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AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Officials say Jordan's first underwater archaeological survey has detected the outlines of a stone barrier, believed to be part of the centuries-old Red Sea port of Ayla, near the modern city of Aqaba.
Ehab Eid, head of the Royal Marine Conservation Society of Jordan, said Tuesday that the survey spotted an underwater barrier with an L-shape that is about 50 meters long and eight meters wide. He says experts expect to find other port facilities in the future.
The port of Ayla was active from the 7th to the 12th century, part of a trade route linking the Levant with other parts of the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Initial excavations in search of Ayla's ruins were conducted along the beach of Aqaba from 1986-1997.
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