Sinai Peninsula, with the Gulf of Aqaba (east) and the Gulf of Suez (west), as viewed from the Space Shuttle STS-40. The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai ( Coptic: sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا Arabic, sina'a سيناء NASA 's Space Shuttle, officially called Space Transportation System ( STS) is the United States government's current manned Launch STS-40, the eleventh launch of Space Shuttle ''Columbia'', was a nine-day mission

The Gulf of Aqaba (Arabic: خليج العقبة; transliterated: Khalyj al-'Aqabah), in Israel known as the Gulf of Eilat (Hebrew: מפרץ אילת, transliterated: Mifratz Eilat) is a large gulf of the Red Sea. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Different approaches and methods for the Romanization of Arabic exist For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Hebrew uses the Hebrew alphabet with optional vowel points. The romanization of Hebrew is the use of the Latin alphabet to Transliterate Headlands and bays are two related features of the coastal environment The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. It is located to the east of the Sinai peninsula and west of the Arabian mainland. The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai ( Coptic: sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا Arabic, sina'a سيناء The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia all have coastlines on the Gulf of Aqaba. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, KSA ( المملكة العربية السعودية, al-Mamlaka al-ʻArabiyya as-Suʻūdiyya) or Suudi

The Gulf of Aqaba is one of two gulfs created by the Sinai Peninsula's bifurcation of the northern Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez lying to the west of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gulf of Aqaba lying to its east. The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai ( Coptic: sina; Egyptian Arabic: sina سينا Arabic, sina'a سيناء The Red Sea is a Salt water Inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. The Gulf of Aqaba measures 24 km at its widest point and stretches some 160 km north from the Straits of Tiran to a point where the border of Israel meets the borders of Egypt and Jordan. The Straits of Tiran ( Arabic: مضيق تيران Hebrew: מיצרי טיראן are the narrow sea passages about 13 km (8 miles wide between the Sinai For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (الأردنّ al-Urdunn) is an Arab country in Southwest Asia spanning the southern At this northern end of the Gulf are three important cities: Taba in Egypt, Eilat in Israel, and Aqaba in Jordan. Eilat (Hebrew אילת should not be confused with the nearby kibbutz of Eilot (Hebrew אילות For the town in the West Bank see Aqabah West Bank. Aqaba (العقبة Al-ʻAqabah) is a coastal town in the far south of All three cities serve both as strategically important commercial ports and as popular resort destinations for tourists seeking to enjoy the warm climate of the region. Further south, Haql is the largest Saudi Arabian city on the gulf. Haql is a town in the northwest of Saudi Arabia near the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba. On Sinai, Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab are the major centers. Sharm el Sheikh (شرم الشيخ Sharm al-Shaykh) often known simply as "Sharm" is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, in Dahab ( دهب) is a small town situated on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

The Gulf of Aqaba, like the coastal waters of the Red Sea, is one of the world's premier sites for diving. The area is especially rich in coral and other marine biodiversity and contains a number of underwater wrecks, some accidental shipwrecks, others vessels deliberately sunk in an effort to provide a habitat for marine organisms and bolster the local dive tourism industry.

Geologically, the Gulf of Aqaba is an integral part of the Great Rift Valley that runs from East Africa through the Red Sea and northwards towards the rift valley containing the Dead Sea. The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by English explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trough approximately in length that runs East Africa is the Easternmost Region of the African Continent. The Dead Sea (יָם הַ‏‏מֶ‏ּ‏לַ‏ח, "Sea of Salt"البَحْر المَيّت, "Dead Sea" is a salt lake between

Amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt claimed to have discovered evidence that the Gulf of Aqaba was the body of water crossed by Moses during the Passage of the Red Sea as told in the Book of Exodus. Ronald Eldon Wyatt ( 1933 - August 4, 1999) was a self-described Archaeologist (he had no qualifications The Passage of the Red Sea is the account of the march of Moses, leading the Hebrews ( Israelites) on their escape out of Egypt and the alleged crossing Exodus ( Greek: έξοδος eksodos = "departure" is the second book of the Jewish Torah and of the Christian Old Testament. He based this on the fact that Egyptian chariots wheels were found 2/3 of the way up the gulf deep in the water. The wheels were confirmed by an Egyptologist to be genuine artifacts dating back to the 18th dynasty. A shallow "land bridge" spans the gulf near Nuweiba, which is reputed by some to be the site of the Passage of the Red Sea. Nuweiba (نويبع is a coastal town in the eastern part of Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. The Passage of the Red Sea is the account of the march of Moses, leading the Hebrews ( Israelites) on their escape out of Egypt and the alleged crossing ^[1]

Colin Humphreys, University of Cambridge Scientist, has also concluded that the crossing of the Red Sea described in Exodus 14 took place at the Gulf of Aquaba. ^[2]

An Egyptian naval blockade against all Israeli shipping through the Straits of Tiran (the southern opening of this gulf) was the immediate cause of the 1967 Six Day War. A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies Troops information or aid from reaching an opposing force The Straits of Tiran ( Arabic: مضيق تيران Hebrew: מיצרי טיראן are the narrow sea passages about 13 km (8 miles wide between the Sinai Background Suez Crisis aftermath The Suez Crisis of 1956 represented a military defeat but a political victory for Egypt ^[3]

References

1. ^ Kovacs, Joe. Pharaoh's chariots found in Red Sea?. Retrieved on 2008-03-06. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1079 - Omar Khayyám completes the Iranian calendar. 1454 - Thirteen Years' War: Delegates of
2. ^ Humphreys, Colin, The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist's Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the the Biblical Stories, San Francisco: Harper Collins, 2003.
3. ^ JewishVirtualLibrary. org: "Egypt reinstates blockade"

External links

• The Red Sea Marine Peace Park page on Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs - a joint Israel-Jordan initiative