ELATH (ths;), termed in the Sept. AiXoiv ; in Joseph. (Anaq. viii. 6. 4) A/Xamj ; in Jerome, Ailath ; by the Greeks and Romans, 'EXdva. It is now called Ailah. These several names are only variations of the original Hebrew word. It was a city of Idumma, having a port on the eastern arm or gulf of the Red Sea, which thence received the name of Sinus Elaniticus (Gulf of Akaba). Ac cording to Eusebius, it was ten miles east from Petra. It lies at the extremity of the valley of Elghor, which runs at the bottom of two parallel ranges of hills, north and south, through Arabia Petrma, from the Dead Sea to the northern parts of the Elanitic Gulf.
The first time that it is mentioned in the Scrip tures is in Deut. ii. 8, where, in speaking of the journey of the Israelites towards the Promised Land, these words occur—' When we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongeber.' These two places are mentioned together again in 1 Kings ix. 26, in such a manner as to shew that Elath was more ancient than Eziongeber, and was of so much repute as to be used for indicating the locality of other places : the passage also fixes the spot where Elath itself was to be found and King Solomon made a navy of ships in Eziongeber, which is beside Elath, on the shore (Num. xxxiii. 35) of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom.' The use which David made of the vicinity of Elath spews that the country was at that time in his possession. Accord ingly, in 2 Sam. viii. 14, we learn that he had pre viously made himself master of Idumma, and gar risoned its strongholds with his own troops. Un der his successor, Joram (2 Kings viii. 20), the Idummans revolted from Judah, and elected a king over themselves. Joram thereupon assembled his forces, and all the chariots with him,' and, falling on the Idummans by night, succeeded in defeating and scattering their army. The Hebrews, how ever, could not prevail, but Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day ;' thus ex emplifying the striking language employed (Gen. xxvii. 40) by Isaac—' by the sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother : and it shall come to pass, when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.' From 2 Kings xiv. 22, however, it appears that Uzziah re covered Elath, and, having so repaired and adorned the city as to be said to have built, that is rebuilt, it, he made it a part of his dominions. This con nection was not of long continuance ; for in ch. xvi. ver. 6 of the same book, we find the Syrian king Rczin interposing, who captured Elath, drove out the Jews, and annexed the place to his Syrian kingdom, and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day.' At a later period it fell under the power of the Romans, and was for a time guarded by the tenth legion, forming part of Palmstina Tertia (Jerome, Onom. s. v. Ailath ; Strabo, xxi. 4. 4 ; Reland, p. 556). It subse quently became the residence of a Christian bishop.
Bishops of Elath were at the council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451), and that of Constantinople (A.D. 536). At the council of Chalcedon, Beryllus thus wrote his designation as bishop, 'ACXb TiJS HaXCIICTIIMS 7/J177'g. In the days of its prosperity it was much distinguished for commerce, which continued to flourish under the auspices of Christianity. In the sixth century it was spoken of by Procopius as being inhabited by Jews subject to the Roman dominion (De Bell. Pen. i. 19). In A.D. 630, the Christian communities of Arabia Petrma found it expedient to submit to Mohammed, when John, the Chris tian governor of Ailah, became bound to pay an annual tribute of 30o gold-pieces (Abulfeda, Ann. i. 171). Henceforward, till the present century, Ailah lay in the darkness of Islamism. It is merely mentioned by the supposed Ibn Haukal, perhaps in the eleventh century ; and, after the middle of the twelfth, Edrisi describes it as a small town fre quented by the Arabs, who were now its masters, and forming an important point in the route be tween Cairo and Medina. In A.D. 1116, King Baldwin of Jerusalem took possession of it. Again was it wrested from the hands of the Christians by Saladin I., A.D. 1167, and never again fully re covered by them ; although the reckless Rainald of Chatillon, in A.D. 1182, seized, and for a time held, the town. In Abulfeda's day, and before A.D. 1300, it was already deserted. He says, `In our day it is a fortress, to which a governor is sent from Egypt. It had a small castle in the sea, but this is now abandoned, and the governor removed to the fortress on the shore.' Such as Allah was in the days of Abulfeda, is Akaba now. Mounds of rubbish alone mark the site of the town, while a fortress, occupied by a governor and a small garri son under the Pasha of Egypt, serves to keep the neighbouring tribes of the desert in awe, and to minister to the wants and protection of the annual Egyptian Haj, or pilgrim caravan. This place has always been an important station upon the route of the Egyptian Haj. Such is the importance of this caravan of pilgrims from Cairo to Mecca, both in a religious and political point of view, that the rulers of Egypt from the earliest period have given it convoy and protection. For this purpose a line of fortresses similar to that of Akaba has been established at intervals along the route, with wells of water and supplies of provisions (Robinson's Biblical Researches, vol. i. p. 250).
The first Frank who visited this place in modern times, was Rfipell, in 1822. Laborde (yourmy throuch Arabia Petranz, London, 1836) was well received by the garrison and inhabitants of the castle of Akaba, of which he has given a view (vol. i. p. i6). The fortress, he states, is built on a regular plan, and is in a pretty good condition, though within several good habitations have been suffered to fall to decay. It has only two guns fit for service.—J. R. B.