Aden 38050 224564678 2008-07-09T13:00:37Z VolkovBot 3035831 robot Adding: [[mr:एडन]] {{otheruses4|the port city of Aden in Yemen|the band|Aden (band)|other uses}} {{Infobox Settlement <!--See the Table at Infobox Settlement for all fields and descriptions of usage--> <!-- Basic info ----------------> |official_name = Aden |other_name = |native_name = <!-- for cities whose native name is not in English --> |nickname = |settlement_type = <!--For Town or Village (Leave blank for the default City)--> |motto = <!-- images and maps -----------> |image_skyline = Aden postcard.jpg |imagesize = 300px |image_caption = Port of Aden (around 1910). Ships lying off Steamer Point at the entrance to the modern [http://www.portofaden.com/ApproachChannel.gif inner harbour]. |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |image_blank_emblem = |blank_emblem_type = |blank_emblem_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |image_map1 = |mapsize1 = |map_caption1 = |image_dot_map = |dot_mapsize = |dot_map_caption = |dot_x = |dot_y = |pushpin_map = Yemen<!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map --> |pushpin_label_position =bottom |pushpin_map_caption =Location in Yemen <!-- Location ------------------> |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = [[Image:Flag of Yemen.svg|25px]] [[Yemen]] |subdivision_type1 = Governorate |subdivision_name1 = |subdivision_type2 = |subdivision_name2 = |subdivision_type3 = |subdivision_name3 = |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 = <!-- Politics -----------------> |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager --> |leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = |leader_name4 = |established_title = <!-- Settled --> |established_date = |established_title2 = <!-- Incorporated (town) --> |established_date2 = |established_title3 = <!-- Incorporated (city) --> |established_date3 = <!-- Area ---------------------> |area_magnitude = |unit_pref =Imperial <!--Enter: Imperial, if Imperial (metric) is desired--> |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = <!-- ALL fields dealing with a measurements are subject to automatic unit conversion--> |area_land_km2 = <!--See table @ Template:Infobox Settlement for details on automatic unit conversion--> |area_water_km2 = |area_total_sq_mi = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_water_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |area_urban_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |area_blank1_title = |area_blank1_km2 = |area_blank1_sq_mi = <!-- Population -----------------------> |population_as_of =2005 |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_urban = |population_density_urban_km2 = |population_density_urban_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title =Ethnicities |population_blank1 = |population_blank2_title =Religions |population_blank2 |population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi = <!-- General information ---------------> |timezone = |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |latd=12 |latm=48|lats= |latNS=N |longd=45 |longm=02 |longs=|longEW=E |elevation_footnotes = <!--for references: use <ref> </ref> tags--> |elevation_m = |elevation_ft = <!-- Area/postal codes & others --------> |postal_code_type = <!-- enter ZIP code, Postcode, Post code, Postal code... --> |postal_code = |area_code = |blank_name = |blank_info = |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |website = |footnotes = }} '''Aden''' ({{pronEng|ˈeɪdən}}; [[Arabic language|Arabic]]: عدن {{IPA|[ˈʕɑdæn]}}) is a city in [[Yemen]], 170 kilometers east of [[Bab-el-Mandeb]]. Aden's ancient, natural [[harbour]] lies in the crater of an extinct [[volcano]] which now forms a [[peninsula]], joined to the mainland by a low [[isthmus]]. This harbour, Front Bay, was first used by the ancient [[Kingdom of Awsan]] between the 5th and 7th centuries BC. The modern harbour is on the other side of the peninsula. Aden now has a population of about 800,000 people, and is located at {{coord|12|48|N|45|02|E|region:YE_type:city_scale:200000|display=inline,title}}. [[Image:Old Town Aden Yemen.jpg|thumb|left|The old town of Aden, situated in the crater of an extinct volcano (1999).