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1822 (Eduard Rüppell)1952–58 (Survey of Israel)On the left a map drawn by the first foreigner to explore the area in modern times with current borders overlaid; modern Eilat is located between the mountain "Gatal Mahamar" and the area labelled "marais saumâtre" (brackish marsh). On the right, an early Israeli map drawn shortly after the founding of modern Eilat.The site of ancient Elath, later Ayla, is located midway between modern Eilat and Aqaba, Jordan, on the Jordanian side of the border; the Israeli map includes the words Hebrew: אֵילַת הרומאית, lit. 'Roman Eilat'. The mound shown on the 1822 map as "Ruines d'Elana" is today known as Tell el-Kheleifeh, speculated to be Biblical Ezion-Geber; it is shown on the Israeli map as Hebrew: עֶצְיֹן גֶּבֶר, lit. 'Ezion-Geber'. The mountain peak named "Gebel Gatal Mahamar" in 1822 is named Hebrew: הַר שְׁלֹמֹה, lit. 'Mount Solomon' in the Israeli map
Early history[edit]
Archaeological excavations uncovered impressive prehistoric (Neolithic) tombs dating to the 7th millennium BC at the western edge of Eilat, while nearby copper workings and mining operations at Timna Valley are one of the oldest on earth.
An Islamic community of 250–400 residents flourished for one or two generations in the area during the Umayyad period. It dealt in agriculture, copper mining and smelting, as well as trading with pilgrims by taking advantage of the adjacent Darb el-Hajj ('Way of the Hajj') route in the 8th century CE. There was some sporadic reuse of the abandoned site by pastoralists during the 9th. It was one of six very similar contemporary villages discovered in close vicinity, two along the northbound leg of the Darb, and three to the southwest, along the coastal road, all of them depending on the nearby port of Ayla and the Hajj road. Its remains were found and excavated in 1989, between the industrial zone at the northern edge of Eilat and nearby Kibbutz Eilot.
Modern city[edit]
The raising of the Ink Flag, when Eilat was captured during Operation Uvda
During the British Mandate era, a British police post existed in the area, which was known as Umm Al-Rashrash. The area was designated as part of the Jewish state in the 1947 UN Partition Plan. During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the abandoned police post, which consisted of five clay huts, was taken without a fight on March 10, 1949, as part of Operation Uvda. This marked the end of Israel's war for independence. The memorial at the historical place of March 1949 was declared a National Heritage Site in 1994.
The town developed over the following years. Eilat Airport was built in 1949 and individual ships began arriving in the 1950s, but as there were no dedicated port facilities they unloaded their goods at sea. In the early 1950s, Eilat was a small and remote town, populated largely by port workers, soldiers, and former prisoners. The town's development accelerated in 1955, when it had a population of about 500. The Timna Copper Mines near the Timna Valley and the Port of Eilat were opened that year and concerted effort by the Israeli government to populate Eilat began, starting with Jewish immigrant families from Morocco being resettled there. Eilat began to develop rapidly after the Suez Crisis in 1956, with its tourism industry in particular starting to flourish. The Israeli Navy's Eilat naval base was founded that year. The town's population grew to 5,300 in 1961. Yoseftal Medical Center and the Eilat–Ashkelon pipeline were completed in 1968, and the population increased further, reaching 13,100 in 1972 and 18,900 in 1983.
Eilat in 1963
After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Arab countries maintained a state of hostility with Israel, blocking all land routes; Israel's access to and trade with the rest of the world was by air and sea alone. Further, Egypt denied passage through the Suez Canal to Israeli-registered ships or to any ship carrying cargo to or from Israeli ports. This made Eilat and its sea port crucial to Israel's communications, commerce and trade with Africa and Asia, and for oil imports. Without recourse to a port on the Red Sea Israel would have been unable to develop its diplomatic, cultural and trade ties beyond the Mediterranean basin and Europe. This happened in 1956 and again in 1967, when Egypt's closure of the Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping effectively blockaded the port of Eilat. In 1956, this led to Israel's participation alongside Britain and France in the war against Egypt sparked by the Suez Crisis, while in 1967, 90% of Israeli oil passed through the Straits of Tiran. Oil tankers that were due to pass through the straits were delayed. The straits' closure was cited by Israel as an additional casus belli leading to the outbreak of the Six-Day War. Following peace treaties signed with Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, Eilat's borders with its neighbors were finally opened.
Israeli–Arab conflict[edit]
Eilat is especially defended by its own special forces unit LOTAR Eilat. It is a reservist special forces unit of the IDF trained in counter-terrorism and hostage rescue in the Eilat area, which has taken part in many counter-terrorist missions in the region since its formation in 1974. The Lotar unit is composed solely of reservists, citizens who must be Eilat residents between the ages of 20 and 60, who are on call in case of a terrorist attack on the city. It is one of only three units in the IDF authorized to free hostages on its own command. In 2007 the Eilat bakery bombing killed three civilian bakers. This was the first such attack in Eilat proper, although other terror attacks had been carried out in the area.
In 2011, terrorists infiltrated Israel across the Sinai border to execute multiple attacks on Highway 12, including a civilian bus and private car a few miles north of Eilat, in what became known as the 2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks.
In order to prevent terrorist infiltration of Israel from the Sinai, Israel has built the Egypt–Israel barrier, a steel barrier equipped with cameras, radar and motion sensors along the country's southern border. The fence was completed in January 2013.
During the Gaza war and ensuing Red Sea crisis, the port saw an 85% reduction in volumes and by 12 July 2024 the port of Eilat declared bankruptcy resulting in it seeing no economic activity or revenue for eight months.
In March 2026, Eilat was the targeted by missiles and drone attacks during the 2026 Iran war.
Future development plans[edit]
Eilat's north beach
In July 2012, Israel signed an agreement with China to cooperate in building the high-speed railway to Eilat, a railway line which will serve both passenger and freight trains. It will link Eilat with Beersheba and Tel Aviv, and will run through the Arava Valley and Nahal Zin (see Zin Desert).
The former Eilat Airport was closed on 18 March 2019 after the opening of Ramon Airport. The land occupied by the former airport is to be redeveloped. The new Ramon Airport opened in January 2019, 18 kilometres (11 miles) north of Eilat and replaced both Eilat Airport and the civilian use of Ovda Airport. Hotels and apartment buildings, containing a total of 2,080 hotel rooms and 1,000 apartments will be constructed on the site, as well as 275 dunams of public space and pedestrian paths. The plans also set aside space for the railway line and an underground railway station. The plan's goal is to create an urban continuum between the city center and North Beach, as well as tighten the links between the city's neighborhoods, which were separated by the airport.
In addition, there are plans to move the Port of Eilat and the Eilat–Ashkelon pipeline terminal to the northern part of the city, as well as to turn it into a university town of science and research, and brand it an international sports city. All these projects are part of a plan to increase Eilat's population to 150,000 people and build 35,000 hotel rooms.
In January 2026, Merkot and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Eli Cohen announced that the water company was investing ₪ 800 million NIS to expand the capacity of the Sabcha desalination plant and double the water supply to Eilat.
