History of Aqaba Fortress
History of Aqaba Fortress
Castle of Aqaba The castle, which was constructed during the Mamluk era, gained the greatest political and economic significance due to its strategic location on the Red Sea shore and the intersection of trade and land and maritime navigation routes between the Levant, Hejaz, Egypt, and the rest of the world. As such, it is a unique historical and heritage landmark that bears witness to a civilization that existed long ago.
One of the critical fortifications and historic locations erected in southern Jordan during the Islamic periods is definitely the Aqaba Castle which was constructed around 1501-1517 during the reign of Mamluk Sultan Kansuwagon with significant modification works extending well into the 17th century and it was located strategically on the Red Sea coast because the very encampment was of great importance for sea and inland trade connections across the Levant, Hejaz for Egypt and its outwards dominance to all known and oriented to polontrol centers of the sea.
Due to the importance of the location of Aqaba Castle, attention was paid to this strategic location by Sharif Hussein bin Ali and the armies of the Great Arab Revolt, as the house of Sharif Hussein bin Ali was built to the west of the castle and the armies of the Great Arab Revolt were launched and equipped from Aqaba Castle and set out to liberate the Levant from the Ottomans.
The most important facilities of Aqaba Castle are the presence of one entrance and exit, to protect the castle due to its strategic location, as the main gate consists of three gates that are considered protection gates, as if the enemy breaks through the first gate, he will face the second gate and the third gate.
The castle consists of four towers on the corners and is square in shape and consists of an open square of 50 square meters and consists of several rooms and horse stables that were used in the Islamic era in the days of the Mamluks and the days of the Ottomans and at the beginning of the century it was used by the army of the Great Arab Revolt.
The Aqaba Archaeological Castle is open to the public from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, as it is the case with other excavation sites in Aqaba and as well in Jordan, there is no entrance fee charged, that is, the entrance is free, this is because the majority of the castle site was repaired and preserved due to the maintenance and renovation exercise that was carried out in the year 2021 and 2022, owing to the fact that the castle attracts approximately 500 tourists.
