- Aqaba is a port in Jordan located on the Red Sea.
- It was known to the Romans as Aila or Aelana, and annexed as part of the Roman Province of Arabia Petraea in 106 CE.
History
- Aqaba was on the Via Traiana Nova, Roman Road which linked Mesopotamia with Egypt.
- It had a Legionary Fortress guarding the Port.
- Aqaba is the source of the ‘Ayla-Axum Anphorae’ made under the Byzantine/ Early Caliphate period which have been found in Eritrea and Ethiopia at Matara, Adulis and Aksum, and also at Berenice in Egypt.
Roman Sites
- Aqaba Church (Foundations only) (c.293-303 CE)
- This is the first known Christian Church to be constructed.
- It predates the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (335 CE) by some 30-30 years.
- However, the church was destroyed by the Galilee Earthquake on 18-19 May 363 CE.
Museums
- Aqaba Archeological Museum
- It is located next to the Mamluk Castle (16th century CE) in old Aqaba.
- The Museum holds a Collection of Artefacts from dating from the Bronze Age to the Caliphate (7th – 12th centuries CE).
- The museum holds a Roman Milestone from the Via Traiana Nova.
Roman Legions
- Legio III Cyrenaica (106-c.295 CE)
- Main Base at the capital Bostra, with a Roman Cohort garrisoned here.
- Legio X Fretensis (Legion of the Sea Straits) (c.295-c.400 CE)
Roman Road
Aqaba, Jordan