Your Guide To Aqaba - Jordan
Travel info, practical hints, background notes, stories, facts and fun
brought to you by a 'local-expat'
living in Aqaba, Jordan's only seaside resort town.
"Ahlan wa Sahlan! Welcome!"
This is the greeting that you will hear over and over again, hundred times a day in Aqaba.
Jordan is one of the most welcoming countries in the world and people here take great pride in their hospitality.
What's in Aqaba for you?
While diving and snorkelling in the Red Sea are the main attractions, this coastal oasis city surrounded by the rocky, picturesque mountains makes an excellent base to explore the rest of Jordan too.
If you arrive here on a package tour, your travel agency will surely offer you day trips to Petra, Wadi Rum the Dead Sea and other attractions in Jordan.
However, YOU CAN easily organize your own customized trips using all the free information on this website.
Many independent travellers come to Aqaba to 'wash off' the dust of Wadi Rum and Petra at the end of their travels in Jordan.
It's also an ideal place to stop for those travelling to/from Egypt or Israel & Palestine.
When you are on a long Middle East trip it's worth spending a couple of days in here exploring the underwater treasures of the coral reefs and chilling out on the beaches before you continue your journey inland.
The city is also popular with Jordanians from the North who come in great numbers every weekend and during holidays. (Keep this in mind when making your hotel bookings.)
Past, Present and Future
Once a dusty, small town with an industrial port, Aqaba is quickly turning into a 21st century upscale travel destination.
Since the inauguration of ASEZ in 2001 the city has been changing rapidly:
- palm tree lined boulevards,
- new hotels,
- resorts,
- roads,
- parks and fountains
have appeared and several new residential and commercial mega-projects are still in the pipeline.
The balmy winter climate makes this resort town an ideal 'second home' for those who don't like cold weather - like me!
What is ASEZ?
Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), a liberalized, low tax and duty free, multi-sector development zone was established in 2001. The initiative is aimed at turning Aqaba into a world-class business hub and tourism destination.
JORDAN: A Young Country on an Ancient Land
Why do I say that?
The area of Jordan has been inhabited since the Stone Age and remains of the historic past are all around.
Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, Nabateans, Romans, Ummayads, Ayyoubids, Mamluks and Ottomans - just to mention the main historic players on this ground.
This is the land of the Old Testament.
On the other hand, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan became indepenent from Britain in 1946,
- so the country we know today is only 63 years old.
- The head of state, King Abdullah II, was 37 years old when he was crowned. At the time of writing this he is still only 47.
- One third of the Jordanian population is under 14 years old and the median age is 24.3 years.
In Jordan you can experience history, ancient traditions and conservatism together with modern thinking, innovation and progress. What an exciting mix!
Important, please read: Transition to new layout and design
As you will see, some of the pages of this website look different from the Home Page - the one you are reading right now.
This is a temporary situation and I'm working hard to upgrade all pages as quickly as possible. The new layout will be more user friendly and the design more attractive. If you find links that don't seem to work, it means I am working on that new page.
If you want to receive a notification about the new pages, please subscribe to the RSS feed. In the mean time, all information on the older pages will remain available.
Thanks for your understanding.
About me
Hi, my name is Eszter but online I use the nickname a friend gave me long ago: EsTeh - it means 'Ice Tea' in Indonesian.
However, here in Aqaba people call me Om Yasmeen - Mother of Yasmeen.
I came to visit Jordan for the first time in 2001, knowing very little about the country. In fact, it was a pure coincidence: an ex college mate invited me to join their group of five girls so we can share a hotel suite at a discounted price. And I said "OK, why not?"
I moved to Aqaba in 2005 and even though I'm living the life of the locals I still see Jordan through the eyes of a foreigner who grew up in Central Europe. That's why I call myself a 'local-expat'. Read more...
How to use this site
On the left side of the page you can see the Navigation Bar with direct links to the pages with specific information. Many of those pages are info-hubs linking to even more specialized sub-sub pages.
There is also a horizontal Navigation Bar on top of the page with links to general information about Jordan.
The Footer at the bottom offers links to technical and support pages.
The above three parts are always the same on each page.
The right side panel, however, changes all the time to support the content of the actual page. Here you will find tools that - hopefully - enhance your online experience: Search function, Site Translation, Online Currency Exchanger, Special Offers and opportunity to subscribe to our updates and the free Aqaba Insider newsletter.
Here are some of the most popular topics you will find on this website:
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