Jordan has access to the sea. Aqaba (Gulf). Basic Geographical Information

The bay has an elongated shape: length 175 km and width up to 29 km. Geographically, it is part of the Great Rift Valley fault. The bay is connected to the Red Sea by the Strait of Tiran, which contains a number of small islands. The western shore of the Gulf (Sinai Peninsula) belongs to Egypt, the eastern to Saudi Arabia.

At the northern end of the bay, a small part of the coast belongs to Israel and Jordan: the Israeli port of Eilat (in Israel, therefore, the common name Gulf of Eilat, Hebrew מפרץ אילת ‏‎) and the Jordanian port of Aqaba, whose name the bay bears. For Jordan this is the only access to the sea, for Israel it is the opportunity to access the Red Sea. In recent years, the Aqaba-Eilat area has acquired the significance of a resort area. It is adjacent to the Taba resort on Egyptian territory. In the northern part of the bay you can see the territories of four states at once.

Tourism

The Gulf of Aqaba is one of the most popular diving spots in the world. About 250,000 dives take place in Israel's 11-kilometer stretch of the bay, and diving accounts for 10% of the region's revenue. Before the Arab Spring, the Pharaonic Island near Taba was also popular in Egypt.

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Notes

Excerpt characterizing Aqaba (Gulf)

Let's continue our underwater journey along the seabed of the Red Sea. We move slowly and try not to disturb the marine inhabitants or disrupt their usual course of life.

Having sailed a little away from the rocks and corals onto a welcoming sunlit sandy field, at a depth of 10 meters, it is better not to let your guard down and look carefully around. It is here that you can meet the closest relative of the stonefish from the Wart family.

Threaded wart Inimicus didactylus

This is a small predator, up to 25 centimeters in length. It lives near the bottom in sandy areas, mudflats or small rocks. Local guides call this fish “sand walker”, which means: walking on the sand. Indeed, this animal swims quite rarely, preferring to crawl at a low speed, or rather walk, in search of its prey. The first two pairs of rays from the pectoral fins allow it to do this. They are longer than the other rays and are specialized for probing the bottom topography and moving the fish’s body in the desired direction.

Just like Scorpenopsis, the outer side of the wart's fins is brightly colored yellow-orange and is intended to be displayed to possible aggressors in an effort to scare them away. True, there is not a single confirmation that any of the predators is capable of feeding on such poisonous fish. Glands with poison are located at the ends and processes of the dorsal fin, and are also scattered throughout the body in the form of small tubercles-warts. And since the wart does not have scales, all this gives it a rather knotty appearance.

The eyes and nostrils are turned up and located on the upper side of the body, while the head is quite flattened. As a true predator, this amazing fish must clearly see and sense its prey. Especially at night, when she is most active. It is difficult to see the wart during the daytime because of its habit of lying motionless, buried in sand or loose soil. The body patterns also make the “bottom walker” completely invisible, looking like a stone overgrown with a coral polyp.

Unfortunately, sometimes this leads to accidents, since its hard spines easily pierce human skin and the poison quickly enters the bloodstream. To avoid this, you need to move very carefully along the shore during low tide, and when meeting underwater, limit contact only to observing from a distance.

Swimming from the sandbank to the beginning of the reef, or to a small lagoon between the rocks, you can easily miss another master of camouflage living in the coastal waters of Dahab. It is found at shallow depths, no lower than 40 meters, and, when viewed from above, completely blends in with the light brown bottom and rocks.

Tentacled Flathead; crocodile fish Papilloculiceps longiceps

Of particular interest are the fins of the fish, which exactly replicate the glare of the sun's rays on the seabed. The flathead received its second name due to its elongated flat body and large head with a wide mouth, making it look like a small crocodile. But unlike fairly large reptiles, this fish does not grow more than one meter in length, although it is also an active predator, attacking victims from ambush. The crocodile fish's eyes are covered on the outside with a lacy pattern that helps break up the outline of the iris. This improves his camouflage, which he uses in ambushes and confuses unsuspecting victims.

Despite its wide mouth, crocodile fish have a fairly limited diet. It includes small reef fish, crabs and shrimp. The final touch to the camouflage of the flathead can be considered the ridges and spines on the dorsal side of the body, similar to small bushes of sea grass.

Like any ambush predator, this fish easily allows you to get close to it. It is non-poisonous. Despite this, you should not disturb her, since choosing a place for hunting is a rather complicated process. And by driving the flathead away from its habitat, you can deprive the fish of its daily prey.

Of course, not all ocean animals strive to hide their presence and disguise themselves. Some, on the contrary, stand out with the bright colors of their body and skin, thereby warning everyone around them of their toxicity.

To make sure of this, you can move a little further. On well-lit terraces with individual coral blocks, on the surface of stones or sponges, you can see the bright nudibranch, a member of the Chromodorid family.

Chromodoris quadricolor

Having no poisonous needles or sharp teeth for protection, these mollusks are nevertheless quite brightly colored and immediately catch the eye. The reason for this bravery is the ability of chromodoris to release toxic chemicals when disturbed. The bright outfit serves as a warning about this and the mollusk remains unharmed after meeting a predator. But where does the poison come from? Chromodoris cannot produce poison on its own. The accumulation of poison in their body occurs after eating food, which are two types of red sponges - Negombata Magnifica and Drilling Sponge (Pione vastifica). These sponges produce highly active chemicals designed to protect against predators, as well as to kill nearby animals. Only angelfish and chromodoris can successfully feed and digest tissues that are dangerous to other animals, sponges.

Divers often say that they have seen two identical nudibranchs sitting next to each other. They are misled by the edge of the mollusk's mantle located just below the surface of the skin. It is there that a series of small glands are located, from where the chemical attack of the chromodoris occurs.

