Aqaba is a medieval Islamic, coastal town in the far south of Jordan and was originally called Ayla. Ayla was a capital city of the early Islamic period from AD 650 to the arrival of the Crusaders in 1116 AD, a period of about 450 years.
Aqaba has been inhabited settlement since 4000 BC profiting from its strategic location at the junction of trading routes between Asia, Africa, Europe.
During Roman times, the great long distance road the Via Nova Traiana led south from Damascus through Amman, terminating in Aqaba, where it connected with a west road leading to Palestine and Egypt.
Soon after Muhammad's time, it became part of the new Caliphate, and thereafter passed through the hands of such dynasties as the Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids, and Mamluks. The early days of the Islamic era saw the construction of the city of Ayla, which was described by the geographer Shams Eddin Muqaddasi as being next to the true settlement, which was lying in ruins closeby. The ruins of Ayla (unearthed in the 1980s by an American-Jordanian archeological team) are a few minutes walk north along the main waterfront road.
During the 12th century the Crusaders occupied the area and built their fortress of Helim, which remains relatively well preserved today. In addition to building a stronghold within Aqaba, the Crusaders fortified the small island of Ile de Graye (now known as Pharaoh's Island - about 7 kilometers offshore).
By 1170, both Aqaba and the island had been recaptured by Saladin. The Mamluks took over in 1250 and rebuilt the fort in the 14th century under one of the last Mamluk sultans, Qansah al-Ghouri.
By the beginning of the 16th century the Mamluk dynasty had fallen into decline and the area came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire. Under the Ottomans, the city declined in status, for 400 years remaining a simple fishing village.
During World War I, Ottoman forces were forced to withdraw from the town after a raid by Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab forces of Sharif Hussein in 1917, making the territory part of the Kingdom of Hijaz. The capture of Aqaba helped open supply lines from Egypt up to Arab and British forces afield further north in Transjordan and Palestine.
Aqaba is best known today as a diving and beach resort.