The eastern branch of the Red Sea that separates Saudi Arabia and the Sinai Peninsula. The Red Sea has two northern gulfs. The gulf varies in width from 19 to 27 kilometers (12 to 17 miles). The gulf is 161 kilometers (100 miles) long.
The port city of Elath (or Eloth) is located at the northern end of the Gulf of Aqaba. It is mentioned in the account of the Israelites’ 40 years of wandering in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 2:8). From his port of Ezion-geber, King Solomon sent ships down the Gulf of Aqaba to Ophir (1 Kings 9:26–28).