Menachem Begin-Taba Border Crossing, International border crossing between Egypt and Israel
The Menachem Begin-Taba Border Crossing is a land border between Israel and Egypt situated near the Red Sea and desert mountains about 10 kilometers south of Eilat. The facility includes Israeli and Egyptian terminals with counters, control stations, money exchange services, and customs processing areas for both pedestrians and vehicles.
The border crossing opened in 1982 following the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, when Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula. International arbitration in 1989 transferred additional land to Egypt, leading to expanded operations and 24-hour service by 1995 to handle growing traffic.
The border crossing bears the name of Menachem Begin, a former Israeli Prime Minister, reflecting the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt established in 1979. Today, visitors use this crossing primarily to access the Sinai region for its beaches, diving sites, and mountain scenery.
The crossing operates daily but closes on the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur and the Islamic festival Eid al-Adha, so check current hours before traveling. Wait times vary greatly depending on the time of day and season, with busy periods during holidays and early mornings typically seeing longer queues.
The crossing is remarkably confined, measuring only about 150 feet (45 meters) wide and 650 feet (200 meters) long, squeezed between a steep mountain, a nature reserve, and the Red Sea. Despite this tiny footprint, the facility handles roughly one million passengers and more than 70,000 vehicles annually.
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