The mollusk's vision is very poorly developed; the senses of smell and touch predominate, the main nerve center of which is located on two horns located on its head. These are rhinophores, an almost non-stop part of the animal’s body, including one necessary for communication with other representatives of the species. While hovering, you can watch how the mollusk moves forward every moment, probing the water and soil with these “horns.”

Nudibranchs got their name because their gills are not protected in any way. In Chromodoris they grow near the back of the body.

Porous, bright orange petals near the anus and are the gills with which the mollusk breathes.

Slowly crawling away with the help of contractions of its mantle, the four-colored chromodoris continues its journey across the expanses of the Gulf of Aqaba.

And under the spreading branches of the red sponge, where we leave it, a couple of small, beautiful fish swim.

Red Sea kabooba Heniochus intermedius

A fish belonging to the family Chaetodontidae, one of the most colorful inhabitants of coastal reefs. Representatives of the family are distinguished by a flattened disc-shaped body and a small retractable mouth with bristle-like teeth. The Red Sea kabuba is endemic to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, so this species can only be found in these places.

The black, white and red body coloring and the highly elongated fin that swings as the fish swims make this species easy to identify. Kaboobs are found in pairs, very rarely alone. They can be seen down to depths of 50 meters, slowly swimming one after another.

Butterfly fish do not have common taste habits and almost all species feed on different, sometimes very different, food. Kaboobs look for food, which is zooplankton, in open places in the water column. Sometimes bottom invertebrates become their prey.

But another species of this family has completely different taste preferences.

Polyp butterflyfish Chaetodon Austriacus

As the name suggests, the main diet for this species is coral polyps. They also eat the eggs of gastropods and the tentacles, including poisonous ones, of sea anemones. The coloration is similar to the Kabuba, but the color is predominantly yellow.

Pairs of these fairly active fish can often be found in coral-rich areas up to 20 meters deep. Polyp butterflies are territorial and in constant movement they not only look for food, but also protect their area from other individuals of their species. These butterflies usually do not like the approach of divers and they prefer to quickly hide in the intricate labyrinth of the reef. The main threat to this species is the reduction of the planet's coral cover. Among which, in the lagoons, bays and protected reefs of the Gulf of Aden, you can meet another representative of the Bristletooth family.

Redback butterflyfish Chaetodon paucifasciatus

Endemic to the Red Sea, just like kabub. Small fish have up to 15 different colors! They never swim alone, being either in a pair or in a small group.

Different food chains of butterfly fish allow different species to live in the same territory, calmly tolerating each other’s company. The redback butterfly has a completely different diet than the previous two species. It consists of soft corals, algae and small crustaceans.

During the daytime you can find this fish down to a depth of 30 meters.

Due to their habit of moving around a lot during the day, butterflies often catch the eye of divers. It seems that there are a lot of them on the reef. It is deceptive, since the number of all species of butterflies is only a fraction of a percent of the total number of inhabitants of the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba.

Climbing along the outer slope of the reef in shallow water, you can reach sandy lagoons well-warmed by the sun. During the day, there is a chance to meet a rather leisurely, medium-sized fish, originally from the small family of Pufferfish (Tetraodontidae) -

Arothron stellatus

One of the features of the family is considered to be the ability to swell, turning into a ball that scares away many predators. Elastic, scaleless skin allows them to make such changes to their body, as well as a special chamber in front of the stomach, where pufferfish collect water in times of danger. Thus, the fish turns into a prickly ball filled with water. Since the star-shaped arotron is the largest representative of the family, growing up to 1.5 meters, in its inflated state it represents an almost insurmountable obstacle for those who want to feast on it.

An additional feature of protection is the presence in their body of one of the strongest natural poisons - tetradotoxin, which is produced in the body of the arotron during life. By the way, the first information about pufferfish poisoning was recorded in James Cook's ship's log back in 1774. Then the ship's crew ate the fish meat and the poisoning in people was quite easy. Unlike pigs, who died after eating fish waste. This is due to the fact that the most poisonous parts of the fish are the entrails, skin and gonads. So if then Cook’s team had cooked, for example, soup from pufferfish, we could have been deprived of the great geographical discoveries made by the researcher.

But let's get back to the arotrons. Their slowness and black dot body coloring can make the fish almost invisible, even if it swims nearby.

The speed of movement is greatly affected by the absence of pectoral fins, as well as a disproportionately swollen body. This does not greatly interfere with the arotron’s search for food, because it has a very extensive diet including invertebrates, algae, corals, crustaceans and mollusks. Such an abundance of food allows the arotron to obtain very strong and large dental plates, with which the fish crushes coral polyps and shells of its victims. There have been cases where divers have been subjected to painful stings from starfish. Undoubtedly, this happened when trying to touch or catch up with the fish, which of course should not be done.

Rising to the very surface of the water, one can sometimes mistake for the mirror reflections of swaying waves a fish from the Sargan family (Belonidae) -

Red Sea tylosurus Tylosurus choram

Fast predators hunting small fish just under the surface of the water. The body is elongated, which makes them look like barracudas. Tylosurans can be easily distinguished by their longer, tapering jaws with rows of sharp, needle-like teeth.

Quite large, growing up to 1.5 meters, tylosurs very rarely descend below the sanitary stations for cleaning at the upper edge of the reefs. But seeing fish above the surface of the sea is quite possible! Tylosurs have a remarkable property, in the heat of pursuit of schools of small fish, to jump out of the water and “run” along the tops of the waves, covering a considerable distance. Bending their body in wave-like movements, pushing off the water with their tail, tylosurs fly 50–100 meters and suddenly burst into a school of unsuspecting fish. Some researchers believe that this property of garfish makes their hunting more successful, since the predator becomes invisible to its victims. Also, due to the fact that air has less resistance than water, fish greatly increase the speed of their movement.

There are known cases of fishermen being injured by the sharp snout of a tilosur that jumped out of the water too high.

