The Egyptian authorities succeeded in refloating a natural gas tanker flying the Liberian flag that ran aground Gulf of Aqaba On Friday, it was transported away, under the supervision of the Department of Natural Reserves in South Sinai and the reservation authorities, and without any pollution or gas or fuel leakage.
The Gulf of Aqaba is the eastern branch of the Red Sea, confined to the east of the Sinai Peninsula and west of the Arabian Peninsula. In addition to the coasts of Egypt and Saudi Arabia on this Gulf, it is the only outlet for both Palestine and Jordan on the Red Sea. It was named the Gulf of Aqaba after the city of Aqaba, located on the far north of the Gulf.
It is said that Aqaba was given this name because of the difficulty of reaching it from the land, as its northern entrance passes through the towering heights of the Negev. Some fossils indicate that the history of Aqaba goes back 3,000 years. It was called “Ayla” during the era of the Edomites, and utensils were found there. Pottery decorated with ancient cuneiform and Arabic inscriptions.
According to Jordanian sources, the current name of Aqaba appeared in the Mamluk era, where the city was referred to as Ayla or Aqaba Ayla for a long period of time, until the name Aqaba prevailed over it in the Mamluk era. “.
The Castle of Aqaba was a stop for pilgrims and merchants and a royal cabin for the Mamluk kings and princes to stay in during their way to Hajj. Queen Shajar al-Durr stayed there, and from there al-Zahir Baybars set off for the Hijaz. On the ruins of her castle, King Qansuh al-Ghuri built the current Castle of Aqaba and called it (Khan al-Aqaba). He repaired its roads, dug a large well in it, and created for it. Seaport. It was one of the important borders of the state, and a military garrison was placed there, which was the nucleus of the modern city of Aqaba.