Early history Archaeological excavations uncovered impressive prehistoric (
Neolithic) tombs dating to the
7th millennium BC at the western edge of Eilat, while nearby copper workings and mining operations at
Timna Valley are one of the oldest on earth. An Islamic community of 250–400 residents flourished for one or two generations in the area during the
Umayyad period. It dealt in agriculture, copper mining and
smelting, as well as trading with pilgrims by taking advantage of the adjacent
Darb el-Hajj ('Way of the
Hajj') route in the 8th century CE. This marked the end of Israel's war for independence. The
memorial at the historical place of March 1949 was declared a
National Heritage Site in 1994. The town developed over the following years.
Eilat Airport was built in 1949 and individual ships began arriving in the 1950s, but as there were no dedicated port facilities they unloaded their goods at sea. In the early 1950s, Eilat was a small and remote town, populated largely by port workers, soldiers, and former prisoners. The town's development accelerated in 1955, when it had a population of about 500. The Timna Copper Mines near the
Timna Valley and the
Port of Eilat were opened that year and concerted effort by the Israeli government to populate Eilat began, starting with Jewish immigrant families from
Morocco being resettled there. Eilat began to develop rapidly after the
Suez Crisis in 1956, with its tourism industry in particular starting to flourish. The
Israeli Navy's Eilat naval base was founded that year. The town's population grew to 5,300 in 1961.
Yoseftal Medical Center and the
Eilat–Ashkelon pipeline were completed in 1968, and the population increased further, reaching 13,100 in 1972 and 18,900 in 1983. After the
1948 Arab–Israeli War Arab countries maintained a state of hostility with Israel, blocking all land routes; Israel's access to and trade with the rest of the world was by air and sea alone. Further, Egypt denied passage through the
Suez Canal to Israeli-registered ships or to any ship carrying cargo to or from Israeli ports. This made Eilat and its sea port crucial to Israel's communications, commerce and trade with Africa and Asia, and for oil imports. Without recourse to a port on the Red Sea Israel would have been unable to develop its diplomatic, cultural and trade ties beyond the
Mediterranean basin and Europe. This happened in 1956 and again in 1967, when Egypt's closure of the
Straits of Tiran to Israeli shipping effectively blockaded the port of Eilat. In 1956, this led to Israel's participation alongside Britain and France in the war against Egypt sparked by the
Suez Crisis, while in 1967, 90% of Israeli oil passed through the Straits of Tiran. Oil tankers that were due to pass through the straits were delayed. The straits' closure was cited by Israel as an additional
casus belli leading to the outbreak of the
Six-Day War. Following
peace treaties signed with
Egypt in 1979 and
Jordan in 1994, Eilat's borders with its neighbors were finally opened.
Israeli–Arab conflict Eilat is especially defended by its own special forces unit
LOTAR Eilat. It is a reservist
special forces unit of the IDF trained in counter-terrorism and
hostage rescue in the Eilat area, which has taken part in many counter-terrorist missions in the region since its formation in 1974. The Lotar unit is composed solely of reservists, citizens who must be Eilat residents between the ages of 20 and 60, who are on call in case of a terrorist attack on the city. It is one of only three units in the IDF authorized to free hostages on its own command. In 2007 the
Eilat bakery bombing killed three civilian bakers. This was the first such attack in Eilat proper, although other terror attacks had been carried out in the area. In 2011, terrorists infiltrated Israel across the
Sinai border to execute multiple attacks on Highway 12, including a civilian bus and private car a few miles north of Eilat, in what became known as the
2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks. In order to prevent terrorist infiltration of Israel from the Sinai, Israel has built the
Egypt–Israel barrier, a steel barrier equipped with cameras, radar and motion sensors along the country's southern border. The fence was completed in January 2013. During the
Gaza war and ensuing
Red Sea crisis, the port saw an 85% reduction in volumes and by 12 July 2024 the port of Eilat declared bankruptcy resulting in it seeing no economic activity or revenue for eight months. In March 2026, Eilat was the targeted by missiles and drone attacks during the
2026 Iran war.
Future development plans In July 2012, Israel signed an agreement with China to cooperate in building the
high-speed railway to Eilat, a railway line which will serve both passenger and freight trains. It will link Eilat with
Beersheba and
Tel Aviv, and will run through the
Arava Valley and
Nahal Zin (see
Zin Desert). The former
Eilat Airport was closed on 18 March 2019 after the opening of
Ramon Airport. The land occupied by the former airport is to be redeveloped. The new Ramon Airport opened in January 2019, north of Eilat and replaced both Eilat Airport and the civilian use of
Ovda Airport. Hotels and apartment buildings, containing a total of 2,080 hotel rooms and 1,000 apartments will be constructed on the site, as well as 275
dunams of public space and pedestrian paths. The plans also set aside space for the railway line and an underground railway station. The plan's goal is to create an urban continuum between the city center and North Beach, as well as tighten the links between the city's neighborhoods, which were separated by the airport. In addition, there are plans to move the
Port of Eilat and the
Eilat–Ashkelon pipeline terminal to the northern part of the city, as well as to turn it into a university town of science and research, and brand it an international sports city. All these projects are part of a plan to increase Eilat's population to 150,000 people and build 35,000 hotel rooms. In January 2026, Merkot and
Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Eli Cohen announced that the water company was investing
₪ 800 million
NIS to expand the capacity of the Sabcha
desalination plant and double the water supply to Eilat. ==Climate==