On the surface of the sea, golden reflections of the sun run across the cool waves of the blue Red Sea. The vastness and depth of this vast water area hides more than 1,500 species of living organisms. Each of them is beautiful and unique in its significance for the entire biocenosis as a whole. Each has amazing and sometimes unique qualities that allow them to survive and evolve, increasingly turning our planet into an ideal world of interaction and diversity.

In clear weather, from the port of Aqaba, the coastal strip of Eilat with its 5-star hotels is clearly visible. From the Israeli side, the huge Jordanian flag fluttering over the old fort of Aqaba is no less clearly visible. The coastline of the bay connects 4 states. In the photo hanging at the border crossing between Israel and Jordan, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and King Hussein smile peacefully and shake hands.

Cities and legends

Eilat is a city that served in ancient times as the center of trade in the Middle East. The city existed during the time of the Jewish king Solomon. Both in antiquity and in the Middle Ages, on the site of Eilat there was almost always a military garrison, which was initially under Egyptian rule, and then repeatedly changed hands. Whoever sought to take possession of this strategic point: the Romans, the Crusaders, the Turks... During the British Mandate, on the site of Eilat there was only a border police station, the building of which was built of clay. In 1949, at the final stage of the War of Independence, the Israel Defense Forces rushed to the Red Sea to plant the blue and white flag on the southern border of the country. There is a story about an unusual telegram that arrived at army headquarters at that time: “We have reached the end of the map. What to do next?" So Eilat was captured by Israel.

It must be said that the descendants of the ancient border guards still proudly honor the behests of their ancestors. We had a chance to get to the border crossing named after Yitzhak Rabin between Israel and Jordan. Seeing us and our bags, the entire border

happily came running to dissect the saboteurs. The Eilat guys worked with passion: they cleared all the bags, then unpacked everything and cleared each item separately. Then the valiant guardians of the inviolable Israeli borders covered all the lenses and wanted to illuminate them without covers. We demanded that the covers be closed, saying that they would not pay - each lens cost 2-3 kilobucks. Israelis are smart people, they do quick math in their heads. The lenses were put in a box, but the lids were closed. Then the hereditary border guards tried to make out all the underwater flashes. They asked about every item in the equipment - they blew our minds. From the yellowed photographs on the wall, the kind grandfather Yitzhak Rabin closely followed the actions of his pioneers. We understand: the border is locked! But this year our compatriots, attracted by the abolition of visas, encroached on the inviolability of the Israeli border. As a result, Eilat was taken without a fight by hordes of Russians, sweeping away everything in their path - goods from supermarket shelves, food from hotel buffets, etc.

Aqaba is a small resort town that, together with Jordan, has experienced all the main periods of its history. Mamluks and Egyptians, Turks and Crusaders, Arabs and Romans, Byzantines and British - they all considered Aqaba an important border point. Before World War I, almost the entire vast territory of the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsula belonged to the Ottoman Empire, which entered the war on the side of Germany. On July 6, 1917, Aqaba, a Turkish outpost on the Red Sea, was unexpectedly captured by Bedouin troops led by the English subject Lawrence of Arabia. As a result, Lawrence of Arabia became a legend: at the beginning of the 20th century, the main role in war was played by guns and airplanes, and not by cavalry attacks and outflanking maneuvers.

At the head of the desert warriors was a man to whom many attributed strategic talent of Napoleonic proportions. The British officer Thomas Edward Lawrence had plenty of Middle Eastern experience: before the war, he was engaged in archaeological excavations in Syria, studied Arabic, and at the same time was an English spy. At the beginning of 1914, together with archaeologist Leonard Woolley, Lawrence went to the Sinai Peninsula, supposedly to search for traces of the Jews' forty years of walking in the desert. In fact, Lawrence was interested in the Turkish army, its fortresses and bases. The short, blond Englishman's hour came when the Arabs rebelled in Mecca. The British command sent Lawrence to a meeting with the rebels to find out their mood.

Lawrence perfectly understood the psychology of the Arabs and managed to exploit the dissatisfaction of the local Bedouin tribes with the railway from Damascus to Medina, built by the Turkish authorities. Pilgrims who previously walked on foot now began to travel by train. The income of the Bedouins, who collected taxes for passage through their territory, fell sharply. It was against the railway, as well as the strongholds of the Turkish troops located on it, that Lawrence launched a guerrilla war. The locomotives went downhill, and the unknown British Colonel Thomas Lawrence completely transformed into the heroic Bedouin leader Orens, for whose head the Turks gave twenty thousand pounds. Historians are still puzzling over how this Englishman managed not only to win the trust of the Arabs, but also to become their leader, to achieve unquestioning submission and even his own deification.

At the end of the war, Europe divided the former Turkish possessions among themselves: the French received a mandate for Syria, the British for Palestine and Iraq. Aqaba became a stronghold of the British in the Middle East. On May 25, 1946, independent Jordan appeared on the world map. The legacy of the “British Mandate” in Aqaba was the good English and completely gentlemanly manners of the aborigines.

Dive centers

Eilat. If you ask me what the Manta Diving dive center that hosted us is associated with, I would answer without hesitation - with the Pandemonium of Babel. This is the quintessence of human vanity and a “factory for the production and operation of divers.” The center does everything at the same time: from morning until late evening, its smart staff conducts introdives, trains, immerses, issues equipment, and at the same time - hosts participants in the reputable photo competition "Epson Red Sea 2008" (and this is no less - 120 participants out of 12 countries of the world). Everywhere there is multilingual speech, compatriots meet. There are many of them - Israel, of course. Most of our fellow citizens left for the “wild 90s” and are hungry for communication. It’s quite in the spirit of the “new Israelis” to spend a weekend in Eilat: leave Tel Aviv or its environs early in the morning, spend 4-5 hours on the road to get to Eilat, dive, drink, socialize, spend the night, dive again in the morning - and again on the road.

