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Eilat - is Israel's southernmost city, a
busy port as well as a popular resort, located at the northern
tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Eilat (or Gulf of Aqaba).
Home to 46,600 people, the city is part of the Southern Negev
Desert, at the southern end of the Arava. The city is adjacent
to the Egyptian village of Taba to the south, the Jordanian port
city of Aqaba to the east, and within sight of Saudi Arabia to
the south-east, across the gulf. Eilat's arid desert climate is
moderated by proximity to a warm sea. Temperatures often exceed
40 °C (104 °F) in summer, and 21 °C (70 °F) in winter, while
water temperatures range between 20 and 26 °C (68 and 79 °F).
The city's beaches, nightlife and desert landscapes make it a
popular destination for domestic and international tourism.
The geology and landscape are varied: igneous and metamorphic
rocks, sandstone and limestone; mountains up to 892 metres
(2,927 ft) above sea level; broad valleys such as the Arava, and
seashore on the Gulf of Aqaba. With an annual average rainfall
of 28 millimetres (1.1 in) and summer temperatures of 40 °C (104
°F) and higher, water resources and vegetation are limited. "The
main elements that influenced the region's history were the
copper resources and other minerals, the ancient international
roads that crossed the area, and its geopolitical and strategic
position. These resulted in a settlement density that defies the
environmental conditions."
The original settlement was probably at the northern tip of the
Gulf of Eilat. Archaeological excavations uncovered impressive
prehistoric tombs dating to the 7th millennium BC at the western
edge of Eilat, while nearby copper workings and mining
operations at Timna Valley are the oldest on earth. Ancient
Egyptian records also document the extensive and lucrative
mining operations and trade across the Red Sea with Egypt
starting as early as the Fourth dynasty of Egypt. Eilat is
mentioned in antiquity as a major trading partner with Elim,
Thebes' Red Sea Port, as early as the Twelfth dynasty of Egypt.
Trade between Elim and Eilat furnished Frankincense and Myrrh,
brought up from Ethiopia and Punt; Bitumen and Natron, from the
Dead Sea; finely woven Linen, from Byblos; and copper amulets,
from Timnah; all mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean
Sea. In antiquity Eilat bordered the states of Edom, Midian and
the tribal territory of the Rephidim, the indigenous inhabitants
of the Sinai.
Eilat is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in the Book of
Exodus. The first six stations of the Exodus are in Egypt. The
7th is the crossing of the Red Sea and the 9th–13th are in and
around Eilat, after the exodus from Egypt and crossing the Red
Sea. Station 12 refers to a dozen campsites in and around Timna
in Modern Israel near Eilat. When King David conquered Edom,
which up to then had been a common border of Edom and Midian, he
took over Eilat, the border city shared by them as well. The
commercial port city and copper based industrial center were
maintained by Egypt until reportedly rebuilt by Solomon at a
location known as Ezion-Geber (I Kings 9:26). In 2 Kings
14:21–22: "And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was
sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father
Amaziah. He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that
the king slept among his fathers." And again in 2 Kings 16:6:
"At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath to Aram, and
drove the Jews from Elath; and the Edomites came to Elath, and
dwelt there, unto this day". |
