Aqaba

Set in a natural amphitheater beneath a curtain of rugged hills, Aqaba is land-locked Jordan’s sole toe-hold on the Red Sea. A more spectacular scene than the reddish mountains, however, lurks under the sea: legions of brilliantly colored creatures flit through a surreal universe of coral. Aqaba is an important trade and military center, and as a swinging resort, it has become the darling of the Arab elite in need of a periodic escape from dry cityscapes. More conservative and relaxed than its Israeli counterpart from across the bay, Eilat, Aqaba offers the exotica of bikini-clad Europeans drinking beer at the same bar with berobed Saudis. Allegedly, it also has Jordan’s largest gay population.

At first, backpackers may hyperventilate at the expensive accommodations and restaurants. Highfalutin’ travelers from Germany might very well demand you leave “their” beach chairs; although you may have paid for it here, they paid for it back in Munich and still have first dibs. Careful scrutiny, however, shows that Aqaba has not completely overlooked the budget traveler.

With its strategic and commercial potential, Aqaba has never suffered neglect. In biblical times, Solomon’s copper-laden ships sailed for Ophir from the port of Etz-ion-Geber. The Romans stationed their famous Tenth Legion here, the Crusaders fortified the port and the little Pharaoh’s Island 7km off the coast (in Egyptian territory). During the 1917 Arab Revolt, Faisal ibn Flussein (played by Sir Alec Guinness in Lawrence of Arabia) and T.E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole) staged a desert raid on the Ottomans’ fortifications and valiantly captured the port.

In 1965 King Hussein shrewdly traded the Saudis 600 square km of southeastern desert for 13km of coastline, and started developing the city into a tourist’s paradise. After the reopening of the Suez Canal in 1957 and the increased traffic caused by the Iran-Iraq War, the harbor became packed with huge juggernauts bulging with cargo. During the 1991 Gulf War, the blockade of the port, which became Iraq’s chief illicit outlet to shipping lanes, slowed traffic considerably. Trade had resumed, under international supervision, by the summer of 1992.