In pictures: Jordan's underwater war museum

Off the coast of Aqaba, a floating crane manoeuvres into position to build Jordan’s latest tourist attraction: an underwater museum of military vehicles, located on top of a coral reef. (AFP)

Aqaba residents watch from the shore as a Jordanian Armed Forces' AH-1 Cobra helicopter is raised before it is lowered into the blue waters below. (Reuters)

The seabed near Aqaba is also home to a C-130 Hercules jet, which was sunk last year, as well as a tank and shipwreck which were submerged during the late 1990s. (AFP)

The Cobra is lowered into the waters: the port city hopes that the unusual attractions will draw divers, thereby promoting business and tourism to the region. (AFP)

The helicopter is one of 19 vehicles to be rested on the seabed at depths of up to 28 metres (92 feet), although some vehicles have been sunk at shallower depths of 15-20 metres to encourage less experienced divers. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority/AFP)

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), which is organising the museum, says that all hazardous materials have been removed from the vehicles beforehand to protect marine life. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority/AFP)

The crane lowers a Jordanian Armed Forces' armoured vehicle. Aside from drawing tourists, the museum is also intended to relieve pressure on natural reefs as an alternative attraction. (Reuters)

An armoured vehicle sits amid the clear waters: the museum plans to submerge further attractions in the future for divers to explore. "Placing these military vehicles in this location will allow coral reefs, corals as well as marine life - including fish, to find a safe sanctuary," says Abdullah Abu Awali, manager of the shorelines. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority/AFP)

The museum includes several Khalid battle tanks which previously belonged to the Jordanian Armed Forces. The vehicles have been carefully positioned to replicate battle formation. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority/AFP)

Awali is hopeful that coral and other marine life will flourish on exhibits such as this battle tank. "We predict that in about a year or so we will see a beautiful site," he says. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority/AFP)

The full complement of vehicles includes tanks, an ambulance, a military crane, a troop carrier, guns and a combat helicopter. This anti-aircraft vehicle previously belonged to the Jordanian Armed Forces. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority/AFP)

A sunken armoured personnel carrier. Tourism is one of Jordan's main sources of foreign currency and brings in around 10 percent of the country's GDP. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority/AFP)

A tracked medical vehicle: Jordan is not the only country in the region to sink vehicles for divers to explore: later this month, Bahrain will open a theme park off Diyar Al Muharraq which includes a submerged Boeing 747. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority/AFP)

Divers return to shore after the operation. Locals are hopeful that the museum will draw divers. Samy Al-Azrat, a diving instuctor, told agencies: "This is a great initiative, it will attract more tourists to the area. We currently have 23 diving sites, including the plane they submerged around a year-and-a-half ago.” (Reuters)

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.