeological discoveries, being completely undisturbed by tomb robbers....
 when Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut , meaning, Foremost of Noble Ladies, was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an Indigenous peoples Egyptian dynasty....
 built a fleet to support the trade and journeyed south to Punt herself in a six month voyage. Thebes used Nubia
Nubia

Nubia is a region in Southern Egypt along the Nile and in what is now northern Sudan. Most of Nubia is situated in Sudan with about a quarter of its territory in Egypt....
n gold or Nub from her conquests south into Kush to facilitate the purchase of Frankincense
Frankincense

Frankincense, also called olibanum , is an Aroma compound resin obtained from trees of the genus Boswellia, particularly Boswellia sacra ....
, Myrrh
Myrrh

Myrrh is a reddish-brown resinous material, the dried Plant sap of a number of trees, but primarily from Commiphora myrrha, native to Yemen, Somalia, the eastern parts of Ethiopia and Commiphora gileadensis, native to Jordan....
, Bitumen
Bitumen

Bitumen is a mixture of organic compounds liquids that are highly viscous, black, sticky, entirely soluble in carbon disulfide, and composed primarily of highly condensed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons....
, Natron
Natron

Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate and about 17% sodium bicarbonate along with small quantities of household salt and sodium sulfate....
, Juniper oil, Linen
Linen

Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
, and Copper
Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29.It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity....
 amulets for the mummification
Mummification

Mummification may refer to:*Creation of a mummy, preserving a dead body*Mummification , a sexual bondage experience...
 industry at Karnak
Karnak

The Karnak temple complex, universally known only as Karnak, describes a vast conglomeration of ruined temples, chapels, pylons and other buildings....
. Egyptian settlements near Timnah
Timnah

Biblical Timnah is identified with the modern archeological site of Tel Batash, in the Sorek Valley of Israel, near Kibbutz Tal Shahar.The site was first settled in the Middle Bronze Age by creating an earthen rampart that enclosed the 10 acre / 40 hectare site....
 at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba date to the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt
Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt

The Eighteenth Dynasty is perhaps the best known of all the dynasties of ancient Egypt. As well as a number of Egypt's most powerful pharaohs, it included Tutankhamun, whose tomb, uncovered by Howard Carter in 1922, was one of the greatest of all archaeological discoveries, being completely undisturbed by tomb robbers....
.

An Egyptian naval blockade
Blockade

A blockade is an effort to cut off the communications of a particular area, by force. It is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually directed at an entire country or region, not a fortress or city....
 against all Israeli shipping through the Straits of Tiran
Straits of Tiran

The Straits of Tiran , are the narrow sea passages, about 13 km wide, between the Sinai peninsula and Arabian Peninsula peninsulas which separates the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea....
 (the southern opening of this gulf) was the immediate cause of the 1967 Six Day War.

See also

  • Saudi-Egypt Causeway
    Saudi-Egypt Causeway

    The Saudi-Egypt Causeway is a proposal to link Egypt and Saudi Arabia with a causeway and bridge. . The whole connection - causeway and bridge is expected to cost about $4b and could be completed by 2012....
     a proposed transport link in the Gulf.


External links

  • page on Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel

    The Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel is the political head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs . The position is one of the most important in the Cabinet of Israel after Prime Minister of Israel and Defense Minister of Israel....
     - a joint Israel-Jordan initiative