Crater (; , ), also Kraytar, is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of the

Aden Governorate Aden ( ) is a governorate of Yemen, including the city of Aden. At the 2004 census, it had a population of 589,419. The ancient capital, the port city of Crater, was located here. Aden was under British rule in the period from 1839 to 1967. 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 ...

. Its official name is Seera (Arabic: صيرة ''Ṣīrah''). It is situated in a crater of an ancient volcano which forms the Shamsan Mountains. As of 2003, the district had a population of 76,723 people.

Etymology

The city's name, Crater, derives from the English word of the same meaning, given by the British during their colonization of Aden, which is situated on an inactive volcano.

History

Modern history

In the closing days of British rule in 1967, Crater District became the focus of the

Aden Emergency The Aden Emergency, also known as the 14 October Revolution () or as the Radfan Uprising, was an armed rebellion by the National Liberation Front (South Yemen), National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Front for the Liberation of Occupied South ...

, sometimes called the last imperial war. After a mutiny of hundreds of soldiers in the South Arabian Federation Army on 20 June, all British forces withdrew from Crater. Crater was occupied by Arab fighters while British forces blocked off its two main entrances. In 3 July 1967, the

Battle of Crater The Battle of Crater or Operation Stirling Castle was an encounter in 1967 during the Aden Emergency. After the mutiny of the Arab Armed Police and ambush of British troops by them, the Crater district in Aden was abandoned by British troops ...

began with the

Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (Princess Louise's) is a light infantry company (military unit), company (designated as Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland) and was a line infantry regiment of the British Army tha ...

commanded by Lt-Col

Colin Mitchell Colin Campbell Mitchell (17 November 1925 – 20 July 1996) was a British Army soldier and politician. He became a public figure in 1967 as the commanding officer of the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Forces under his c ...

("Mad Mitch") performing a night invasion of Crater, which he termed ''Operation Stirling Castle'', after the Argylls' regimental headquarters. The National Liberation Front was taken by surprise, and effective resistance ceased. A particular sign of Mitchell’s confidence was his decision to order the pipe band to march down the main street of Crater, playing regimental tunes, for which the

Pipe major The pipe major is the leading musician of a pipe band, whether military or civilian. Like the appointment of drum major, the position is derived from British Army traditions. During the early twentieth century, the term sergeant piper was used ...

was mentioned in despatches. British troops remained in Crater until the end of the Emergency.

Tourist views

Sira Fortress Sira Fortress/Castle (قلعة صيرة) is a military site in Aden, Yemen. The original fortress dates to the 11th century, and is still in use today by the Yemeni military.Walker, Jenny, Stuart Butler, Frances Linzee Gordon, Terry Carter, an ...

Cisterns of Tawila The Cisterns of Tawila, or the Tawila Tanks, is a historic site in Aden, Yemen designed to collect and store the rain that flows down from the Shamsan massif through Wadi Tawila, and to protect the city from periodic flooding. The site consists ...

Aden lighthouse 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 ...

* Bab Aden *

Gate of Aden A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

Legislative Council of Aden The Legislative Council of Aden was the legislative body of Aden Colony and State of Aden from 1947 to 1966. History The Legislative Council was established in January 1947. It had 23 members. The legislative term was originally four years but ch ...

Aban Mosque Apas (, ) is the Avestan language term for "the waters", which, in its innumerable aggregate states, is represented by the Apas, the hypostases of the waters. ''Āb'' (plural ''Ābān'') is the Middle Persian-language form. Introduction "To t ...

Aidrus Mosque The Mosque of Abu Bakr al-'Aydarus or Aidrus Mosque () is a Sufism, Sufi mosque in Aidrus Street in Crater (Aden), Crater, Yemen. One of the principal mosques in Aden, it is named after Abu Bakr al-Aydarus, the ''wali'' (saint) of Aden. Origina ...

Abdali Sultan Palace Abdali may refer to: * An alternate name for the Durrani, one of the largest Pashtun tribes of Afghanistan and western Pakistan ** Ahmed Shah Durrani, also known as Ahmad Shah Abdali, founder of the Durrani Empire in Afghanistan * Al-Abdali, a dist ...

Geography

Climate

Crater's climate is dominated all year by the subtropical anticyclone, or subtropical high, with its descending air, elevated inversions and clear skies. The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

subtype for this climate is BWh (Tropical and Subtropical Desert).

References

External links

* {{coord, 12.7775, N, 45.0328, E, source:wikidata, display=title Districts of Aden Governorate Aden Governorate