Aqaba

Aqābaʾ ( AK-ə-bə, US also AHK-; Arabic: الْعَقَبَة, romanized: al-ʿAqaba, pronounced [ælˈʕæqɑba, ælˈʕæɡæba]) is the only coastal city in Jordan and the largest and most populous city on the Gulf of Aqaba. Situated in southernmost Jordan, Aqaba is the administrative center of the Aqaba Governorate. The city had a population of 148,398 in 2015 and a land area of 375 square kilometres (144.8 sq mi). Aqaba's location at the northeastern tip of the Red Sea between the continents of Asia and Africa has made its port important for millennia. The ancient city was called Elath, whose proximity to copper mines made it a regional hub for copper production and trade in the Chalcolithic period. Under Byzantine rule, Aela became a bishopric, and the Aqaba Church, the world's oldest known purpose-built Christian church, was constructed there. Following the Islamic conquest around AD 650, the city became known as Ayla and later became a Latin Catholic titular see. The name Aqaba did not come into use until the late medieval period. During the Great Arab Revolt, the prominent Battle of Aqaba saw joint Arab and British victory over Ottoman troops. Aqaba's location next to Wadi Rum and Petra has made it one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan. The city is administered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, which has turned Aqaba into a low-tax, duty-free city, attracting several tourist resort area like Ayla Oasis, Saraya Aqaba, Marsa Zayed, and Tala Bay. They are expected to turn the city into a major tourism hub in the region. However, industrial and commercial activities remain important, due to the strategic location of the city as the country's only seaport. The city is served by the King Hussein International Airport, while the Port of Aqaba serves as Jordan's principal seaport and a gateway...