ELATH. - A city on the Elanitic Gulf (Hebrew 'Elath and 'Elath). It is first mentioned in Deut. 2:8 as a stopover for the Hebrews, who, coming from Sinai, passed through it to avoid the hostility of the Edomites, who occupied the Mountains of Seir. In the time of King Solomon, the location took on special importance because, in its vicinity, namely at Ezion-geber "on the shore of the Red Sea, in the region of Edom" (1 Kings 9:26; cf. 2 Chron. 8:17), a naval base was established for trade with Arabia, and perhaps even with distant India. The experiment must have lasted only a short time. Only in the time of King Uzziah (769–738 BC) was the base restored and reactivated (2 Kings 14:22).
It appears that in the meantime the city was occupied by the Edomites, perhaps immediately after the death of Solomon, who continued the supremacy established by David (2 Sam. 13–14), or during the revolt against King Jehoram (849–842 BC; cf. 2 Kings 8:20–23).
Given its strategic position, the region was later occupied by the Nabataeans, under whom the port does not seem to have been very efficient. The Romans garrisoned it, and the presence of the Tenth Legion Fretensis is documented. As a naval base, Elath was still used in the Middle Ages by the Arabs and the Crusaders. Ancient onomastics call it "Alia or Aelana." Today, ruins can be seen near the end of the valley that begins at the Dead Sea, 1 km west-northwest of "Aqabah."