A view of the Holiday Taba Heights Resort in Egypt (Shutterstock)

The city of Taba is the last part of the Egyptian Sinai that was recovered from Israel on September 29, 1988. It is distinguished by its strategic location surrounded by 3 Arab countries, and enjoys a picturesque nature that makes it a popular destination for tourists from all over the world.

the site

The city of Taba is located in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula in the South Sinai Governorate of the Arab Republic of Egypt, at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, between a group of mountain ranges and plateaus.

It is distinguished by its strategic location and is bordered by 3 international borders: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Palestine. It is about 7 kilometers from the Israeli city of Eilat, and opposite it is the Saudi military base Tabuk. It overlooks the Jordanian port of Aqaba, and is located 240 kilometers from Sharm El-Sheikh and 550 kilometers from Cairo.

The area between Taba in the north and Sharm El-Sheikh in the south is one of the most important attractions and tourist development areas in the south of the Sinai Peninsula. Its area is about one square kilometer and its height is 12 meters above sea level.

Taba has dry desert weather with long, hot summers and short, mild winters. The temperature in the summer months from June to September reaches 40 degrees Celsius, and in the winter from December to February it ranges between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius. This makes its climate an attractive destination for tourists throughout the year, especially in the winter.

Taba is characterized by a picturesque nature, surrounded by towering mountains and the waters of the Red Sea. Its coastal strip is considered the most beautiful in the Sinai Peninsula, as it consists of a number of bays and lakes.

Because of its location overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba, it is full of marine life, including various marine creatures, different fish, and coral reefs, and is full of resorts. It is an important tourist destination that attracts large numbers of tourists around the world, especially Israelis.

Population

Its population is about 3 thousand people, and most of its original inhabitants are Sinai Bedouins.

the date

In 1906, the Ottoman Empire disputed with Egypt over the border points between Egypt and Palestine, which was then under Ottoman rule. The dispute ended with the establishment of border points for both countries from Taba to Rafah and the acknowledgment that Taba was Egyptian land.

After Egypt's victory in the October 6, 1973 war and the signing of the Camp David Peace Treaty between the Egyptian and Israeli sides in the United States of America on September 17, 1978, the two parties agreed to Israel's complete withdrawal from the land of Sinai.

But in late 1981, as the deadline for the occupation’s withdrawal from Sinai approached, which was scheduled for April 25, 1982, the Israeli occupation slowed down in implementing the agreement and began to argue that there was a lack of clarity in 14 of the border marks located on the land of Taba, especially the last mark 91. Claiming that it belongs to him.

The dispute continued between the two parties over the Taba area, with Israeli attempts to prove its right to ownership due to the importance of its strategic location and the trend towards tourism investments, such as the establishment of the Hilton Taba Hotel in November 1982, despite the existence of an agreement between the two parties that neither of them has the right to construct any new facilities. The Israeli side aspired to expand and seize Sharm El-Sheikh.

Taba Beach, South Sinai (Shutterstock)

However, the Egyptian side initiated procedures to prove that Taba is part of the territory of Egypt. On May 13, 1985, the Egyptian Prime Minister was commissioned, by order of then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, to appoint an Egyptian team headed by Foreign Minister Ismat Abdel Majeed to prove Egypt’s ownership of Taba. The team was composed of 24 experts, 9 jurists, 5 diplomats, 8 military personnel, and two geographers and historians.

The Egyptian team worked on collecting documents and maps, including 10 maps from the Israeli archive proving Egypt’s right to the land of Taba, and relied on proving its position by going back during the tripartite aggression against Egypt in 1956 and Israel’s withdrawal from the land of Sinai and Taba completely to the international borders, but the occupation described... His position is that it happened by mistake.

Egypt decided to resort to international arbitration to submit the Taba case despite the strict rejection from the Israeli side, but it relented in 1986.

On September 29, 1988, the International Arbitration Tribunal in Geneva upheld Egypt’s position in ownership of the entire land of Taba and Ras al-Naqab, transferring it to the control of the Egyptian government, including all tourist facilities.

Israel continued to procrastinate after the decision was issued, while trying to obtain any benefits for it, such as allowing Israelis to enter Taba without a passport or using Israeli currency in transactions, but the Egyptian side strongly rejected all of these demands, and Israel was forced to withdraw on March 15, 1989. The Egyptian flag was raised on the land of Taba on the 19th of the same month.

Hilton Hotel after a bomb exploded in the Egyptian resort of Taba on the Red Sea on October 8, 2004 (Reuters)

Economy

Tourism projects occupy a large place in investments due to the nature of the city and its location. Government investments amounted to about 700 million Egyptian pounds to serve infrastructure projects, including roads, services and construction, and foreign investments in the tourism aspect amounted to about 3 billion Egyptian pounds.

Milestones

Pharaoh Island

It is located about 8 kilometers from the city, and gained its name in relation to the era of the Pharaonic King Ramesses II, as its construction dates back to this period, and it was also called Al-Marjan Island. It was also called the Citadel of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi in reference to the castle he built on the island in 1170, to protect the country. From external invasion and securing roads for Egyptian pilgrims.

It was built on two prominent towers, and granite was used in its construction. It is surrounded by walls and towers to protect it. It includes defensive facilities, a weapons manufacturing workshop, a military meeting hall, a bakery, water tanks, welding rooms, and a mosque.

Tourists visit it for diving to enjoy its picturesque coral reefs, and in 2003 the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) chose the castle on the list of World Heritage cities.

Saladin Citadel on Pharaoh's Island in Taba (Shutterstock)

Fjord Bay

It is located 15 kilometers from Taba, and it is a distinctive destination visited by thousands of tourists to practice diving to a depth of 24 meters and enjoy the various fish and coral reefs.

Taba Reserve

It is located in the southwestern region of the city of Taba, on an area of ​​about 3,500 square kilometers. It includes various geological structures and contains different types of stones, such as Nubian and marine stones from the Caretarian period and igneous stones from the Cambrian period. It consists of caves, valleys, and mountain passes.

Rare and endangered animals and plants live there. It contains about 25 species of mammals, about 50 species of rare resident birds, 24 species of reptiles, and 480 species of extinct plants. It includes archaeological sites dating back about 5,000 years.

Castle of the past

It is located on a desert hill between the cities of Nuweiba and Taba. It was built entirely of stone without any metal materials. It is characterized by a beach with pure sand and clear waters that allow its visitors to enjoy stunning views, relax and practice diving.

Colored Valley

It is located 25 kilometers from Taba, is about 800 meters long, and is a destination for lovers of climbing and diving.

The valley consists of rocks of various shapes and sizes, formed into slopes and formed by rain, floods, and mineral salts.

The valley contains fossils of coral reefs in red, brown, yellow, blue and black colors, and the visitor can see mountains from Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Palestine from the top of the valley.

Source: websites