The Big Ben in Aden [Archives:2006/924/Last Page]
Nazih Abdullah
During the span of its worldwide colonization, the British government built a number of monuments in each country it occupied. One example stands in the province of Aden, namely in the Al-Tawahi district. The district that is famous for its sublime scenery, clear blue sea and huge mountains. At the modern port and with the mountains overlooking the sea, this district had the privilege of having a Big Ben erect in it. A four-faced clock that is smaller, but resembling that of London.
The clock stands on a small hill that overlooks the harbor in the Western Bay known as Steamer Point, another reminder of the British presence in Aden. According to historical sources, this clock was built during 1870-90. The face of the clock is one meter in diameter, and the Big Ben of Aden measures some eight meters in height. Inside the clock there is an iron staircase which leads to the uppermost part of the clock structure. This old monument used to be self-motioned, running by means of a pendulum and ring at every 60 minutes, as it is the case with the London's Big Ben. It also has lights that go on at night, so that it can be seen from far away. Apparently when it was built, the crews of ships that were harbored at the port could tell the time by looking at it.
Stopped at 10:20 a.m.
The British monument has had difficulties throughout the decades. Since the time of its built in the late 1800s, the clock was working fine until the early 1960s, when it broke down. It was fixed again by Yemeni engineers during the 1980s, and continued to show the time to the people of Aden, until the bloody events of January 13, 1986, when Aden got caught in the civil war. On that day, the motion of the clock was put to an end at exactly 10:20 a.m.
Following the Yemeni Reunification in 1990, the clock in Al-Tawahi was mended in collaboration with the British. On October 29 in 2002, the company of John Meat sent over modern parts for the clock along with a young British engineer called Stewart Morphine. He spent one week fixing the old clock. In conjunction with the staff of the local Public Works and Roads office, he refurbished some of the old parts of the clock and reconnected it to the power supply.
This recent operation means that the current specifications of the clock are different from the previous ones. Now, it is energized by electricity and, when there are power outages, it has a spare 12-volt battery that works automatically.
For the last three years, the clock has been working well. It has recovered its former status as an actively present historic landmark of the city of Aden. What seems to disturb the clock nowadays is the random construction in its vicinity which sadly deprives viewers at certain locations from telling time by the face of the Al-Tawahi Big Ben.
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