Stand on Aqaba’s corniche and you can see four countries at once — Jordan beneath your feet, Israel across the thin strip of water to the west, Saudi Arabia’s mountains glowing to the south, and Egypt faintly visible beyond. That geography has made this small city one of the most strategically contested places on earth for three thousand years, and it is all still here, layered in its streets. Travel creator Where The Road Forks walks you through this Aqaba walking tour Jordan Red Sea experience — from the ancient Islamic ruins of Ayla to the Ottoman fort captured by Lawrence of Arabia, and out along the waterfront to the crystalline reef waters beyond the city.
About This Walking Tour
Where The Road Forks approaches Aqaba as the gateway it has always been — into the Red Sea’s underwater world, into Jordan’s desert hinterland, and into the long, tangled history of the Gulf of Aqaba’s northern shore. The video moves from the city’s compact historic centre, where the ruins of the early Islamic city of Ayla sit beside modern buildings in a strikingly direct juxtaposition, through the souq and the Ottoman fort at the city’s heart, and out along the palm-lined corniche toward the beach areas that make Aqaba one of the most accessible Red Sea diving destinations in the world. The tour gives equal time to the practical — where to snorkel, how the city connects to Petra and Wadi Rum — and the historical, pausing on the fort’s role in the Arab Revolt of 1917 and the extraordinary biodiversity of the reef systems lying just metres from the shore. For first-time visitors wondering how to fit Aqaba into a broader Jordan itinerary, this video provides both inspiration and a useful planning framework.
Highlights of Aqaba
The ancient Ayla ruins, located near the waterfront close to the Royal Yacht Club, are the remains of one of the earliest planned Islamic cities, founded in the 7th century AD on a rectangular grid with a central congregational mosque. Established under the Caliph Muawiyah, Ayla was a commercial hub linking the Red Sea trade routes with the Levant and the Arabian Peninsula; the exposed mud-brick walls and excavated foundations are remarkably evocative for a site sitting in the middle of a modern city. A short walk away, the Aqaba Fort — originally Mamluk, substantially rebuilt under the Ottomans — is the site of one of the Arab Revolt’s most celebrated engagements: in July 1917, T.E. Lawrence and Auda abu Tayi led a Hashemite force in a surprise attack from the desert, taking the fort from behind while its guns faced uselessly out to sea. The fort today contains a small museum. The city’s greatest natural attraction lies offshore: the Red Sea reef systems along Aqaba’s coast are among the world’s most accessible and biodiverse, reachable by simply wading from the beach at the Marine Park. The water visibility is exceptional year-round, and the reef drop-offs host a concentration of hard and soft corals, reef fish, turtles, and the occasional wreck that rivals far more remote dive destinations.
A Brief History of Aqaba
The site has been continuously occupied since at least the 4th century BC, when the Edomites and later the Nabataeans used the sheltered gulf as a Red Sea trading port. The Romans knew the city as Aila and maintained a garrison here along the Via Nova Traiana, their great road north to Damascus. The Islamic conquest of the 7th century brought new energy: the Caliph Muawiyah founded Ayla as a purpose-built Islamic city in the late 7th century, part of the extraordinary urban expansion of the early Islamic world. Crusader forces briefly held the region in the 12th century, constructing a fort on an island offshore; the Mamluks and then the Ottomans consolidated control over the following centuries, leaving the compact fortified structure that still stands in the city centre. The modern history of Aqaba is defined by the Arab Revolt of 1916–18 and by Jordan’s development of the city as its only seaport following independence. Today it is both a working commercial port and one of the Red Sea’s premier tourist destinations, its reef ecology protected within the Aqaba Marine Park established in 1997.
Practical Tips
October to April are the most comfortable months for walking and sightseeing; summer temperatures exceed 40°C, though the sea is warm year-round and snorkelling is popular even in July and August. King Hussein International Airport serves direct flights from several European cities as well as connections through Amman. Minibuses run from the main bus station to Petra (approximately two hours) and Wadi Rum (one hour), making Aqaba a natural base for a southern Jordan itinerary. The city centre and corniche are compact and walkable; free public beaches are available alongside the paid beach clubs north and south of the centre. For snorkelling, the easiest access point is the Marine Park beach south of town.
Watch & Explore More
Aqaba sits at the crossroads of three extraordinary destinations — and the walking tours to match are here. Follow @walkingtoursvideoscom to stay updated on new releases. For more in Jordan and the surrounding region, browse our Middle East walking tours collection.