Aqaba

American  

[ah-kuh-buh, ak-uh-] / ˈɑ kə bə, ˈæk ə- /

Also Akaba

noun

1. a seaport in southwestern Jordan, at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba.

2. Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea, between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. 100 miles (160 km) long.

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Aqaba British  

/ ˈækəbə /

noun

1. the only port in Jordan, in the southwest, on the Gulf of Aqaba . Pop: 80 790 (2004)

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Etymology

Origin of Aqaba

First recorded in 1905–10; from Arabic; shortening of al-ʿaqabat Aylah “the mountain pass of Aylah”

Example Sentences

And after the outbreak was reported near Aqaba, one of its next stops was at a port in Egypt that receives ships from that Jordanian city.

From Science Magazine • May 28, 2024

The Egyptian state news media reported that its forces had shot down a drone off the coast of Dahab, a beach town on the Gulf of Aqaba roughly 90 miles south of Eilat.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2023

In addition, a few young urchins have emerged which are being monitored in the Gulf of Aqaba.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2023

Jordan hopes to capitalize on Saudi Arabia’s “giga-projects” — colossal developments like the Massachusetts-sized megacity Neom, which includes plans to create links to the Jordanian coastal city of Aqaba and cities in Egypt.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2023

This cape forms the tip of Arabia Petraea, which lies between the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba.

From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Walter, F. P.