Much Ado about Something: The Tiran and Sanafir Islands in International, Regional and Domestic Politics (1841-2023)

Abstract

The Tiran and Sanafir are two small arid and uninhabited islands at the mouth of the Gulf of ‘Aqaba, close to the Egyptian and Saudi shores. Their importance derives from their strategic location at the entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba and the maritime route to Jordan’s port Aqaba and Israel’s port Eilat. Since the 19^th century, they have played an important role in international, regional and domestic politics, with the involvement of numerous actors: the Ottoman Empire, Britain, Italy, the United States, the kingdom of Hijaz, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel and the United Nations.

The aim of this article is to explore the micro-history of the Tiran and Sanafir islands, as well as the Tiran Straits, as a center of power politics. It would show that what started as an international dispute between Britain and the Ottoman Empire, turned into a regional conflict within the Arab-Israeli conflict, and finally ended as a heated issue in Egyptian domestic politics, affecting also Egyptian-Saudi relations. In 2023, with the return of the islands to their original owner – Saudi Arabia – a two centuries long conflict came to an end.