AQABA, GULF OF

Jordan's only seaport, at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, on the Red Sea.

Aqaba was a small fishing village and site of an Ottoman fort when it was incorporated into the Emi-rate of Transjordan in 1925, giving Jordan its only outlet to the sea. In 1959 Aqaba's port became operational, and in 1976 a free trade zone was opened. The port experienced substantial development as a result of aid from Iraq, which needed safe access to a seaport during its war with Iran from 1980 to 1988. By mid-1990, facilities at the port included twenty berths, one container terminal, two 40-ton gantry cranes, and 358,000 square yards of storage area. Iraqi aid also helped to develop the country's roads and overland transportation systems.

Cargo handled through Aqaba increased steadily throughout the 1980s, peaking in 1988 as trade with Iraq increased to 18.7 million tons of imports and exports handled in 1989. Cargo handling fell sharply to 10 million tons after the United Nations imposed sanctions against Iraq in 1990. The continuation of sanctions hurt Aqaba considerably. Jordanians complained that crews from warships from the United States and other countries boarded and searched their ships for illicit Iraq-bound cargo. The lifting of UN sanctions in 2003 boded well for Aqaba's economy. The city's population at that time was 95,000.

In addition to the port, Aqaba is a popular tourist resort known for its beaches and water
sports, and it is the site of some of the world's most spectacular coral reefs.

Bibliography

Gubser, Peter. Jordan: Crossroads of Middle Eastern Events. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1983.

Jenab Tutunji

Updated by Michael R. Fischbach