--- title: Five Reasons to Visit Aqaba description: A new $20 billion investment scheme is turning Jordan's once sleepy port of Aqaba into the Red Sea's highest-wattage resort. New hotels and spas are... canonical: https://time.com/archive/6938361/five-reasons-to-visit-aqaba/ author: DAVID KAUFMAN article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2010-07-15T04:00:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-22T07:28:03.044Z og:title: Five Reasons to Visit Aqaba og:description: A new $20 billion investment scheme is turning Jordan's once sleepy port of Aqaba into the Red Sea's highest-wattage resort. New hotels and spas are... og:url: https://time.com/archive/6938361/five-reasons-to-visit-aqaba/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1ec1e441545a303/698a4f60cabb1da0c6e5371b/360_tga_aqaba_0726.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 360 og:image:height: 203 og:image:alt: 360_tga_aqaba_0726.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Five Reasons to Visit Aqaba twitter:description: A new $20 billion investment scheme is turning Jordan's once sleepy port of Aqaba into the Red Sea's highest-wattage resort. New hotels and spas are... twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1ec1e441545a303/698a4f60cabb1da0c6e5371b/360_tga_aqaba_0726.jpg?branch=production&width=360&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Five Reasons to Visit Aqaba > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-sub-2026q3/newsletters?i=b8cefb61-fe3c-4049-9827-9c3eb27eb149&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) * TIME Subscriptions: [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-sub-2026q3/subscribe?i=b8cefb61-fe3c-4049-9827-9c3eb27eb149&cr=time-sub-2026q3-v1) by [DAVID KAUFMAN](https://time.com/author/david-kaufman/) Jul 15, 2010 4:00 AM UTC  Slick like Dubai But with about 6,000 years of history to boot Slick like Dubai But with about 6,000 years of history to boot Rene MattesHemis / Corbis; by [DAVID KAUFMAN](https://time.com/author/david-kaufman/) Jul 15, 2010 4:00 AM UTC A new $20 billion investment scheme is turning Jordan’s once sleepy port of Aqaba into the Red Sea’s highest-wattage resort. New hotels and spas are debuting citywide, often in shiny waterfront complexes reminiscent of those found in Singapore or Dubai. But it isn’t all new building: Aqaba is a 6,000-year-old entrepôt once fought over by Lawrence of Arabia and the Ottomans. Fabulous cuisine abounds and some of the world’s most vibrant coral reefs are merely moments offshore. Here are five reasons to visit. [(See pictures of baptism in the Jordan river.)](https://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1977603,00.html) **1\. Raghadan and Zahran Streets** Skip the overpriced tourist traps along Princess Haya Circle and head instead for the area around Raghadan and Zahran streets, Aqaba’s real restaurant rows. Try the Syrian Palace on Raghadan Street, tel: (962-3) 201 4788, for classic Levantine dishes such as finely minced kebab and buttery smooth hummus. For dessert, head to nearby Al Tarboosh, tel: (962-3) 201 8518 — a traditional confectionery store offering pistachio-filled _baklawa_ and plates of hot _knaffe_ (sweet cheese-filled phyllo pastry drenched in honey and rosewater). Recover with a strong cup of Arabian coffee at Al Kamal Roastery, tel: (962-3) 201 2201\. **2\. Petra and Wadi Rum** The ancient pink ruins of Petra and the windswept caves of Wadi Rum are Jordan’s unrivaled money shots. They’re typically tacked on to tours of Amman, but if you want to skip the ho-hum capital, you’ll find Aqaba within easy striking distance of both attractions. Voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, Petra is 90 minutes north. Wadi Rum — a backdrop to 1962’s Oscar-winning _Lawrence of Arabia_ — is even closer, at just under an hour’s drive. **3\. The Old Town** Aqaba’s glistening waterfront may evoke the 21st century, but its historic center is an unexpected dose of old Arabia. At its core is the suq — a warren of covered stalls and boutiques. After picking up local crafts, refuel at Al Firdous Café (no phone), a traditional outdoor coffee spot where kaffiyeh-covered men sip fragrant brew. Then pay a visit to the 14th century Mamluk fort, a crumbling stone castle set right next to the Aqaba Archaeological Museum, tel: (962-3) 201 9063\. **4\. Diving** There are Technicolor coral reefs across the Red Sea basin, but the diving along Aqaba’s 24-km coast is considered among the best. Snorkel above wrecks like the 75-m _Cedar Pride_ — a cargo ship scuttled in the 1980s — as dolphins and tropical fish cruise by. Or take the journey out to Pharaoh’s Island, home to pristine coral blooms including a famously luminescent underwater mountain aptly nicknamed Picasso Reef. **5\. The Kempinski Hotel** Aqaba’s newest five-star hotel is easily its splashiest: a white-on-white 201-room retreat with a minimalist aesthetic. Each of the chic rooms faces the Red Sea, but you’ll be spending most of your time outside, on the pristine beach (with Aqaba’s only cabanas), by the pool or strolling the waterfront promenade. The hotel features Aqaba’s first true nightclub (the Black Pearl). Better still are the beach parties — grownup raves with DJs fresh from Ibiza and Jordan’s elite enjoying a weekend away from Amman. See [www.kempinski.com/aqaba](https://www.kempinski.com/aqaba). [Watch TIME’s video “The Jordan River Needs Resurrecting.”](https://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,1757661578%5F1837363,00.html) [See pictures of luxury private islands.](https://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1718329,00.html) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938361/five-reasons-to-visit-aqaba/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/archive/6938361/five-reasons-to-visit-aqaba/"},"headline":"Five Reasons to Visit Aqaba","datePublished":"2010-07-15T04:00:00.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-22T07:28:03.044Z","description":"A new $20 billion investment scheme is turning Jordan's once sleepy port of Aqaba into the Red Sea's highest-wattage resort. 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