Few Israelis have traveled further than the Sinai: the Muslim world is closed to them, and with it the Maldives, Indonesia, Sudan, Malaysia are closed... It turns out that “our former ones”, having got out from behind one “Iron Curtain”, ended up behind another. Eilat is crowded with Russian tourists - native speech can be heard everywhere and the atmosphere of a “trade union sanatorium” reigns; prices rise in proportion to the decrease in the quality of service. The city does not create a feeling of privacy, you feel like a cog in a giant machine and you clearly understand the meaning of the words “leisure industry”, since holidays in Eilat,

It is definitely a product of industrial production. If you need manual piece assembly, and not a conveyor, then there is a direct path to Aqaba.

Aqaba. The Dive Aqaba dive center greets us with peace and quiet, and the owner’s assistant (his adopted son) with cordiality and impeccable English. As a “welcome drink” - always beer. The owner of the DC, a cheerful Englishman Rod Abbotson, has lived in Aqaba for more than 20 years. Guides, instructors and guests are mostly his (and not our) compatriots; many guests work permanently in Jordan. In addition, “Dive Aqaba” is the only technical DC in Jordan, and all the technicians of the British crown come here, including Marc Elliott’s courses. November (the time when we were carried to Aqaba) is considered a low season, and every day from 2 to 8 people dive into the DC. There is no fuss; on the contrary, there is a sense of privacy: what sites would you like to visit? what would you like to photograph? At the end of the day, over a can of beer, there are leisurely conversations about distant countries (the British, as hereditary colonizers, travel a lot and with pleasure). In the DC, instead of Babylonian pandemonium, there are gatherings in a Bedouin tent. The city is also leisurely and welcoming. The smells of hookah, shawarma and coffee emanate from tiny cafes; you can sit in soft, wide armchairs and leisurely sip a fragrant drink. Their owners sit at the shops and shops, and none of them rushes at you with an appeal to buy all the best from him. Aqaba merchants are imposing and leisurely, and if you want to look or buy something, they offer you the goods politely and with dignity. If Eilat is work, then Aqaba is definitely vacation!

Diving

Eilat. The length of the coastline on which the Eilat dive sites are located is only about 5 km. Almost all dives are shore dives. Some beaches (for example, the area around the Eilat Observatory) are surrounded by a fence with barbed wire - diving is prohibited there. Apparently, these are the best sites in Eilat, the same ones on which the photographs were taken that have become the calling cards of the city. To reach remote sites, you need a car. On the very first day, we rent a car and begin our “autodiving”: putting on wetsuits at the dive center and loading equipment into the trunk, we drive to the site. There, having locked the car with a regular (non-chip) key, we dive in. Upon return, all wet equipment is thrown into the trunk, and we, in what we were wearing (i.e., wetsuits), return to the dive center to replace the cylinders.

Aqaba. In Aqaba, you don’t have to endlessly get ready and sort out, carry cylinders on yourself, splash around on foot in a full diving parade, but you can relax. In the morning, our junk is loaded into a minivan to be transferred to the yacht at the pier; We get into another minivan and head to the port. Our owner's yacht does not amaze with its novelty and design - it is a 15-meter boat built in the 1980s. The yacht has 3 cabins on the lower deck, a saloon on the upper deck and a sun deck. The length of the coastline where the dive sites are located is about 12 km, travel time is from 40 minutes to an hour and a half. Along the way, you can leisurely collect your gear, admire the deserted Jordanian coast and the ships in the roadstead, and lie on the sun deck in between dives. On the way back - a wonderful lunch with Arabic delicacies performed by a Jordanian cook.

Dive sites

Speaking about the dive sites of Eilat and Aqaba, we will deliberately touch only on those where we had a chance to dive - “Let's argue about the taste of oysters with those who ate them.”

Eilat. When you open any guidebook or Internet site dedicated to Eilat, you are sure to read something like: “In most tropical seas, the coral reefs are located much further from the coast and are less diverse than the coral reefs of the Gulf of Eilat. Transparent warm water and the proximity of coral reefs to the shore make this beautiful, enchanting world accessible.”

Don't believe it! In our opinion, God’s chosen people received “Jewish happiness” - precisely that part of the Red Sea that is especially poor in corals and marine life: the water is warm, visibility is good, and there are few living creatures - mostly sand and small (10-12 m) rocks. Scientists from the local Institute of Oceanology go to any lengths to create artificial reefs. Whatever structures you see underwater, corals are still reluctant to grow. But the lack of living organisms is successfully compensated by the huge number of diving people. Despite the low season, the waters are teeming with introdivers, students, instructors and even technicians, proudly diving with their spark stage manifolds to a depth of as much as fifty (!!!) meters.

Satil is a 50-meter patrol boat, standing on an even keel at a depth of 18-24 m. The superstructures are abundantly overgrown with soft corals, among which there are flute fish, you can find frog fish and crocodile fish. The rack is interesting both for fans of “wide-angle” and “macro” shooting.

Yatush is a 20-meter boat at a depth of 30 m. The boat is small and good because even in poor visibility it fits completely into the frame.

Since both wrecks are artificial, you will not find anything charismatic on them - no wheel in the wheelhouse, no boats, no propellers.

Neptune Tables is the furthest site, almost on the border with Egypt. "Tables" are five to six table corals up to 1.5 meters in size, scattered on the sand 30-40 meters apart at a depth of 12-18 m. If you are spoiled by the 4-5 meter "tables" of Indonesia or the Philippines, you may think that you missed the site, but for Eilat these are huge corals... On the site there is a small rock at 8 meters where you can find several moray eels and frog fish.

In addition to Neptune coffee tables and stools, there is a website with the proud name Caves. True, the “caves” are more reminiscent of holes in a reef wall at a depth of 4.5 m. In the holes you can find all kinds of living creatures - anthias, moray eels, gobi, crocodile fish, as well as numerous introdivers and instructors: the site does not have the status of a reserve, therefore, they don’t charge money for visiting it, and the depth is shallow - what could be better for making money through diving!

