Aden in terms of its modern history begins with the occupation of the harbour by the British Captain, Stafford Bettesworth Haines of the Indian Navy in 1839. Under Turkish Occupation and later under the rule of the Sultan of Lahej, Aden had declined to a small fishing village with only 600 inhabitants. However, within a few years, guided by Haines, the population of Aden increased to 20,000.
Aden remained under British rule until 1967 followed by twenty-three years as a police state under the control of the Soviet KGB. Even after Aden and the rest of the south merged with North Yemen in the 1990's there was yet another civil war. Poor Aden, battered and bruised: a forgotten place anchored to a forgotten time. Yet, despite the hardships and setbacks the resilient Adenis have remained friendly, welcoming, generous and ever hopeful.
Turning back the clock on the history of Aden…..when the Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama discovered the route around the Cape of Good Hope in 1497 AD he had opened a new chapter in the history of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Aden remained under British rule until 1967 followed by twenty-three years as a police state under the control of the Soviet KGB. Even after Aden and the rest of the south merged with North Yemen in the 1990's there was yet another civil war. Poor Aden, battered and bruised: a forgotten place anchored to a forgotten time. Yet, despite the hardships and setbacks the resilient Adenis have remained friendly, welcoming, generous and ever hopeful.
Turning back the clock on the history of Aden…..when the Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama discovered the route around the Cape of Good Hope in 1497 AD he had opened a new chapter in the history of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Little is known about Aden during the early centuries of Islamic history. Historians report that Ali al-Suleyhi added Aden and its hinterland to his sphere of influence during the early years of the Suleyhi kingdom.
When Arwa Bint Ahmed was married to Ali's son al Mukarram, she received as a dowry a yearly revenue from Aden, amounting to 100,000 gold dinars (the high amount sheds light on the prosperity of the port). Aden was by this time ruled by the Bani Zurrey. The rule of the Bani Zurrey ended in 1174 when the Ayyubites, arriving from Egypt conquered most of Yemen.
When Arwa Bint Ahmed was married to Ali's son al Mukarram, she received as a dowry a yearly revenue from Aden, amounting to 100,000 gold dinars (the high amount sheds light on the prosperity of the port). Aden was by this time ruled by the Bani Zurrey. The rule of the Bani Zurrey ended in 1174 when the Ayyubites, arriving from Egypt conquered most of Yemen.
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