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Big Ben Aden () is a clock tower built by British engineers, along with locals, beside
Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...
Harbour in
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
during the period that
Aden Province The Chief Commissioner's Province of Aden was the administrative status under which the former Aden Settlement (1839–1932) was placed from 1932 to 1937. Under that new status, the Governor-General of India, Viceroy of India assumed direct co ...
(later called
Aden Colony Aden Colony () was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1937 to 1963 located in the southern part of modern-day Yemen. It consisted of the port city of Aden and also included the outlying islands of Kamaran, Perim and the Khuriya Muriya ...
) was a territory within the
British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...
. It is superficially similar to the
Elizabeth Tower Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, Pars pro toto, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Cl ...
(popularly known as
Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Clock Tower, it ...
), the famous clock tower attached to the
Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The clock was shut down for renovation in 1986 and returned to service in February 2012. The tower was built during the 19th century as part of the British colonisation of Aden Province, which began in 1839 and came to an end in 1967.


History

The clock tower was built more than 130 years ago and was designed in accordance to Big Ben in London, being known as "Big Ben of the Arabs", or "Big Ben of the East". The project was completed in 1890 by British architects involved in the design and construction, with the assistance of local workers, made from a black stones and cement mix. The shape is rectangular and the roof is like an equilateral triangle covered with coated red brick. The diameter is about one meter from four directions and the width is and a height is . From inside it has an iron staircase with the tower directly looking towards the sea with a view of the Tawahi area. There is a replica of the Big Ben tower, but on a smaller scale, located in Crater at Arwa Street behind the National Bank of Yemen (infamously known in the mid-1960s as the Headquartered Fortress of Intelligence for the British Army during the Aden Emergency) and which is overlooked from the hill by the Aden Parliament Assembly building (a former Methodist Chapel converted to its current status in 1962).


References

Clock towers Buildings and structures in Aden {{Yemen-geo-stub