On 22 November 1995, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck the southern Dead Sea fault in the Gulf of Aqaba, causing significant damage to coastal communities in Saudi Arabia and Egypt as well as triggering a tsunami. This was the largest earthquake to occur on the 1000-km long Dead Sea fault in more than a century and remains as the largest instrumentally recorded earthquake in Saudi Arabia. However, historical accounts document that even larger earthquakes have occurred in this region.

To commemorate this important earthquake, we will host a one-day symposium at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) on 20 November 2025. The purpose of the symposium is to review what has been learned about this large earthquake and the earthquake hazard of the Gulf of Aqaba region in recent years, as well as to discuss what remains to do for better assessing the regional earthquake hazard.

The symposium will consist of a series of presentations (by invitation only) and a panel discussion focusing on the 1995 earthquake and earthquake hazard research in the Gulf of Aqaba. Please let the organizing committee know if you would like to participate in symposium in person or online.

For online participation:  https://kaust.zoom.us/j/98139995065