|250px]] Aden consists of a number of distinct sub-centers: [[Crater (Yemen)|Crater]], the original port city; [[Ma'alla]], the modern port; [[Tawahi]], known as "Steamer Point" in colonial days; and the resorts of [[Gold Mohur]]. [[Khormaksar]], located on the isthmus that connects Aden proper with the mainland, includes the city's diplomatic missions, the main offices of Aden University, and Aden International Airport--the former [[RAF Khormaksar]]. On the mainland are the sub-centers of [[Sheikh Othman]], a former oasis area; [[Al-Mansura]], a town planned by the British; and [[Madinat ash-Sha'b]] (formerly Madinat al-Itihad), the site designated as the capital of the [[South Arabian Federation]] and now home to a large power/desalinization facility and additional faculties of Aden University. Aden encloses the eastern side of a vast, natural harbor that comprises the modern port. The volcanic peninsula of Little Aden forms a near-mirror image, enclosing the harbor and port on the western side. Little Aden became the site of the oil refinery and tanker port. Both were established and operated by [[BP|British Petroleum]] until they were turned over to Yemeni government ownership and control in 1977. Aden was the capital of the [[People's Democratic Republic of Yemen]] until that country's unification with the [[Yemen Arab Republic]]. On that occasion, the city was declared a free trade zone. Aden gives its name to the [[Gulf of Aden]]. ==History== {{main|History of Yemen}} ===Antiquity=== [[Image:GDRT230.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Aden, among South Arabian kingdoms, in the 3rd century AD.]] A local legend in Yemen states that Aden may be as old as human history itself. Some also believe that [[Cain]] and [[Abel]] are buried somewhere in the city.<ref>Modern Middle East Nations and Their Strageic Place in the World: Yemen, 2004, by Hal Markovitz. ISBN 1-59084-521-8</ref> The port's convenient position on the sea route between [[India]] and [[Europe]] has made Aden desirable to rulers who sought to possess it at various times throughout history. Known as Arabian [[Eudaemon]] in the 1st century BC, it was a transshipping point for the Red Sea trade, but fell on hard times when new shipping practices by-passed it and made the daring direct crossing to India in the 1st century AD, according to the ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]''. The same work describes Aden as 'a village by the shore', which would well describe the town of Crater while it was still little-developed. There is no mention of fortification but at this stage, Aden was more an island than a peninsula as the [[isthmus]] (a [[tombolo]]) was not then so developed as it is today. ===Medieval=== Although the pre-Islamic civilization of [[Himyar]] was capable of building large structures, there seems to have been little fortification at this stage. Fortifications at Mareb and other places in Yemen and the Hadhramaut make it clear that it and the [[Sabaeans|Sabean]] culture were well capable of it. Thus watch towers, since destroyed, are possible. However, the Arab historians Ibn al Mojawir and Abu Makhramah attribute the first fortification of Aden to Beni Zuree'a. The aim seems to have been twofold: to keep hostile forces out and to maintain revenue by controlling the movement of goods--preventing smuggling. In its original form, some of this work was relatively feeble, but after 1175 AD, rebuilding in a more solid form began. In 1421 Ming dynasty [[Yongle Emperor]] ordered principal envoy grand eunuch Li Xing and grand eunuch Zhou Man of [[Zheng He]]'s fleet to convey an imperial edict with hats and robes to bestow on the king of Aden. The envoys boarded three treasure ships and set sail from Sumatra to the port of Aden. This event was recorded in the book Ying-yai Sheng-lan by [[Ma Huan]] who accompanied the imperial envoy.<ref>[[Ma Huan]] Ying-yai Sheng-lan, The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores, 1433, translated by J.V.G. Mills, with foreword and preface, Hakluty Society, London 1970; reprinted by the White Lotus Press 1997. ISBN 974-8496-78-3</ref> [[Image:Stamp Aden 1951 2sh.jpg|right|130px|thumb|1951 [[Postage stamps|stamp]] depicting Steamer Point with the outside of the volcanic rim of Crater in the background]] [[Image:Stamp Aden 1937 0.5a.jpg|left|150px|thumb|1937 stamp of Aden: Half-anna [[dhow]]]] ===British rule=== {{see also|Aden (colony)}} In 1838, Sultan [[Muhsin bin Fadl]] of the nearby state of [[Sultanate of Lahej|Lahej]] ceded 194 km² (75 sq. miles) including Aden to the [[British Empire|British]]. On [[19 January]] [[1839]], the [[British East India Company]] landed [[Royal Marines]] at Aden to occupy the territory and stop attacks by [[pirate]]s against British shipping to [[India]]. The port lies about equidistant from the [[Suez Canal]], [[Mumbai|Bombay]] (Mumbai), and [[Zanzibar]], which were all important British possessions. Aden had been an [[entrepôt]] and a way-station for seamen in the ancient world. There, supplies, particularly water, were replenished. So, in the mid-nineteenth century, it