Elat, << EE lat >> (pop. 52,753), is an Israeli port on the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea. It is also spelled Eilat << ay LAHT >>. It serves as Israel’s gateway to Asia and East Africa by way of the Indian Ocean. Elat’s natural beauty and seaside location make it a popular year-round resort.
Records indicate that a port existed at Elat’s present site during Biblical times. But modern Elat was founded in 1948. Its importance increased after 1950, when Egypt banned Israeli ships from the Suez Canal. Without the canal, the Gulf of Aqaba became Israel’s only outlet to the Red Sea. But Egypt also blocked the entrance to the gulf. The gulf was opened as a result of the Arab-Israeli War of 1956. Elat then grew rapidly in both size and importance. Egypt’s blockade of the gulf in 1967 was a major cause of the Six-Day War. See Israel (History).
Elat also serves as an import center for oil. A pipeline carries oil from the city to Israel’s Mediterranean coast. From there it is either exported or sent to a refinery in Haifa.
