Tiran Island
Tiran ( ) is an island that
officially belongs to Saudi Arabia
; however, it is now leased to Egypt
for
political reasons. It is located at the entrance of the Straits of
Tiran
, which separates the Red Sea
from the
Gulf of
Aqaba
. It has an area of about
80 km
2 (30 sq mi). It is part of the
Ras Muhammad National
Park.
Overview
It is of
strategic significance in the area, as it forms the narrowest
section of the Straits of Tiran, which is an important sea passage
to ports in Jordan
and Israel
: Aqaba
and Eilat
,
respectively. It is inhabited only by military personnel
from Egypt and the
Multinational Force and
Observers [MFO] .
Chisholm Point is a cape of Tiran Island.
Some
theologists believe that this is the location of the parting of the
Red Sea described in the Book of
Exodus in the Torah.
Until the 6th century CE there was a
Jewish
community on the island, which was then called
Iotabe.
Israel briefly took
over the island during the Suez Crisis
and again between 1967 to 1982 following the events of the Six Day War.
Transport
The proposed
Saudi-Egypt
Causeway would pass through this island.
See also
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