visit to AQUABA, JORDAN

we stayed in hotel Day's Inn which was quite comfortable and had nice swimming pool on the terrace with agood view of the city
Aquaba has a long history. The Mamluks of Egypt had ruled it once upon a time some 500 yrs ago. The Hashemites had also ruled over here. The small fortress near the port was used by the muslim pilgrims on the way to Mecca for camping on the way.
This is the sole port Jordan has and it's only access to the Red sea.
Why the Red Sea is called Red is not known. The water is as aquamarine as any other sea
There were a few hills around but very little greenery. The port city is full of markets and buildings. This being SEZ,there are no taxes and tourists save 26% taxes which they pay on all purchases within Jordan.
Almost all tall buildings in the city display Hotel sign boards.
The city has a decent and clean look. The city is famous for it's yatch club and water related sports activities such as glass bottom boat rides for coral viewing, snorkelling, diving etc.
We reached Aquaba on the evening of 30th June 2009 from Wadi Rum by taking Desert Highway after an hours drive. The road was excellent. The traffic was well regulated and disciplined. No 2 wheelers were seen anywhere in Jordan at least on the highways. There were no 3 wheelers either. And very few trucks and heavy vehicles too. Aquaba is usually quite hot so the govt supplies subsidized electricity here, we were told. The power is bought from Egypt.
From the terrace of the Hotel Day's Inn
This the small fortress was built by one Kansar Al Ghuri when the Mamluk dynasty from Egypt ruled here, between 1501-1517 A.D. It changed hands during the different rulers. The coat of arms on the entrance is that of the Hashemite kings which was fixed when Hussain the then Sherif of Mecca, protected the Arabians from the Ottoman Turks at the time of the great Arab revolt of 1916-17 during the World War I.



The great Arab revolt plaza by the side of the fortress and the port is a huge paved square with the tallest unsupported single flag pole in the world of 137 meters hoisting a giant 20 by 40 meter Jordanian national flag at the centre. There are coffee shops here and even concerts are held here.