MAP OF ELATH AND THE WAY TO GAZA   

NASA PHOTO (US) -- TEXT AND EDITS BY D.Q.H.

  During the 8th century BC, Israel's seaport at Elath may have been linked in part by a caravan route to the Mediterranean port town Gaza by way of the Darb al Ghazza (Way to Gaza).  This caravan route has been used for thousands of years.  During more recent times the motor road along the Egyptian - Israeli border was made beside and over the top of the ancient caravan route.  There is evidence that the Israelis might not have gone the entire distance to Gaza of the Phillistines but turned north near Qudeirat towards Beersheva and then north to Israeli areas. The Israeli side of the border is darker as it is protected from grazing while the Egyptians grazed their animals up to the border fence. The road was close to or through the dots designating water holes along the current Israel - Egyptian border, it is marked on the more detailed Egyptian tourist maps (the road was off-limits to tourists for security reasons; as of 1999).  The fortress at the seaport Elath contained a triple gate like the ancient gates at Tell Hazor and Megiddo in Northern Israel but on a smaller scale.  People spent some time resting inside or near these fortresses before continuing on their journeys.  The ancient Judean fortress at Kuntillet Ajrud was examined and identified as occupied from the mid 9th - 8th cent. BC, this fortress was on a mesa near some wells.  At Ain Qudeirat near Kosseima was another fortress near a spring in an oasis occupied from the 10th - 7th centuries BC.  The desert was rather poor in these regions but the overland trade was quite rich.  There were pack animal drivers hauling goods and needing protection from robbers at these caravan stop fortresses.  The ancient road from Kosseima may have continued towards Gaza or it may have been linked to Beersheva and more northern Mediterranean ports at a greater cost of land transport as the animals and drivers required provisions.  The named places on the map indicated by round black dots were near springs or wells.    

 A spring (seasonal or perennial) was described as ain in Arabic, en in Hebrew. A well was described as bir in Arabic and beer in Hebrew.  Village sites were usually near a water source.  A wadi was a dry river bed or canyon.  The Thamilat Suweilma was probably an area of temporary wells in a dry river bed occasionally washed away by floods and later reestablished by new digging; as the word for such was translated themila in another dialect.   Numerous wells, cisterns, and themila cannot be shown.  The route up the Wadi Arabah to the north of Elath is not shown on this map.  It also contained numerous watering places and more fortifications.  

The Judeans had an 8th century trade route from the Dead Sea to the coast used in the salt trade that lasted longer than their control of Elath.  In modern times both the Dead Sea salt trade and some Red Sea trading is controlled by the Israelis. 

Elath would have been near the far left and behind the hotels about 550 meters inland. The 750 BC shoreline was further inland.  Directly across the way is the town marked Aquaba on the maps.  The word Akaba was Arabic describing an ascent to the western plateau of southern Jordan.