became necessary to replenish [[coal]] and boiler water. Thus Aden acquired a coaling station at Steamer Point. Aden was to remain under British control until 1967. Until 1937, Aden was ruled as part of [[British Raj|British India]] and was known as the [[Aden (colony)|Aden Settlement]]. Its original territory was enlarged in 1857 by the 13 km² island of [[Perim]], in 1868 by the 73 km² [[Khuriya Muriya Islands]], and in 1915 by the 108 km² island of [[Kamaran]]. In 1937, the Settlement was detached from India and became the '''[[Aden (colony)|Colony of Aden]]''', a British [[Crown colony]]. The change in government was a step towards the change in monetary units seen in the stamps illustrating this article. When the Indian Empire went its independent way, Indian rupees (divided into annas) were replaced in Aden by East African shillings. The [[hinterland]] of Aden and [[Hadhramaut]] were also loosely tied to Britain as the [[Aden Protectorate]] which was overseen from Aden. [[Image:Stamp Aden 1939 2.5a.jpg|left|130px|thumb|Aden is known for its boat-oriented [[Postage stamps|stamps]]. Mukalla is on the Hadhramaut coast, about 500 km east of Aden, in what was then the Aden Protectorate.]] [[Image:Stamp Aden Kathiri Seiyun 1942 2.5a.jpg|left|130px|thumb|Kathiri state of Seiyun, 1942. Seiyun is about 160 km inland from Mukalla.]] Aden's location also made it a useful entrepôt for [[mail]] passing between places around the [[Indian Ocean]] and Europe. Thus, a ship passing from Suez to [[Mumbai|Bombay]] could leave mail for [[Mombasa]] at Aden for collection. See [[History of postage in Aden]]. After the loss of the [[Suez Canal]] in 1956, Aden became the main base in the region for the British. Aden sent a team of two to the [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]] in [[Perth, Western Australia]]. ====Little Aden 1955 to 1967==== Little Aden is still dominated by the [[oil refinery]] built for [[BP|British Petroleum]]. Little Aden was well known to seafarers for its tanker port with a very welcoming seaman's mission near to the BP Aden [[tugboat|tugs']] [[jetty|jetties]], complete with swimming pool and air conditioned bar. The accommodation areas for the refinery personnel were known by the original Arabic names of Bureika and Ghadir. [[Image:Street Scene Aden Yemen.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A street scene at the old town of Aden. 1999]] Bureika was wooden housing bunkhouses built to accommodate the thousands of skilled men and labourers imported to build the refinery, later converted to family housing, plus imported prefabricated houses "the Riley-Newsums" that are also to be found in parts of Australia (Woomera). Bureika also had a protected bathing area and Beach Club. Ghaddir housing was stone built, largely from the local [[granite]] [[quarry]]; much of this housing still stands today, now occupied by wealthier locals from Big Aden. Little Aden also has a local township and numerous picturesque fishing villages, including the Lobster Pots of Ghaddir. The army had extensive camps in Bureika and through Silent Valley in Falaise Camp, these successfully protected the refinery staff and facilities throughout the troubles, with only a very few exceptions. Schooling was provided for children from kindergarten age through to primary school, after that, children were bussed to The Isthmus School in Khormaksar, though this had to be stopped during the Aden Emergency. ===Federation of South Arabia and the Aden Emergency=== {{see also|History of Yemen}} In order to stabilize Aden and the surrounding Aden Protectorate from the designs of [[North Yemen]], the British attempted to gradually unite the disparate states of the region in preparation for eventual independence. On [[18 January]] [[1963]], the Colony of Aden was incorporated into the [[Federation of Arab Emirates of the South]] against the wishes of much of the city's populace as the '''State of Aden''' and the Federation was renamed the [[Federation of South Arabia]] (FSA). An insurgency against British rule known as the [[Aden Emergency]] began with a grenade attack by the [[National Liberation Front (Yemen)|National Liberation Front]] (NLF) against the British High Commissioner on [[December 10]], [[1963]], killing one person and injuring fifty, and a "state of emergency" was declared. In 1964, Britain announced its intention to grant independence to the FSA in 1968, but that the British military would remain in Aden. In January 1967, there were mass riots by the NLF and the rival Front for the Liberation of Occupied South Yemen (FLOSY) supporters in the old Arab quarter of Aden town, which continued until mid February, despite the intervention of British troops. During the period there were many attacks on the troops, and an Aden Airlines [[Douglas DC-3|DC3]] plane was destroyed in the air with no survivors. On [[November 30]], [[1967]] the British finally pulled out, leaving Aden and the rest of the FSA under NLF control. The [[Royal Marines]], who had been the first British troops to occupy Aden in 1839, were the last to leave — with the exception of a Royal Engineer detachment. ===Independence=== [[Image:Aden02 flickr.