At the University site, at a depth of 13-18 m, there are many artificial structures, here and there overgrown with soft corals. It is interesting because of the riot of oceanological thought that gave birth to all these engineering structures; however, there are not many living creatures on it - apparently, it frightens the high-tech animals.

The house reef in front of the Ambassador Hotel boasts a very original artificial structure. A cubic concrete structure in the style of a young Picasso at a depth of 7-8 m, hollow inside, replete with metal rosettes, tubes, etc. Charming blue dogfish are hiding in the tubes, soft purple corals have sprouted here and there on the rosettes, and schools of fish are hiding inside.

Nearby is the Joshua Rock site - three small stones on the sand.

In our opinion, the most popular and exotic site in Eilat is Moses Rock. A small rock (no more than 15 m) is densely overgrown with corals and is famous for a huge school of circling glass fish and anthias. It’s very beautiful and exciting - the “fish vortex” is endless. The shallow depth (8 m) allows you to admire the play of the sun's rays on the scales of thousands of small fish.

Quite picturesque bridges lead to the Joshua and Moses sites, from which it is easy to dive and under which flutes and garfish live in large numbers.

Eilat Dolphin Reef is one of the few dolphinariums in the world where scuba diving is allowed. The duration of the dive is 30 minutes, it must be booked in advance due to the large number of people interested (you can use the Internet). You can have different attitudes to the problem of keeping dolphins in captivity, but a half-hour dive with a beautiful dolphin family gave us incomparable pleasure. I was lucky with the guide - he was a good guy: young dolphins came to him to scratch themselves, along the way curiously examined their reflection in the camera lens, swam in races... in general, despite living in a pen, they did not look unhappy.

Aqaba. Having moved to the opposite side of the bay, you are convinced that there are denser corals, more living creatures, and more interesting wrecks. In addition, there is no queue of divers underwater, as in Eilat or Egypt.

First Bay: average depth - 15 m, maximum - 35 m. This is a reef with gorgonians, black and fire corals growing on it, an erg and a dump, overgrown with grass. Scorpion fish, lionfish and small moray eels hide in the grass. In the southern part of the site there is a pier, under which a huge school of anchovies lives at shallow depths. On a sunny day, the movements of the flock resemble fireworks - an absolutely mystical spectacle.

King Abdulla Reef: average depth -13 m, maximum - 30 m. Located south of the “First Bay”. The relief, flora and fauna resembles the first site. There are blennies, gobies, scorpionfish, clownfish, and pipefish.

Black Rock: average depth - 14 m, maximum - 30 m. A coral garden with fire corals and small ergs begins immediately from the surface.

M-42 Tank, aka Duster Anti-Aircraft Vehicle - known simply as "The Tank". The Duster M-42 anti-aircraft self-propelled gun with a self-guided cannon was in service with the Jordanian army and was deliberately sunk on September 1, 1999 by the Jordanian Royal Ecological Diving Society. The tank became a refuge for fish and became a remarkably beautiful artificial reef. Sometimes there is an assumption that this is a Russian tank, but this is not so.

Next to the tank is the charming 7 Sisters site - seven coral hills with anthias and other small fish circling above them.

Cedar Pride is one of the most photogenic Red Sea wrecks and major dive sites in Jordan. It was deliberately sunk on November 16, 1985. Over the years, it has become overgrown with soft and hard corals and has become a refuge for many fish. It lies between the Rainbow Reef and Japanese Gardens sites, stern to the north, 130 m from the coast. A permanent buoy is attached to it - this is monitored by the administration of the Aqaba Marine Reserve. Length - 74 m, carrying capacity 1161 tons. Maximum depth - 25 m, the top of the masts is 7 m, so the wreck is very interesting for divers of any level of training. The ship was launched in 1964 in Spain, and has changed several names and owners over its history. In 1978 it was sold to the Lebanese company Cedar Pride, and the company name became its last, fourth name. In 1982, there was a fire on board a ship anchored in the port of Aqaba. On August 2, a fire destroyed the engine room and living quarters, killing two people. The hull survived and Cedar Pride remained afloat, but the structural damage was significant. The King of Jordan, an active diver, became interested in the idea of ​​sinking the ship, which was carried out 3 years later.

The Tayong wreck was discovered by the team of the Dive Aqaba diving center in 2004. The maximum depth on the ground is 50 m, the upper part is 35 m. The barge was purchased by the Aqaba port administration in 1974 and was used to unload ships arriving at the port. The breakdown led to the fall of the ship's crane and damage to its fastenings. Repairs were deemed uneconomical and the ship was scuttled in 1999. The crane frame is especially interesting to photographers - provided you and your camera are up to deep diving.

Power Station: The site takes its name from the nearby and currently inactive power station. It is a wall overgrown with soft corals.

Cable Canyon: a canyon up to 40 m deep, through which 7 thick (about 50 cm in diameter) electric cables are thrown at different depths. The cables are landscaped with soft corals and, in conditions of good visibility, look very impressive underwater.

Environmental Guardians

The rangers of Eilat local reserves have a very stern disposition. Nothing is allowed: gloves, knives and any metal objects are strictly prohibited. You can be fined for anything: for example, you surfaced in a different place than you entered. You could spend an hour explaining that you were carried away by the current and were running out of air. The ranger will definitely insist that you did this on purpose so as not to pay for the reserve. You don’t have to try to explain that you also love the sea and that you are not at all a saboteur thrown into the bay to destroy corals and scare fish. The argument about newcomers and students, who before your eyes thrashed with their fins and broke everything around them, has the opposite effect on “underwater traffic cops” - everything related to making money is sacred and should not be remembered in vain.

