Did you know that Moses was never in Jerusalem but he was in Eilat?  Do you know what 'Berenice' was?  Or what the Crusaders did here that changed the course of history?  What Darb el-Hajj was and where you can see parts of it?  Eilat has a long and fascinating history and there are still places where you can see and feel that history. [read more]

Eilat is the southernmost point in Israel, a desert resort city located on the Red Sea at the tip of the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba.  It is on or near the site of the biblical ‘Elath’, (more commonly thought to be Aqaba, the Jordanian city that borders on Eilat to the east, the two cities nestling side by side at the northern tip of the Gulf).  The Egyptians called it Berenice and the Romans called it Aila, amongst other names it has had. 

Eilat has seen a lot over its millennia of existence.  Egyptians, Edomites, Nabataeans, Romans, Byzantines, Crusaders, Mameluks, Turks, and Brits have all ruled over what we now know as Eilat.  Because of its geographical location on the northern tip of the Red Sea gulf, it has always been a place of strategic importance for land and sea control by various rulers and hence been the subject of conflicts over the centuries.  Its resources of copper and other minerals, along with ancient international roads crossing through, are additional elements that gave the site importance. 

Even though it not within the biblically prescribed boundaries of the Promised Land, Eilat can boast the fact that while Moses never made it to Jerusalem, he did stop in this area with the Children of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt (Deut. 2.8).   Etzion Gaber is also associated biblically with the area, although its precise location is never stated, only that it and Eilat/Elath are very near each other on the Red Sea.

Eilat continued to be an important spot on the historical map.  King David conquered Edom, which also included Eilat/Elath. Kings 2 14:21-22 says: "And all the people of Judah took Azariah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king in the room of his father Amatziah. He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the king slept among his fathers."  Eilat is mentioned again in Kings 2 16:6: "At that time Rezin king of Aram recovered Elath to Aram, and drove the Jews from Elath; and the Edomites came to Elath, and dwelt there, unto this day".

The kings of Judah valued Eilat greatly for its economic and other strategic importance.  King Solomon, to whom the copper mines in nearby Timna Park are attributed, built a fleet of ships here that departed regularly to embark on three-year journeys.  This was the only port available in the Kingdom of Israel, and allowed a joint Israelite-Phoenician fleet to develop trade links with Africa and India.  Another biblical king, Jehoshaphat, built a fleet as well, but his was wrecked in a storm before it ever set sail.  Modern-day Eilatis will recognise one of our brief but fierce ‘south[wind] storms' as likely being behind that little setback.  The king who rebuilt Elath and restored it to the kingdom of Judah was Uzziah.

Below you can see a timeline describing the milestones in the history of a city whose settlement started 10,000 years ago.

Milestones in Eilat's history:

8000 BCE: Large populations in the region.  Only c. 7% of the area has been surveyed in detail, but even that small portion revealed around 1500 ancient sites in a 1200 km² (460 mile²) area.  Unlike the Negev Highlands to the north or the Sinai Desert to the south, the Eilat region shows evidence of continuous settlement over the last 10,000 years.

7000 years ago:  Scattered agricultural settlements in region, along with intensive copper mining at Timna, half an hour north of Eilat.

3500 years ago:  Eilat was a key city in a country called ‘Sa'ir', or the Edomite kingdom, which was settled by descendents of the biblical Esau son of Jacob.

3300 years ago:  In his last speech ever, Moses recalls to the Nation of Israel the hardships of the Exodus and mentions Eilat, saying "and we will pass through our brothers the children of Esau who are settled in Sa'ir from the Arava route from Eilat and from Etzion Gaber". 

3000 years ago:  King Solomon and Queen of Sheba used Red Sea as trade route with Africa.

2000 years ago:  The Nabataeans used Eilat's port for their lucrative spice trade during the Hellenistic period.

106 CE:  The Romans annex the Nabataean kingdom, build new road from Eilat to Damascus, together with outposts along the way to protect the precious cargoes of perfumes and spices, and a road linking the area with the Nabataean capital, Petra (present-day Jordan).   

4^th C. CE:  Border stronghold of the Nabataean desert empire.

300 CE (ca.):  Roman 10^th Legion based in Eilat, Christians forced to work in the copper mines.

400 CE (ca.): Byzantines make Christianity the state religion, found a large Christian community in Eilat led by a bishop.  Until 10^th century, a small group of Jews is here also.  Eilat was a key port for defense purposes.

7^th C.: Moslem rule begins and Eilat is a meeting point for tens of thousands of pilgrims journeying from Damascus and Cairo to the holy city of Mecca.  Parts of the Darb el Hajj or "Pilgrim's Road" can still be seen if you drive just out of Eilat.  This route led north from Africa through Egypt, Sinai, just west of Eilat, and then skirted the sea to turn back south toward Arabia.

700 - 900 CE: Umayyad Period.  A large flourishing copper smelting and trading community existed, based on remains discovered just north of Eilat.

