Big Ben Aden

Big Ben Aden is a clock tower in the Tawahi district standing near the waterfront, a rectangular stone structure topped with a distinctive peaked roof. The building reaches 22 meters in height and features black stone walls combined with red brick details on its roof section.

Construction of the tower was completed in 1890 by British engineers and local workers during the period of British occupation in Aden. The structure was built when the harbor was becoming a significant point in regional trade and colonial administration.

The tower blends colonial design traditions with local building methods, creating a structure that shows how two cultures came together in Aden's built environment. You can see this meeting of styles in both the tower's overall shape and its decorative details.

You can visit and walk around the structure easily since it sits near the harbor with good access from the surrounding area. Morning or late afternoon visits are more comfortable given the hot climate, and the waterfront location offers good lighting for photographs.

The clock mechanism sat inactive for 25 years before restoration work brought it back to operation in 2012. This long period of silence followed by revival tells the story of how the tower has endured through Aden's changing times.