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| CITIES » TABA |
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The
small town of Taba lies near the Israeli border, bounds the Egyptian
coasts of the Red Sea to the north. In ancient times caravans following
the Aqaba track stopped there owing to the presence of a freshwater
well. |
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With
it's five star hotels, Taba is a meeting of borders. It overlooks
Jordan, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Major plans are currently taking
place to promote this area as a tourism center. It has good restaurants
and beach cafes. |
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The
town used to be characterized by the structures of the Hotel Hilton
Taba, which was built by the Israelis and subsequently sold to Egypt.
In recent times Taba has become a significant tourist resort, owing
to both the nearby International Airport of Nakab and the building
of new hotels. |
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One
of Taba's main attractions, Pharaoh's Island, is simply breathtaking.
The island, surrounded by outstanding blue and turquoise water was
once a Phoenician port. Later occupied by Crusaders and then taken
under control by Sultan Salah El Din. The island and the castle remain
intact. The reef around the island is popular with snorkels and divers
alike. |
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Pharaoh's
Island, sometimes called Coral Island, or Geziret Faraum, was originally
built by Baldwin I, the King of Jerusalem. From the top of the fortress,
one can see four countries, including Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Saudi
Arabia. Work apparently began on the fortress around 1116 AD. |
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The
toponym “Taba” appeared for the first time only at the
beginning of the twentieth century, and precisely in 1906, when the
English marked out the eastern border between Egypt and the Ottoman
Empire according to a line starting from Rafah, on the Mediterranean
coast, and arriving at Taba, on the Red Sea. In more recent times,
after Sinai was returned to Egypt in 1982, Israel continued exercising
control over Taba until 1989, when the border took on its present
position |
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Since1998,
Taba and its surrounding region have been included in the protected
areas of the Sinai Peninsula in order to preserve their naturalistic
beauties. Among them is the Color Valley, rich in multicolored sandstone
and now crossed by a large asphalt scenic road going towards El-Arish,
a seaside resort of the Mediterranean Sea. |
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