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Aden in 1960]] Aden became the capital of the new [[People's Republic of South Yemen]] which was renamed the [[People's Democratic Republic of Yemen]] in 1970. With the unification of [[Yemen Arab Republic|northern]] and southern Yemen in 1990, Aden was no longer a national capital but remained the capital of '''Aden Governorate''' which covered an area similar to that of the Aden Colony. On [[December 29]], [[1992]], [[Al Qaeda]] conducted its first known [[terrorism|terrorist]] attack in Aden, bombing the [[Gold Mohur Hotel]] {{IPA|[gəʊld mɔː]}}, where U.S. servicemen were known to have been staying en route to [[Somalia]] for [[Operation Restore Hope]]. A Yemeni and an Austrian tourist died in the attack.<ref name="pbs-1stattack">{{cite web | url = http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/etc/cron.html | title = "Timeline: Al Qaeda's Global Context: Al Qaeda's First Attack" | work = Frontline: The Man Who Knew | publisher = pbs.org | accessdate = 2007-11-30 }}</ref> Aden was briefly the centre of the [[secession]]ist [[Democratic Republic of Yemen]] from [[21 May]] [[1994]] but was reoccupied by [[Yemen|Republic of Yemen]] troops on [[7 July]] [[1994]]. Members of al Qaeda attempted to bomb [[USS The Sullivans (DDG-68)|USS ''The Sullivans'']] at the port of Aden as part of the [[2000 millennium attack plots]]. The boat that had the explosives in it sank, forcing the planned attack to be aborted. The [[USS Cole bombing|USS ''Cole'' bombing]] occurred in Aden on [[12 October]] [[2000]]. ==Main sights== Aden has a number of historical and natural sites of interest to visitors. These include: <!-- [[image:59big.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Aden, Upper Crater District.]] [[Image:2205198271 182e58d09c o.jpgright|300px|thumb|Aden, Northeastern Ma'alla District.]] [[Image:Aden, Upper Crater District|right|300px|thumb]] <noinclude>[[Category:Image copyright tags|{{flickr.com}}]]</noinclude> --> *[[The Cisterns of Tawila]] - an ancient, water-cachement system located in the sub-center of Crater. *Sira Fort *The Aden Minaret *The Palace of the Sultanate of Lahej/National Museum *The Aden Military Museum *The Rimbaud House *The fortifications of Jebal Hadid and Jebal Shamsan *The beaches of Aden and Little Aden *Al-Aidaroos Mosque *The Zoroastrian Temple ==Transportation== The city is served by the [[Aden International Airport]], 9.5 kilometers away from the city. *Scheduled flights (as in December 2006): **[[Djibouti Airlines]]: [[Djibouti]] **[[Royal Jordanian]]: [[Amman]] **[[Yemenia]]: [[Abu Dhabi]], [[Cairo]], [[Dubai]], [[Jeddah]], [[Mukalla]], [[Sanaa]], [[Seiyun]], [[Socotra]] [[Image:Aden03 flickr.jpg|thumb|center|800px|Aden harbor 1960]] ==See also== *[[British military history]] *[[History of postage in Aden]] ==References== * {{cite journal|last=Norris|first= H.T. |coauthors=Penhey, F.W.|title=The Historical Development of Aden's defences|journal=The Geographical Journal |year=1955 |volume=CXXI part I}} ;Footnotes {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commons|Aden}} *[http://www.adenfreezone.com/ Aden Free Zone] *[http://www.portofaden.com/ Port of Aden] *[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Stamp_Aden_1953_20sh.jpg Postage stamp showing the ancient harbour with Crater town beyond, surrounded by forts on its volcanic rim] *[http://www.collections.co.uk/postcards/foreign/asia/aden.html Old Aden picture postcards] *[http://www.postalstampssale.com/Aden.html Postal Stamps from Aden] [[Category:Cities, towns and villages in Yemen]] [[Category:Coastal cities]] [[Category:Port cities in the Arabian Peninsula]] [[Category:Indian Ocean]] [[Category:Russian and Soviet Navy bases]] [[Category:Capitals of former nations]] [[ar:عدن]] [[ca:Estat d'Aden]] [[cv:Аден]] [[da:Aden]] [[de:Aden]] [[et:Aden]] [[es:Adén]] [[eo:Adeno]] [[fr:Aden]] [[gl:Adén - عدن]] [[ko:아덴]] [[id:Aden]] [[it:Aden]] [[he:עדן]] [[lt:Adenas]] [[mr:एडन]] [[nl:Aden]] [[ja:アデン]] [[no:Aden]] [[pl:Aden]] [[pt:Áden]] [[ro:Aden]] [[ru:Аден]] [[fi:Aden]] [[sv:Aden]] [[tr:Aden, Yemen]] [[uk:Аден]] [[zh:亚丁 (也门)]]