Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Eating
There are lots of places to eat in Ta'izz. In the past, two of the better places were the
Leyali
GOOGLE MAP
(Gamal Abdul Nasser St)
.
Getting There & Away
565656;
www.felixairways.com
)
has flights to Sana'a (US$74).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Aden
02 / POP 590,000
History
According to legend, Noah's Ark was built and launched in the area, and Cain and Abel
hung out for a while. Inscriptions dating to the 6th century BC are the first concrete men-
tions of the town, but it's clear that it has long served as an ancient trading centre. Since
the 10th century Aden has also been one of Yemen's largest towns, and by the 13th cen-
tury its inhabitants numbered some 80,000 people.
Initially serving as the capital of a series of local dynasties, Aden was later taken over
by the Ottomans, followed by the British in 1839. After the opening of the Suez Canal in
the middle of the 19th century, its strategic importance grew, and it soon numbered among
the largest ports in the world and as one of the stars of the British Empire.
Aden served as the capital of the PDRY from 1967 until reunification, when it was de-
clared a free-trade zone. Although badly damaged in the 1994 War of Unity, it made a
brief recovery of sorts with the government pouring money into developing and modern-
ising the port. Just as things began to look shipshape, disaster again struck when terrorist
groups aligned to Al-Qaeda attacked the US warship the
USS Cole
and effectively scared
away most international shipping.
Even before the 2011 revolution an increasing number of southern secessionists, com-
plaining of discrimination at the hands of a northern dominated government, wanted Aden
to become capital of an independent south Yemen. Since 2009 this has led to increasing
