Sira Fortress/Castle (قلعة صيرة) is a military site in

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 ...

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 ...

. 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, and Lara Dunston. ''Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula''. Lonely Planet, 2007
p 491
/ref> The fort is located on Sira Island, a rocky and tall volcanic outcropping which dominates the old harbor of Aden. Although it is referred to as a castle quite often, it is less of a castle and more of a fortification. Much of the fort's history is unknown, especially since there have been few archaeological studies done of the area. One theory is that construction was initiated around the year 1173 by a Turkish ruler of Aden named Prince Othman Al-Zangabili Al-Takriti."Sira Island"
adencollege.net Retrieved December 5, 2010. The fortress was proven during subsequent attacks against Aden by the Portuguese and especially the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...

in 1517. Although the ancient harbor began to silt up and the primary commercial center eventually moved to the other side of the Aden Peninsula, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

continued to develop and garrison the fortress after their arrival in 1839. It is about a fifteen minute walk up the stairs and can be considered a bit steep. It is one of the most common tourist attractions in the city of Aden.

References

Buildings and structures in Aden Forts in Yemen {{Yemen-geo-stub

See also

References