Strait of Tīrān - Straße von Tīrān

The Strait of Tiran (English: Straits of Tiran, also Strait of Tiran, Arabic:مضيق تيران‎, Maḍīq Tīrān, „Strait of Tīrān“, Hebrew: מצרי טיראן Metzarei Tiran) is a strait about 15 kilometers northeast of Sharm esch-Sheikh between the egyptian peninsula Sinai and the saudi arabian Tīrān island, which was leased to Egypt. The approximately 13 kilometers wide strait connects this Red Sea in the south with the Gulf of Aqaba in the North. About the middle of the road there are several reefs that are both navigation barriers and popular ones Diving areas are.

background

The easily controllable strait plays an important geopolitical rolebecause about them the for Israel and Jordan important connection to Indian Ocean he follows.

According to the Geneva Convention on the Law of the Sea of ​​1958, transit passage through the Strait of Tīrān must not be obstructed by any of the neighboring countries, as there are no alternative sea routes. As early as 1956, the Egyptians closed the road to ships to Israel, which led to the Suez crisis between the two countries. According to the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser On June 5, 1967, Nasser had the Straits of Tīrān blocked again. This lockdown was supposed to trigger the six-day war between Israel and Egypt. As a result, the Sinai was conquered and occupied by Israeli forces. Israeli forces were only withdrawn in 1982 after the 1979 Camp David Agreement was signed. The armed forces of the Multinational Force and Observers stationed, who also maintain an observation post on the island of Tīrān.

About in the middle of the strait are four larger reefsall named after officers of the Royal Navy cartographic expeditions in the 19th century: Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon Reefs. Due to their unique underwater world, these reefs are important travel destinations for scuba divers. These reefs divide the strait into two passages, the western, about 250 meters deep Enterprise Passage (maximum depth 309 meters) and the eastern, 73 meters deep Grafton Passage ( maximum depth 366 meters). Both passages are suitable for ocean-going ships.

Since 1988 a Bridge building discussed about the Strait of Tīrān, which should provide a rail and vehicle connection between Egypt and North Africa on the one hand and Saudi Arabia on the other hand without having to pass Israel.^[1] A direct connection between Egypt and Saudi Arabia is currently only possible by plane or ferry. The bridge required for this is to be provided with piers on the Gordon and Jackson Reefs. On the other hand, there are numerous protests by environmentalists, who fear the complete destruction of the reef landscape, and by Israeli politicians, who deny the obstruction of seafaring in the Gulf of Aqaba fear.

Since 1992 the Strait of Tīrān with the islands of Tīrān and Ṣanāfīr belongs to the Raʾs Muḥammad National Park. There is no administration for this, however, and no entrance fees have to be paid.

getting there

Arrival is only possible by boat or ship. Usually you arrive from Sharm esch-Sheikh out.

Tourist Attractions

Four reefs divide the strait into two streets. The four reefs are from north to south:

• The 28.0088334.473251 Jackson Reef(28 ° 0 ′ 32 ″ N.34 ° 28 ′ 24 ″ E) is the northernmost of the four reefs. In 1981 the Cypriot cargo ship is in the north of the reef Lara accrued. Underwater there is a beautiful coral garden.

• The 28.0015434.465482 Woodhouse Reef(28 ° 0 ′ 5 ″ N.34 ° 27 '56 "E.) has an impressive underwater canyon landscape.

• The 27.9928934.460243 Thomas Reef(27 ° 59 ′ 34 ″ N.34 ° 27 '37 "E.) is considered the reef with the most beautiful coral garden.

• The 27.9875234.453514 Gordon Reef(27 ° 59 ′ 15 ″ N.34 ° 27 ′ 13 ″ E) is the southernmost of the four reefs. On the reef is the wreck of the Panamanian cargo ship Loullia, which ran aground here in 1981. After the collision with another ship, large parts of the wreck were removed.

The east side of the Strait of Tīrān is also bordered by coral reefs:

• The 27.9974534.483965 Laguna reef(27 ° 59 ′ 51 ″ N.34 ° 29 ′ 2 ″ E) forms the western extension of the island of Tīrān. It has a beautiful coral garden.

In addition to colorful coral gardens and fish, you can also find sea turtles and several species of sharks here.

kitchen

Food and drinks must be brought along. Tour operators offer lunch on day trips.

accommodation

Accommodation is available in Sharm esch-Sheikh or Dahab.

literature

• Rikhye, Indar J.: The Sinai blunder: withdrawal of the U.N. Emergency Force leading to the Six-Day War of June 1967. London: Cass, 1980, ISBN 978-0-7146-3136-3 .
• Oren, Michael B.: Six days of war: June 1967 and the making of the modern Middle East. Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2002, ISBN 978-0-19-515174-9 .

Individual evidence

Web links

• Loullia and Lara on wrecksite.eu