In 1949, the war of Independence ended when the Israeli soldiers reached the Red Sea. They arrived on a desert beach, along the white houses of Aqaba, Jordan, and took 7 km of shoreline, trapped between Egypt and Jordan. On this highly strategic point, in the far south of the country, the Israelis built a city that they called Eilat.Since his creation, Eilat has ceased to build. The style is a bit that of the Costa Brava: concrete, still concrete and still concrete in a beautiful environment.Since 1950, the soldiers were joined by the first settlers, new immigrants from Morocco and Holland. They were exploitèrent copper and manganese mines, trying to produce arid agriculture and fishing. But it was mainly tourism, especially after peace with Egypt in 1979, which allowed the local economy to develop. Today, despite its remoteness from the other cities of the country, Eilat has become, thanks to its climate, its seabed (or rather what remains), a popular seaside resort with many luxury hotels lined up on the coast. The city has approximately 40 000 inhabitants and times more tourists. These have begun to rise in droves since the early 1980 s. In 1989, the nearby Taba locality was returned to Egypt after more than twenty years of Israeli occupation. Then, in 1994, the more recent agreement with Jordan gave birth to a project of a major tri-national seaside resort: Eilat-Aqaba-Taba. Today, the tourist easily crosses borders: Buses depart regularly to Aqaba and Taba, excursions depart from Eilat for St. Catherine Monastery in the heart of Sinai, or for Petra in Jordan.But let's be clear, Eilat, it's not really Israel. Rather, a seaside resort, as it is found around the world, which will undoubtedly seduce lovers of festive, water sports and sunbathing, but who will drive those who prefer authenticity. They will do better to take walks in the beautiful desert canyons and canyons surrounding the city or just go down a little farther south in the Egyptian Sinai. Despite everything, despite what many call "a big mess", Eilat still has this little bit of unreal that surprises the visitor at sunset, when his last rays caramelize the surrounding mountains before leaving in the Red Sea.

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Eilat. Céline MAGNIN
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