Aqaba stands at the great continental crossroads between Africa and Asia and is a major international gateway for Wadi Rum. A history of settlement stretches back thousands of years in Aqaba, with early peoples arriving around 4000BC to mine its nearby copper reserves. It grew into an important port used by the old kingdoms of Biblical times before passing into the control of the Roman and Byzantine Empires and later falling to the armies of the Islamic Conquests in the 7th century. Aqaba continued to grow as a fortified stopping point for caravans traversing the Darb el Hajj between Cairo and Mecca - the major pilgrimage route for Muslims making the Hajj from North Africa - before falling to the Crusaders in the 12th century. The Ottoman Empire occupied Aqaba in the early 16th century before being ousted some 400 years later in the Great Arab Revolt; an Arab uprising in which Bedouin tribesmen - including those of the Howaytat, Anaza and other Bedouin groups in Wadi Rum - took a leading fighting role. Today, Aqaba is a bustling port town that handles the bulk of Jordan's international trade, with a population of 150,000 people. Its warm climate and deep blue waters make it a popular getaway with Jordanians from Amman and international tourism has started to boom in recent decades too. It is home to an airport, two land borders and has a daily ferry connection to Egypt, making it the easiest way of getting to Wadi Rum, just an hour away by road. Every kind of accommodation, along with cafes, restaurants, beaches and souqs are found in Aqaba, making it an excellent place to stay either side of a hike on the Wadi Rum Trail. For hikers wanting to spend as much time on trail as possible, it is even possible to walk between Aqaba and Wadi Rum.