Why Visit Aqaba? Jordan’s City of Contrasts

The gateway to the Middle East, Aqaba’s strategic position has long made it a sought-after territory. To the powers lucky enough to lay a claim to it, the city provides the perfect base to expand east or west. An important port city, Aqaba has always been a trading hub. And that it remains. According to the World Bank, the Port of Aqaba is one of the top 60 most important worldwide. Growing as a top tourist destination too, Aqaba is just as significant now as it has been throughout its varied and fascinating history.

At first glance, quiet Aqaba may appear to be devoid of culture. But if anything, Aqaba provides a cultural overload, where multiple cultures have somehow intertwined. This is nothing new. Jordan’s second city has always been a cultural crossroads.

While Jordan is best known for its Nabatean history, Aqaba’s origins date back millennia before that. First inhabited around 4000 BCE, the city hides an intriguing past. The first port was built by the Edomites who ruled the then-Kingdom of Edom from the 13th century BCE until the Babylonians conquered it in 553 BCE. Establishing a port in Aqaba, or Elath as they called it then, made the city an important trading post and marked its place on the map.

A Trading Post is Established

With the arrival of the port, Elath became a major hub for trade for the Phoenicians. Copper was their biggest export, as the Phoenicians wanted it for their currency and it was something the Edomites had plenty of. In fact, copper was central to the founding of the first settlements here; during the Chalcolithic period—better known as the Copper Age—when copper was produced in the area on a large scale.

Aqaba remained an important trading post long after the Edomite Period. By the time of Greek rule, around 300 BCE, the city had grown immensely. The Greeks called the city Berenice, and it became a key location to enable trade with the East.

When the Romans overthrew Greek rule, they too saw the significance of Berenice as a strategic trading location. It was the port here that enabled the Roman Empire to develop trade links with India. Every year, goods would be taken by road from Alexandria to Berenice, a journey of twelve days. From here, up to 120 vessels would set sail across the Indian Ocean. The whole journey took over 100 days.

Berenice continued to be an important port city when the early Muslim settlers took control of it  and renamed it Ayla. They used the location to facilitate the trade in Arabian spices between the Middle East and Europe. This continued for centuries. No matter which kingdom Aqaba fell under, no matter who ruled it, the port was always the city’s most important feature. The treasures of the Arabian world have been exported around the globe from the Port of Aqaba right up to the present day.

Today’s Jordan is often regarded as one of the most liberal countries in the Middle East. While it is still more conservative than much of the Western World, it is far more relaxed than much of the Arabian Peninsula. There are no restrictions on the consumption of alcohol, cohabitation, or same-sex relationships, for example.

There are two main reasons for this. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a constitutional monarchy, which has long been known for having a much more liberal outlook than other Middle Eastern states. In fact, Queen Alia, the third wife of King Hussein from 1972 until her untimely death five years later, is often compared to Princess Diana. The second reason comes down to religion.

During Greek and Roman rule, Aqaba was a Christian society. During the Muslim conquest of the Levant, Aqaba fell to the Islamic armies and became known as Ayla. The Islamic historian Ibn Ishaq claimed that the Prophet Muhammad visited the city during the Expedition of Tabuk, located on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba in what is now Saudi Arabia, in 630 CE. This was to be Muhammad’s final conquest before his death, two years later.

In 1115, Aqaba became Christian once again after Baldwin I of Jerusalem took control of it as part of the First Crusade. There was little resistance, but nevertheless, it wasn’t long before the city was back under Islamic control. Saladin’s army captured the city in 1170 and Aqaba’s Muslim fortress was rebuilt.

When Jordan fell under Turkish rule as part of the Ottoman Empire in 1516, Aqaba’s significance dwindled. For the next four centuries, it was little more than a sleepy fishing village, largely unscathed by periods of unrest in the surrounding regions.

To this day, Aqaba and Jordan remain Muslim, however, Christianity is the second most-followed religion in the country. In Aqaba, you will see people from all walks of life and backgrounds. The calls of the muezzins compete with the squeals of children playing on the beach.

By 1916, fighting from Europe spread east. Hejaz, now part of Saudi Arabia, became the first independent Arab state. The British government was hoping to push the Ottoman Army out of the Arabian Peninsula (the Ottomans were allied with Germany during this period), and promised King Hussein bin Ali of Hejaz a single Arab state, to be comprised of what is now Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, and Syria.

The result was a combined force that included Hejaz along with British and French forces. The ensuing wars, known as the Arab Revolt, lasted for over two years and successfully brought the period of Ottoman rule to an end. Despite the Arab victory, an independent Hejaz state never truly became a reality; Palestine was pledged by the British as a Jewish national home, which went on to become Israel, and the state of Hejaz never received international recognition. By 1925, what remained of Hejaz became Saudi Arabia.

On July 6th, 1917, the Arab Revolt reached Aqaba. Gaining control of the city was an important turning point for the Arabs, as it would link the land they had already conquered with British-occupied territories. The British forces were led by T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, who tactically planned an assault on the city from the east, stating in his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom that this was “the unguarded side, the line of least resistance.”

His tactics paid off, and the Battle of Aqaba lasted less than a day. With Aqaba now under Hejaz and British control, the British were able to use the port as a naval base. In 1921, Aqaba became part of the Emirate of Transjordan, remaining under British protection, and going on to become the independent Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan in 1946. When Palestine was annexed in 1949, the modern Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan was born. To this day, the Port of Aqaba remains a significant naval base, being the only base of the Royal Jordanian Navy.

Having been designated a Special Economic Zone by the Jordanian government in 2001, Aqaba remains an economic powerhouse. This tax-free zone makes it a commercial haven. The port continues to handle all sea imports and exports in Jordan, as well as serving as a gateway to Egypt.

But the biggest player in Aqaba’s economy today is tourism. Helped, in part, by the Special Economic Zone, it draws in wealthy Arab visitors looking to splurge without paying hefty taxes and European holidaymakers who want to see Jordan without the need to purchase a fairly expensive visa (a tourist single-entry visa to Jordan costs 40 JOD, around $56).

The arrival of low-cost airlines opened Aqaba up even further. Historically, the only flights to Aqaba were Royal Jordanian’s services from Amman, and tickets weren’t cheap. In recent years easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz Air have launched routes from across Europe to Aqaba, connecting it with cities that would previously have involved several layovers.

Then, there are the resorts. Aqaba has accommodation for just about any budget imaginable. Whether you want to spend $50 a night on a traditional local guesthouse or $500 on a luxurious five-star resort, in Aqaba you can. Well-known international brands including Hilton, Intercontinental, Movenpick, and Kempinski have opened up resorts along the city’s coastline catering to visitors from far and wide.

In 2022, Aqaba received over 1.9 million visitors. In 2023, the city made it into prestigious Time Magazine’s list of the World’s Greatest Places. Aqaba is a destination seeing a tourist boom, which is only getting stronger.

Aqaba is a culture-rich people-watchers paradise, a holiday hotspot whether you want a luxurious all-inclusive getaway and cheap sunshine, or a base from which to explore it.

Far more than just a beach resort, Aqaba is brimming with history and serves as a gateway to two of the world’s most famous destinations.

The ancient capital of the Nabatean Kingdom, Petra lies just two hours’ drive to the north. Halfway between the two, the massive arid expanse of Wadi Rum extends as far as the eye can see. Here you can experience traditional Bedouin culture and follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, with a camel trek to the site of the spring he used to drink from. Aqaba is the kind of destination that can be whatever you want it to be.