Aqaba Jordan Tourism (2019) Travel Guide Top Places

"Aqaba:Beach resorts and Wind surfing destination"

Aqaba Tourism

Aqaba is a popular local getaway and has a 'on holiday' atmosphere, despite the growing developments and the unsightly port nearby. Aqaba's location next to Wadi Rum and Petra has placed it in Jordan's golden triangle of tourism, which strengthened the city's location on the world map and made it one of the major tourist attractions in Jordan.Though, due to high temperatures, everything shuts down around 14:00 and reopens after the afternoon nap, around 18:00.

Aqaba is a coastal city in Jordan. Aqaba plays a major role in the development of Jordanian economy, through the vibrant trade and tourism sectors. The fact that the city is the only coastal city in Jordan, it has a distinctive cuisine relative to other Jordanian cities. Main dishes include; Sayadeyah which is a common dish among Arabs coastal cities, is a combination of rice, fish and spices. Kishnah is made up of fish, tomatoes and onions cooked together. When it comes to history, the largest and the only museum in Aqaba is the Aqaba archaeological museum. _For the visitor, although there's not much to ¥do? as such, the town offers a sociable stopover en route to the diving and snorkelling clubs to the south and the big destinations of Wadi Rum and Petra. When it comes to climate, the winter temperature in Aqaba rarely goes below 20?C and is often quite a few degrees warmer. In summer the weather is hot, with daytime temperatures over 35?C, but the sea breezes make it bearable.

Places to Visit In Aqaba

Wadi Rum

Turkish bath or Hammam

Souk

Visit the high flag

Red sea(Scuba Diving)

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Aqaba Customs

Women are supposed to wear loose fitting clothes and 3/4 length trousers. Â¾It is ok to wear sleeveless tops too but best to avoid a low-cut neckline and if one wants to be modest, carrying a Pashmina/light scarf is always an option. If one is staying at one of the hotel resorts one can wear whatever he/she likes. People shake hands in Jordan much more than in the West, and even the merest contact with a stranger is normally punctuated by at least one or two handshakes to indicate fraternity. If youÃªre invited to eat with someone at home and you choose to accept, the first thing to consider is how to repay your hostÃªs hospitality. Attempting to offer money would be deeply offensive _ what is appropriate is to bring some token of your appreciation. If youÃªre a vegetarian, it would be quite within social etiquette to make your dietary preferences clear before you accept an invitation. Always ask permission before you photograph women in any context, even in the street _ and, if youÃªre in or near a family house or tent, ask permission of the men too. For a woman travelling alone, a ring _ indicating an absent husband _ is a powerful signifier of respectability, public display of affection between men and women are not acceptable. Even if youÃªre married, walking arm-around-waist or arm-over-shoulder, touching each otherÃªs face or body or kissing each other are likely to be viewed as deeply distasteful

Language of Aqaba

Commonly used language in Aqaba is Arabic though some of the people do understand and talk in English. Some of the arabic words are Salam - Marhaba(Hello), Sabah El-Khair(Good morning), Shukran(Thank you)

History of Aqaba

In the 10th century, a Muslim traveller described Aqaba as 'a great city' and a meeting place of pilgrims en route to and from Mecca. In AD 1024, the town was sacked by local tribes and in 1068 a huge earthquake split the old city of Ayla in two, consigning the town to a minor historical role. By the beginning of the 16th century the town had been swallowed up by the Ottoman Empire, and lost much of its significance when the main trading area of the region was moved to Baghdad in the middle of the 16th century. For about 500 years, until the Arab Revolt during WWI, Aqaba remained an insignificant fishing village. After WWI, the border between Trans-Jordan and Saudi Arabia had still not been defined, so Britain arbitrarily drew a line a few kilometres south of Aqaba. The Saudis disputed the claim but took no action. As the port of Aqaba grew, the limited coastline proved insufficient, so in 1965 King Hussein traded 6000 sq km of Jordanian desert for another 12km of coastline with Saudi Arabia.

Nightlife in Aqaba

Aqaba doesn't have much for a nightlife, though, it has a lot of 5 star lounges and bars. Some of the lounges and bars are Oasis lounge,Tumbleweed bar, Rovers and Friends. There is also a seaport in Jordan that transforms into a partying haven after sundown.Â¾

Shopping in Aqaba

In Aqaba, one can easily find a lot of souvenir shops. Also a brand called 'Made in Jordan' in which all the things like ; pottery, weaving, mosaic, silver workshops are made by local women by taking part in projects all over Jordan. If one wants to buy dead sea products, South Kingdom bazaar is the best shop for it. They sell all the old local favourites, like ostrich eggs and camel bone boxes.Â¾

Currency in Aqaba

Major cards are accepted here. No other currency is accepted in Aqaba other than JD. One must always carry some cash in JD currency, because small shops only accept cash whereas some of the big hotels and shops accept cards.Â¾

Exchanging Money in Aqaba

You cand find ATMs by many banks in every city of Jordan. ATMs of Arab Bank and The Housing Bank for Trade and Finance accepts all the foreign cards. There are several exchange offices in Aqaba downtown where you can change all major currencies: USD, GBP, EUR.

Daily Budget for Aqaba

Estimated budget for a backpacker could go from 15-20 JD and for luxury travel, it would be around 90-110 JD whereas in mid range it would be 50-60 JD.Â¾

Religion of Aqaba

Jordan is a country where most of the people follow Islam, about 92% are Muslims, whereas, 6-7% are Christians and they mostly live in Amman, rest 1% is hared by other religions. Jordan also has the oldest Christian communities in the world

Restaurants and Local Food in Aqaba

Traditional Jordanian cooking is available all around town, everything from •fast foodê falafel and shawarmah to slow cooked lamb and rice dishes.Aqaba is also a fishing town so really good for fresh seafood. The traditional Jordanian dish is Mansaf _Lamb slow cooked in a yoghurt based sauce served with rice and pine nuts. Two more main dishes of Aqaba,Jordan are 'Maklouba' which is often prepared for celebrations and is made with meat, rice and vegetables and Freeke which is an ancient grain that is usually prepared with a meat such as lamb or chicken, nuts, vegetables or a yogurt based sauce.
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Best Time to Visit Aqaba

Commuting within Aqaba

Aqaba Photos

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Top Hotels In Aqaba

Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba

9.4 (479 reviews)

JOD 75 onwards

Kempinski Hotel Aqaba

9.1 (1827 reviews)

JOD 116 onwards

Lacosta Hotel

9.1 (1067 reviews)

JOD 39 onwards

Dan Eilat Hotel

8.9 (1046 reviews)

ILS 760 onwards

Cedar Hotel

8.9 (1048 reviews)

JOD 50 onwards

Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort

8.9 (71 reviews)

JOD 95 onwards

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How To Reach Aqaba

Aqaba can be reached by flight,taxi and bus from Amman. Regular buses are available from Amman and flights are available to Amman from all over the world.¾