The drive from the high valley of Mount Sinai to the Gulf of Aqaba takes us through the mountains to Haql.
Along the road we see many construction sites in connection with the new construction region “NEOM”.
For many kilometers we are accompanied by construction sites used to lay thick pipes for the water supply.
Haql
Haql is the most north-western city in Saudi Arabia.
It is located near the border with Jordan and Aqaba, at the eastern end of the Gulf of Aqaba.
It is easy to see that this region was previously undeveloped.
There are hardly any facilities worth mentioning, not even in the surrounding area.
You would have to cross the border into Jordan to find them.
Gulf of Aqaba
A few kilometers south of Haql we find a public beach with pick-nick spots.
Probably because of Ramadan, there is only one family on the beach.
We spend the night here.
After we drive there again the next evening to spend the night, the coastguard comes with two vehicles to chase us away from the beach like dogs.
We would like to know why, so that we know the rules, but apparently the law enforcement officers are not used to giving information – or they don’t know themselves and are just following orders.
Along the Gulf
Today we want to drive south along the Gulf.
Unfortunately, visibility is very limited due to heavy haze, making it difficult to edit the pictures.
But after about 30 km we come to an end.
A gate to a NEOM construction site blocks our onward journey.
We can’t even drive on to the nearby shipwreck.
Passage through the Red Sea
At least we can at least see the beach where the people of Israel are said to have crossed the Red Sea.
The Gulf of Aqaba is said to have a shallow area between the Egyptian oasis of Nuweiba and the opposite shore of Saudi Arabia, which would make it possible to walk through the sea on dry land.
Divers also claim to have discovered the remains of Egyptian war chariots.
Split rock
On the western side of Mount SINAI there is a huge, split rock.
The people of Israel are said to have camped here and grumbled because there was no water in the place.
God then commanded Moses to strike the rock – and water ran out of the rock.
As this huge, split rock lies at the back of Moses’ mountain, it is assumed that this is the rock that Moses struck with his staff.
It is said that the boulders underneath the split rock are abraded and that this is a sign that a lot of water has flowed over it.
We leave this open, as there are also rounded rocks elsewhere. Either way, the stay at “Split Rock” is impressive.
On the one hand because of the gigantic rock, on the other because a storm is currently sweeping across the wild mountain valley.
As a road is currently being built, this sight will soon no longer be so lonely and pristine. Too bad.
