Steamer point: A memo from days gone by [Archives:2007/1034/Last Page]
March 19 2007
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For Yemen Times
It used to be the focal point for both tourists and English speaking bookworms. Not only was Aziz Bookshop a place to find books to both entertain and inform but it also provided stamps from all over the world and rare photographs of old Aden, photos which the founder of the bookshop took himself as early as 1946.
“It was established in a time when Aden was the most important sea port in the world after New York in America and Rotterdam in Holland. We still have many valuable books today that date back to 1937, although some are in a bad condition. Some of the books are sold very cheap, just over a dollar each and some postcards have photos of Aden in the 1940s,” said Midhat Aziz son of the late Aziz Hakim, founder of the bookshop.
Aziz Hakim came to Yemen in the early 40s from India and quickly spotted a market for a bookshop to provide for the many British, Africans, Indians and other nationals who wanted to read in English. It was the first bookshop selling English language books and to this day it is the only one. In recent years, however, the number of visitors to the port of Aden, whether for tourism or commercial business, has reduced significantly. Located in the Al-Tawahi district of Aden the bookshop was nick-named by regulars as “Steamer Point”.
Aziz's family used to update the shops stock by trading second hand new books for older ones. Sixty one years since its establishment, its owners are seriously considering closing this special shop and much beloved tourist attraction. Aziz passed away two years ago, and his sons are unable to pay the electricity bill. “Nobody reads these days”, complained Midhat, “the oldest book is “Port of Aden 1961-62″ by a British writer and barely sells for one US dollar”. The most expensive book on offer is a glossy tourism publication priced at $100 but has been on offer for over 3 years and as yet has failed to attract a buyer. Today, the bookshop goes unnoticed by tourists because it is not located at the port or near popular tourist attractions. The family tried to open a branch near the port entry where many sailors and people from all around the world stop at Aden Free Zone but their request was denied. Aziz used to hang photos of Queen Elizabeth on the walls side by side with historic portraits of Aden, the city and the port. Today all the photos of days gone by are hidden behind dusty shelves stacked with equally dusty books.
Letters from Aden
There are only two shops that would be of interest to the casual tourist, one sells Arab curios, Berber jewelry, Indian shawls, that sort of thing, but the other is a priceless gem. This is the Aziz Bookshop. It is located about two hundred yards from the Customs House, set back under a deep verandah, it has no windows. The stock consists of an eclectic collection of second-hand books and old stamps. Most of the books are paperbacks, once acquired they are lovingly restored and kept until sold. I picked up a copy of “Six Men” by Alistair Cooke, the covers had been reinforced by glueing to thin cardboard and all the pages stitched together with catgut. A yellow penguin book caught my eye, AWhile Rome Burns@ by Alexander Woollcott, published in 1937. I flipped through it, the pages were brown and brittle. On the fly leaf was written, “P. C. Smyth Aden 10.7.38”. I read it out loud to the proprietor, an elderly Indian. “Oh yes”, he said, “Mr. Smyth, he worked for Cable and Wireless”. It seems at this shop every book has a story besides the one between the covers. He went on to tell me he had worked at the shop since 1946. His great grandfather had come to the Aden Protectorate from India in its British heyday, he was very nostalgic about the old days. He had a nice display of Aden colonial stamps on the counter. They all had the likeness of Edward, George or Elizabeth in one corner. I mentioned I was a student when Elizabeth was crowned, I was taking final examinations around about Coronation Day. He immediately fished out a sheet of 15 cent Aden Coronation stamps, dated 2nd June, 1953. I dropped into his shop on several evenings and bought a few more books. Since we sailed from Aden I've begun to get the feeling that the Aziz Bookshop exists in another time and if I could go back and step through that dimly lit door I could buy a stamp, stick it on an envelope and when the letter was delivered it would be franked at a time when the British ran the world and the sun could safely trace its daily path through the sky.
Eric B. Forsyth
The next headland is known as Steamer Point, topped with a mini Big Ben clock and a few colonial mansions. Below this hill lies the Prince of Wales Pier, the former duty-free port recieving more than 200,000 tourists a year during the 1960's. Nowadays, you are likely to be the only visitors, but there are still a couple of souvenir shops inside waiting for better days. Outside is another one, the famous Aziz Bookshop. Here you can buy old postcards showing Aden under British rule, old magazines, and Aden Protectorate postage stamps. The owners of these shops are always willing to chat about old times too, often in amazing English, and I ended up spending nearly an hour in one even though I only bought a couple of postcards. One proudly boasted that he fought the British in the 1960's, but in the next breath he informed me that he always admired the British as fighters, in particular \”the ones with the skirts\””…I guess he meant the Scots in their kilts!
Peter Pickering – 2000
At the shop under the arches where the steamers used to arrive
