‘He Who Pays the Piper Calls the Tune’: Aden and Somaliland, c. 1869–1914

Abstract

For centuries before the arrival of Europeans in the region, Aden was part of India’s western trading empire with strong links to Gujerat.¹ The East India Company was attracted to the port as early as 1609 but chose to develop its Red Sea activities at Mocha. By the time of renewed Company interest during the French Revolutionary War, Aden’s prosperity had declined and it was virtually a ruin. The town assumed greater strategic importance in the 1830s when experiments with steam power required a coaling station between Suez and Bombay. Aden, with its sheltered deep-water harbour, was the ideal choice. The Red Sea route quickly proved itself and with the establishment of a more regular service the Bombay government decided to acquire the port. In January 1839, Aden was seized and became part of the Bombay presidency.²