In general, if you run into local rangers, nod and remain silent - this will make them run out of gas faster. However, despite the zeal of environmentalists, there are plenty of landfills in the sea: under the pier on the beautiful “Moses Rock”, an aluminum cylinder has been successfully rotting for a long time. Opposite the Le Meridien hotel, there is simply a landfill in the water: in the photo taken by our Israeli friend, a puffer is posing between the legs of a rusty bar stool. “Yulia, this is a wonderful shot for any photo competition in the Conservation section,” we encouraged my friend.

On the other side of the bay, in Aqaba, the most interested people are engaged in environmental protection - that is, the divers themselves. They understand this matter in their own way and do not strive to place guards with Berdan guns at every corner. The owner of our center, Englishman Rod Abbotson, looks like an adult child: he laughs infectiously, jokes, endlessly tells stories and has a habit of tidying up his nursery. Rod puts on a pair of boots, grabs a mesh bag, jumps off the dive deck and goes out to collect trash. Instructors and guides take the bags with them. Towards the end of the dive, the bag is filled with plastic cups and plates. No one is going to agitate and teach us to “love our homeland”, organize a Water Cleaning Day, or take pictures with heaps of collected garbage. It doesn’t occur to anyone to look at what you touched (or didn’t touch) - everything is in the works. And somehow it happened naturally that we also poured a dozen or two cups found at the bottom into the bag.

Outside the city

Eilat. Twenty minutes drive north of Eilat, in one of the mountain faults, there is an amazing valley that has become a nature reserve - Timna National Park. In this valley with an enchanting landscape, metal mining began for the first time 6 thousand years ago. This was once the site of King Solomon's copper mines.

The park is a valley surrounded by a ring of steep cliffs, nicknamed “Solomon's Pillars,” reaching nine hundred meters in height. Part of the smelting furnaces of the oldest copper quarry - the Solomon mines - has survived to this day. In the very center of the valley there is a miraculous stone mushroom - a unique natural formation, hewn out of sandstone by the winds. It is also worth seeing the rock paintings of the most ancient people in Timna. The park is incredibly convenient because if you are not a fan of hiking (and this did not happen in our company), then you can admire the beauty of nature without leaving the car - there is a narrow highway around the entire park. For more thoughtful tourists, there are hiking trails.

We were incredibly lucky with our visit to the park: on an area of ​​60 sq. km we were practically alone - alone with eternity. No annoying traders, no tourists clicking cameras - just the wind and majestic rocks changing their color in the rays of the setting sun.

Aqaba. Petra is Jordan's most famous landmark. The city is located three hours' drive north of Aqaba in the mountainous area near the Wadi Musa valley (the distance from Petra to Aqaba is 133 km).

It is believed that the city was built by the Nabateans, Arab tribes of nomads who settled on these lands in the 3rd millennium BC. The Nabateans were a kind of customs officers, or border guards, who collected tribute from passing caravans. By doing this business for centuries, they accumulated their fabulous wealth. Petra lay on the Great Silk Road and was a major trading center. Caravans leaving the Persian Gulf, loaded with precious spices, had to endure the harsh conditions of the Arabian desert for weeks until they reached the coolness of the long-awaited Petra. There travelers found food, shelter and life-giving water. According to the Roman historian Pliny, the “tourist business” of the inhabitants of Petra was very profitable because, in addition to paying for housing and food for the camels, gifts were required for the guards, gatekeepers, temple servants and servants of the king. But spices and incense sold in rich cities brought fabulous profits, so merchants did not skimp on expenses.

For hundreds of years, trade brought Petra enormous wealth. In 106 AD. The Nabatean kingdom became a Roman province. The new owners behaved in a completely civilized manner. The kingdom did not fall into decline due to the evil will of the conquerors. When the Romans opened sea routes to the East, the land trade in spices came to an end, caravans took other routes, and the inhabitants of Petra could only regret their lost greatness. Nabatea gradually turned into a seedy outskirts of the Roman Empire. After another earthquake (and they happen here from time to time), the city was completely depopulated and gradually lost in the sands. In later times, the caves carved into the rocks were chosen by nomadic Bedouins.

Legends about the ancient Nabataean city have excited the consciousness of Europeans since the times of the Crusaders. In the Middle Ages, these lands were controlled by fierce Bedouin tribes, and therefore their inaccessibility further fueled the imagination. Moving away in time, Petra more and more acquired the ghostly features of the Middle Eastern Eldorado, until almost by accident it was discovered by a Swiss explorer. Hoping to find the lost city, he set off with a caravan from Damascus to Cairo. Burckhardt spoke excellent Arabic, dressed like a nomad, and passed himself off as a Muslim. At the end of August 1812, the traveler found himself not far from the supposed location of Petra, and the astonished Swiss saw the grandiose ruins of a dead city, in which he recognized Petra, the lost capital of the Nabateans.

At all times, the search for treasures that must have been hidden somewhere here continued to attract a variety of adventurers. On the main symbol of Petra - the Treasury - there were numerous bullet marks. The Bedouins believed that if you get to the right place, golden rain will fall. Alas, it didn’t spill, although who knows, maybe they just shot in the wrong place. It is quite possible that fantastic Nabataean treasures still lie somewhere in these pink ruins. It is not surprising that it was the Treasury that film director Steven Spielberg made the setting for the film about the adventures of Indiana Jones - the story of the search for the Holy Grail.

The city is unique in that almost all the buildings are carved into the rocks. The mountains, depending on the time of day, are colored pink, dark red, purple or orange. To get to the city, you need to walk, ride a horse or ride a phaeton through the terrifying Siq gorge - a deep collapse in the mass of Nubian sandstone. This is a winding, kilometer-long, narrow passage between overhanging rocks that almost meet at an altitude of more than 90 m. According to legend, the gorge was formed by the blow of Moses’ staff. Apparently, the staff was crooked - the path winds very intricately among the high rocks. In some places, the ancient pavement of Nabatean times still remains here, and the rocks have preserved the remains of bas-reliefs and gutters for water supply. At the end of the path, the Siq gorge gracefully makes the last bend, and from the twilight, in all its splendor, a majestic monument of antiquity emerges - the palace of el-Khazneh (Treasury), carved into a solid rock. Moving from al-Khazneh to the city center, tourists walk surrounded by hundreds of rock-cut temples, tombs, residential buildings, festive halls, baths, shops, arches, and a Roman amphitheater.