10^th - 14^th C:  Muslims name Elath ‘Aqaba'.  A Jewish community existed there during these years but by 14^th century the town was deserted.

1115 CE:  Christian Crusaders conquer Eilat.  At first they only charged a toll for use of the Darb el Hajj, but then they got greedy and decided to attack Mecca itself.  They built boats at Eilat from wood transported by camelback and sailed the Red Sea to go attack Islam's holiest city.  The attack not only failed, but served to unite the divided factions of the Muslim world against the Crusaders.

1167:  Eilat is re-conquered by the Muslims under Saladin's command.

1250-1517: Mameluk kingdom including Egypt-Palestine-Syria.  Ottomans oust them.

1588:  The Ottomans build a fort far to the east of Eilat, rendering the Eilat port no longer relevant.

1916:  Lawrence of Arabia leads camel-mounted Bedouin forces against Turkish fortress of Aqaba, capturing it and bringing whole region under British control.

1922:  Eilat becomes part of the British mandate governing Palestine.

1948:  Israel gains independence but Eilat, then called Um Rash Rash, is still under Egyptian control.

1949 -10th March:

            Eilat is liberated by the Golani & Negev brigades in Operation Uvdah [‘established fact'], the last military move in Israel's War of Independence to acquire the territory allotted it by the UN Partition Plan. An ink flag of Israel is raised at Um Rash Rash because the soldiers had no real flag along.  A memorial to this event, including one of the original huts, stands just south of the Mall Hayam shopping centre by the sea.

1949 - December: Start of civilian settlement of the town when members of the Kibbutz haMeyuchad set up a temporary camp in Eilat.

1951:  Seaport is established.

1952 - December:  Municipal Council established.

1956 - October:  Sinai campaign. Egypt re-opens of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping when Israel withdraws from the Sinai Desert it had just conquered. UN peacekeeping force installed to ensure Israel's continued shipping access.  New (enlarged) port is opened and Eilat road opened. Eilat becomes the southern gateway of the State of Israel.

1958 - January: Be'er Sheva - Eilat road opened (today's Arava Road - you can see the old road paralleling it in many places).

1958 - April: Timna copper mine, on presumed site of King Solomon's Mines, begins production.

1959- March:  Eilat is declared a town and a Municipality is formed (6,000 residents).

1967 - May: Egypt again closes the straits of Tiran, thus severing Israel's lifeline to Africa and the Far East by blocking access to Israel via the Red Sea (Eilat port).  (All land routes were always closed off due to state of enmity).

1967 - June: Following the six- Day War victory, the Straits are reopened and the (re-) conquered Sinai kept by Israel this time.  Tourism to Sinai via Eilat begins.

1969:  The Eilat - Sharm el Sheikh [southern tip of Sinai] road is opened to traffic. Eilat now has 13,000 residents.  The Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline (‘Katza') is completed to transport imported oil across the country between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean coasts.

1973 - October: Yom Kippur War. Egypt closes Bab el Mandab Straits (entrance to the Red sea) to ships destined for the port of Eilat.

1975:  First direct European charter flights land in Eilat.

1976 - April:  Fall of International copper prices, followed by closing of Timna copper Mines.

1979:  Peace treaty with Egypt signed.

1979 - December:  Salt plant opened. 20,000 residents in Eilat.

1980 - December:  Timna copper mines re-opened.

1982 - April: Sinai returned to Egypt and temporary border drawn in Taba just south of Israeli resort there following Peace Agreement with Egypt.

1984:  Timna mines closed indefinitely.

1985 - October: The Eilat College opens as an independent association, Eilat's first institute for higher studies and professional learning.

1985 - November:  Eilat becomes an international tourist center, with the opening of the tourist season. The Knesset (The Israeli parliament) passes the Eilat Free Trade zone law.

1987 - December: Eilat's population now 24,300.

1989 - January: Taba is ceded to Egypt due to international mediation. 

1992 - February:  Eilat's population reaches 32,600.

1994 - October:  Signing of the Peace Treaty between Jordan and Israel.  This is followed by several cooperative projects such as joint preservation of the Gulf. 

1997:  Eilat's population now 45,000. Number of hotel rooms: 8,000.

1999 - 25th February - Eilat celebrates its 50th Jubilee. Population: 50,000.

2005:   Eilat is the Southern Gateway to Israel for pilgrimages and groups. Eilat now has 55,000 residents and over 11,000 guest rooms ranging from luxury hotels to youth hostels. Good relations with neighbouring Aqaba and Sinai have allowed the Red Sea Riviera to become an international tourist resort.  The City has border crossings to Jordan and Egypt.

2008:   Eilat Today website opens.  Okay, maybe not a milestone but hey, it's we who wrote this article, so we get to have our little bit of fun! 

2011:   Over 2000 Eilat residents protest for social justice