Pharaoh's island description and photos - Egypt: Taba (Topic)

Pharaoh's island description and photos - Egypt: Taba. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Pharaoh's island.

Photo and description

To the south of Taba, in the northernmost part of the Gulf of Aqaba and a few hundred meters from the coast, there is Pharaoh's island. Crowned by an imposing battlement wall of the restored citadel of Salah ad-Din, it is one of the most picturesque places in the entire Persian Gulf.

The earliest documents on the structures on the island date from the reign of Hiram, ruler of Tire (c. 969- 936 BC). Pharaoh's island at that time was called Esiongaber and was valued for its beautiful natural harbors, where ships of cedar traders moored. About two thousand years later, the Byzantines occupied the island, then the Crusaders came in the 12th century. Knights of the Maltese Cross, who defended the pilgrim route between Cairo and Damascus and controlled the neighboring city of Aqaba, built a fortress on a small island, which they named Ile de Grae. But its strategic importance was lost and soon the island became almost deserted.

In 1170, with the arrival of Salah ad-Din, the ancient fortress walls and fortifications were restored, defenses were strengthened, a permanent garrison was left, a new fort was given name - Qasr El-Hadid. In November 1181, Renaud de Chatillon, with Arabs from nearby Aila, tried to establish a naval blockade against Muslim troops. The siege consisted of only two ships and was not successful, although it lasted from 1181 to 1183. By the 13th century, according to the pilgrims' travel notes, all the surrounding area and the island were occupied by fishing villages with a population of Muslims and captive Franks. In the citadel on the island, the governor of Mamluk Aqaba lived for some time, until his residence was moved to the city.

Today, a trip to Pharaoh's island is one of the points of the excursion program of tourists living in Taba, Eilat or Aqaba. Except for a few ruins of walls and the remains of a tower, nothing remained of the old fort, all buildings are modern stylization.

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Topic: Pharaoh's island description and photos - Egypt: Taba.