Aden Under The Bombay Presidency During The British Era, 1894 Photo
An 1894 photo shows Aden under the Bombay Presidency during the British Era. Aden is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Not many know that it was under the Bombay Presidency from 1839 to 1937. The seven islands of Bombay were originally under the control of the Portuguese from 1534.
King Charles II of England was gifted the seven islands as part of the dowry upon his marriage to Catherine of Braganza, sister of the King of Portugal. The king, in need of funds, leased it out to the East India Company in 1668. In the north was Surat, Britain’s main trading port, Bombay was its subordinate at the time. By 1703, Bombay had expanded greatly and served as the British seat of power in western India.
Its presidency included the west coast of India from the Konkan to Karachi and Sindh. In 1839, the British had annexed Aden, consequently bringing it under the purview of the Bombay Presidency. The British interest in Aden was that it was strategically located on the maritime route from England to India and the east. Thus, it served as an important coaling station, a naval base, and for repair and resupply station for British ships. Aden was eventually separated from India to become an independent crown colony in 1937. They attained independence from the British in 1967.
Did you know – the commercial and strategic importance of Aden increased considerably when the Suez Canal opened in 1869.
Past posts – M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal Art On Paper 1964 (#19)., Landing Jetty For Passengers At Apollo Bunder Bombay, 1880 Print., General Post Office British Era Bangalore, 1900 Postcard., Vintage Book 1881 – Everyday Life In India.