Petra is still part of the possessions of the Bedouins, who consider themselves almost direct descendants of the Nabateans, and Petra as their city. Bedouins settled in the tombs of Petra until active archaeological excavations began in the city, and the Jordanian government had to evict them from the caves, providing modern houses. Bedouins are officially given the right to entertain tourists and earn income from historical monuments, which they consider their property. The Bedouins quickly realized that tourists could bring no less profit than goats, and forced the “Legend of the Pink Stone” with their trays of souvenirs. Carpets, knives, postcards, jewelry, clothes, bottles with colored sand, “real Bedouin” tea made from wild sage, rides on horses, donkeys and camels, in a word, all popular Arabian exotica you will find here in abundance. The only thing missing in Petra is the opportunity to enjoy silence and eternity: you will be endlessly haunted by intrusive natives and the smell of waste from the numerous living creatures inhabiting the gorge. Therefore, when visiting caves in the rocks, what comes to mind is not the lines of sacred books, but quotes from Zhvanetsky: “In some tomb, in pitch darkness, in unsanitary conditions...”

If at the end of the story you still ask: “So where is it better to go: to Eilat or to Aqaba? What to see? Where should I dive?”, then we’ll answer honestly - it’s worth combining a visit to these two cities, precisely because they are so different. It’s not far to go, but the impressions will be vivid. “Will you go again yourself?” - you will ask, and we will not answer you “no”.

The Gulf of Aqaba separates the Arabian Peninsula from the Sinai Peninsula. The width of the bay is 29 kilometers, and the length is 175 kilometers. It is connected to the Red Sea. The shores of the Gulf of Aqaba are divided by several states. The West Bank belongs to Egypt, Saudi Arabia is located on the eastern shore, and the north of the Gulf is shared by Jordan and Israel.

Tourist paradise all year round

The bay is located in the middle of the desert and is surrounded by fairly high mountains, which provoked high evaporation of water. Due to this, the water in the Gulf of Aqaba contains more salt than sea water. And the water temperature does not drop below 22 degrees C all year round. These factors are the reason that a huge number of all kinds of corals grow in the bay. This area has been declared a nature reserve.
On the Egyptian side is the resort town of Taba. Transparent, warm water and colorful underwater world attract thousands of tourists to the Gulf of Aqaba in Taba every year. The popularity of diving here can be judged by the fact that income from this type of tourist entertainment accounts for about 10% of the income of the entire region. And the coast of the city of Taba is almost completely given over to beach areas.
The famous Shark Reef is located in Taby Bay. It is located some distance from the coast and is a favorite place for divers. No less popular among divers who prefer Taby Bay is the Picasso Reef, a 24-meter underwater rock.
Everyone can see the marvelous corals and underwater world of the bay from the aquapost. Aquapost is a vessel with an underwater capsule for 20 people. The capsule is located at a depth of 3.5-4 meters; there are many huge windows on its walls, allowing you to observe the life of the reef.
Another popular dive site is Pharaoh Island, which is located almost at the end of Taba Bay. It is quite small, but surrounded on all sides by a coral reef. The ancient fortress of the island today functions as a museum; a second historical museum can be visited in Taba. Every evening this part of the Gulf of Aqaba turns into a stage for a sound and light show that is organized on the island.

The Gulf of Aqaba is a witness to history

The Gulf of Aqaba is named after the city of El Aqaba, located in Jordan. Translated from Arabic, “akaba” means passage. This name was given to the ancient road from Egypt to Phenicia, which passed at the top of the bay. According to biblical legends, the city existed here back in the time of Solomon.
Due to its unique location, the bay has always been of strategic importance in history. The shores of the Gulf of Aqaba in Taba are strewn with evidence of the ancient history of this region. On Pharaonic Island, located eight kilometers from Taba, you can see a reconstructed 12th-century fortress built to protect the section of the road between Cairo and Damascus. In the town of Ayla, Aqaba Fort, you can see ancient architectural monuments of early Islam. It is also home to the oldest church in the world.

One popular destination for winter tourists looking for an inexpensive holiday is Jordan. Aqaba is the country's only seaside resort. The city is famous for its centuries-old history, numerous attractions, unique climate, beaches and coral reefs. What kind of holiday should you expect in Aqaba? You will learn this from our article.

This resort is located in the very north of the Gulf of Aqaba of the Red Sea. Three hundred thirty-five kilometers separate it. Aqaba has a border position on the political map of the world. The Israeli resort of Eilat is very close by. And across the waters of the bay you can see the Egyptian Taba. But a holiday in Aqaba is not like a holiday in Israel. There is no seal-like relaxation there, as in hotels in Egypt with their “all inclusive”. Aqaba attracts young and active people who prefer active recreation. Since there are so many attractions around, it’s simply a sin to spend all your days on the beach.

How to get to Aqaba

The easiest way to reach the resort is from Amman (Jordan) to avoid any misunderstandings at the border. Aqaba is located more than three hundred kilometers south of it. You can cover this distance on state-owned JETT buses. They are very comfortable and arrive in Aqaba at the Movenpick Hotel on King Hussein Street. An alternative to the state carrier is the private company Trust International Transport. Its buses arrive at Annahda Street. Travel time (regardless of the carrier) is four hours. From Aqaba you can get to the city of Irbid, as well as to Nuweiba (Egypt). In total, eleven flights depart from Amman to the southern resort: five by a state company and six by a private company. You can get around Aqaba by taxi (they are yellow) or minibuses. Stops in the latter - at the request of the passenger, at any point along the route. The taxi fare should be negotiated with the driver in advance.

