Остров Фараона в Египте: История и Археология

the island in Egypt

Pharaoh's Island (جَزِيْرَةُ فِرعَون Jazīratu Firawn), whose current popular name is Coral Island, is a small island in the northern Gulf of Aqaba some east off the shore of Egypt's eastern Sinai Peninsula. Some scholars identify this island port with biblical Ezion Geber.

In spite of its second name, "Coral Island", Jazirat Fir'aun consists of solid granite. It stands some southwest of modern Eilat. With a length of from north to south, and at its widest point, the island covers an area of and is separated from the shore west of it by a shallow lagoon, about wide, only accessible by boat at high tide, which served in the 13th century as a sheltered anchorage. During a dig in one of its rooms, two sherds of Negev pottery were found in the petrified debris, but not at floor level,

Although the Crusaders reached the head of the Gulf of Aqaba in 1116, they did not establish a permanent presence at Ayla (also spelled Ailah or Wayla; see 'Aqaba) or the nearby island at that time. A Muslim historian describes Ayla as an Arab populated town still in Muslim hands as late as 1154. According to Adrian Boas, historian and archaeologist of the Crusades, there is no evidence to support the claim that the Crusaders built a castle on Pharaoh's Island in the early 1160s, nor for the recapture of the island by Saladin in December 1170 and his alleged refortification and garrisoning of the fortress. In November 1181, Raynald of Châtillon raided the Arab held Ayla and attempted to set up a naval blockade against the Muslim troops there during the winter of 1182 to 1183. The blockade consisted of only two ships and was not successful. The Mamluk governor of the city of Aqaba lived in the citadel until some time in the 14th century, around 1320, when the seat of governorship was moved into the city itself.