Minaret of Aden (Aden City)

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There were lots of mosques in Aden before the British era. When the British came to Aden in the year 1839, they found only two historical mosques which were standing. The important one among the two is the mosque whose integral part is The Aden Minaret, Aden. The Aden Minaret, Aden is a famous minaret which you would find in Crater, the oldest district of Aden. It lies in the western part of the Army Football Stadium and is located within a small public garden.

The Aden Minaret, Aden is an octagonal structure which is 21 meters high and consists of six stories. There is a spiral staircase within the Aden Minaret in Aden which leads to the top and the Muadin gives the call for prayers five times a day from there.

When you look at the structure of The Aden Minaret, Aden you would find a stone platform and a square balustrade running around the base of the Minaret. This stone platform was not there earlier and is a recent addition. This platform was erected so that the Minaret does not break from the middle.

According to some sources during the pre-Islamic period this Aden Minaret also served the purpose of being a lighthouse. It used to direct the ships safely into the Seera harbor during the stormy nights. As proof of the historians’ claim, they cite the fact that the space that you can find on the top of the Minaret is not large enough so that a man can stand there fully erect. It was actually a light beacon.

According to the historians, the large old mosque of which the Aden Minaret, Aden was a part, was demolished long back. The evidences supporting this fact were the excavated artifacts, old pictures as well as the old cemetery discovered here.

The mosque housing the Aden Minaret, Aden is believed to be a large one. According to some historians, it was the central place where all the locals used to pray and attend seminars that were conducted by renowned Muslim scholars. Currently The Aden Minaret, Aden is not only an important religious site but also an equally important tourist attraction. This is visited by lots of tourists who come to Yemen because of its historical as well as religious importance.