When to go to Aqaba

What makes the climate of this seaside resort unique? The mountains protect it from the north not only from cold winds, but also from the desert breeze. Therefore, the climate here is not similar to the arid weather full of temperature contrasts for which Jordan is famous. Aqaba is attractive because you can swim and sunbathe here all year round, even in winter. The water temperature in the bay never drops below +22 degrees, which allows the development of corals. But we'll talk about them later. In the meantime, it should be mentioned that in summer there are no temperature extremes in Aqaba. The heat begins to suffocate the city only in the afternoon hours. Of course, heart patients and hypertensive patients should prefer a winter holiday at a resort in Jordan. The peak season occurs twice a year: in spring and autumn. It is in the off-season that the weather is comfortable in all respects. If you are most attracted to swimming in the Red Sea, then choose autumn for your trip. The average water temperature fluctuates around + 27 degrees.

Where to stay

Aqaba hotels have their own specifics. It is rare to find an All Inclusive program in them. This is not Egypt, but Jordan. Aqaba Radisson Blu Tala Bay Resort 5, Intercontinental, Movenpick and other luxury resort hotels offer their guests only a buffet included in the price of their stay. Read below about where to have lunch, dinner or just a snack. There is no shortage of budget hotels in Aqaba. They do not amaze with oriental luxury and stucco in the rooms, but you are guaranteed a clean room and a hearty breakfast. For a sea view here, as at other resorts, you will have to pay extra. But there is one nuance that summer tourists should take into account. The sea in Aqaba is located in the south. Consequently, the sun will shine mercilessly on such expensive rooms all day long, and no air conditioning will save you from the heat.

Jordan, Aqaba: prices

A huge hotel base allows everyone to choose accommodation to suit their taste. The Kempinski Hotel is probably the most expensive. A night in a standard room in this hotel will cost eleven thousand rubles. On average, “five” companies (“Movenpick”, “Double Tree by Hilton”, “Marina Plaza Tala Bay” and others) offer housing for six to seven thousand rubles per day. An excellent option, where the price-quality ratio is ideal, are Aqaba hotels with four stars. These are Days Inn Hotel and Suites (from 4,660 rubles), Golden Tulip (3,700), Jaafko (3,600) and others. At the resort you can also stay in budget hotels, which, of course, are not located on the first line from the sea. As an example, you can indicate “Plaza Maswada” (2,800 rubles). Aqaba is a city in Jordan declared a duty-free zone. This feature of the resort allows you not only to make inexpensive purchases, but also to purchase cheap cigars and alcohol. The choice of these goods in the city is really wide.

Jordan, Aqaba: sea

To be honest, most people go to the resort to sunbathe and swim. The beaches of Aqaba are sandy and pebble-rocky. The former are located in the northern part of the city, and the latter in the southern part. The lion's share of the beaches is fully owned by hotels on the first line. There are quite convenient coastlines owned by the municipality. Entrance there is free, and equipment (umbrellas, sun loungers and sun loungers) can be rented. Aqaba is a city in Jordan where the municipal beaches are well equipped. There is a shower, a toilet, lifeguards are on duty, there is a cafe, sometimes right on the shore. If you are not an Islamophobe and you don’t dislike the company of local residents, you will have a good time on this beach. If not, for a small bribe you will be allowed on the coast owned by a hotel. You won't find anything particularly chic there. It’s just that in cafes and bars on the shore the prices will be much higher. The Red Sea is wonderful here. The water is very clean, with excellent visibility. The tides are not too pronounced. In the south, coral reefs come close to the shore.

Diving in the Gulf of Aqaba

The resort has six scuba diving training centers, and they issue BS-AC, SSI or PADI diplomas. There are about thirty dive sites located in the immediate vicinity of the shore. And this makes Jordan (Aqaba) attractive for lovers of scuba diving.

What kind of sea is off the coast of the resort? During the period from April to May, when plankton blooms, visibility under water decreases to twelve meters. But if you come to Aqaba in the summer months, the transparency of the sea reaches 50 m. Many coral reefs in the south of the city come so close to the shore that there is no need to hire a boat. You can admire it lightly - only with a snorkel and mask. But if you want to get serious about diving, there's nothing better than coming to The Royal Diving Center. This center also has its own sandy beach. Beginners will be brought up to speed at the Sea Star Dive Center. This school is located in the Al-Kazar hotel.

What to see in Aqaba

Mysterious Petra, the Wadi Rum desert, the place of the baptism of Jesus Christ - all this is the country of Jordan. Aqaba is a young resort. But it developed from a very ancient settlement, which is at least six thousand years old. At first the Edomites and Nabateans lived there. Then the city became part of the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, the route of pilgrims to Mecca passed through it. The Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottoman Turks - all left behind a cultural mark. Here are the ruins of the oldest Christian church in the world. The ancient city stood on a rocky promontory, which is now called Tell al-Khalifa Hill. There you can see artifacts recovered from archaeological excavations. During the Crusades, a military fort was built by European knights. It was maintained in “working condition” for centuries, and therefore the Mamluk Fortress has survived to this day. Next to this citadel there is a historical museum.

In the vicinity of the resort there is Lot's Cave. According to biblical legend, it was from here that the righteous man and his daughters watched the death. In Lot's cave you can see a Byzantine church decorated with mosaics and several ancient tombs. Reviews also recommend visiting Wadi Mujib, a gorge declared a national park. The extreme southern position of the resort will not prevent you from getting to know the country called Jordan. Excursions from Aqaba to Petra ($170 per group), Amman ($50), to hot springs, the Wadi Rum desert or to the holy places where Christ revealed himself to the people last only one daylight. The border position of the resort makes possible forays into the near abroad - to Israel (Eilat, Jerusalem), to the island of the Pharaohs (Egypt).