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Aden is the historic port of Yemen, able to alter the country’s fortunes according to its own and to amaze travelers from all over for its prosperity
The words of Ibn Battuta
“Then I left for the extended city of Aden, a port of Yemen on the shore of the High Sea, where you can enter only from one side because the others are surrounded by mountains.”
Ibn Battuta
Origins
The city of Aden is one of the oldest and best known in the whole of Yemen, so much so that, according to tradition, Cain and Abel would be buried right next to it. Thanks to its dense network of trade between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, the city grew incredibly in prosperity and notoriety, so much so that it was known even by the

The city was home to the ancient kingdom of Awsan, which will then be driven further north by the Sabeans, who in turn will annex the Himyarites, who settled in Aden and dominated its coasts for a long time. The power of this latter kingdom, however, was such that it even shattered one of the greatest powers ever:
Between the Byzantines and the Sassanids
In 275 the Himyarites definitively took control of a large part of Yemen and, having converted to Judaism, they increasingly came into conflict with local Christian powers. The most daring, from this point of view, was certainly Dhu Nuwas, the last ruler of the Himyarites, who made himself known for having massacred the Christians of Najran and having asked other powers to do the same. In response to this, Emperor Justinian allied himself with the kingdom of Aksum, sending a terrible fleet that put an end to their power and placed the city under the rule of African neighbors.

The result, however, will not be as expected and Yemen will remain under the control of Aksum for a very short time and this due to the revolt of Abraha, their legendary commander. The latter expelled the legitimate ruler and imposed himself as lord of the country, later
The rebirth of Aden
With the arrival of Islam in the region, Aden will experience a long period of stagnation, ending only with the fall of the Sulayhide kingdom, which, while not particularly dealing with Aden, will lay the foundations for its subsequent re-flowering. The new lords, the

When the Rasulids also fell, Yemen will then be occupied by the Tahrids, who, however, proved to be weaker than their predecessors and for this Aden began to be increasingly tempted by foreign powers. Not surprisingly, in 1513 the
Colonial era
In 1538, however, the Ottomans arrived in Yemen occupying it in a short time to form the homonymous eyalet/ province. The power of the

London, in fact, was particularly concerned about possible Russian or French advances that could damage their links with India and this made it necessary to conquer a series of naval outposts. Aden was chosen and occupied due to its extraordinary strategic position and its decline, which had made it a center of just 600 inhabitants. With the arrival of the British, the city was reborn full of strength, but was forced to the condition of a colony until 1967, when it finally became free again, first becoming part of the Democratic Republic of Yemen and then of Yemen unified.
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