SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In January 1839, the British occupied Aden for a number of reasons. These reasons and the early British contacts with the peninsula are discussed in the first two chapters of this thesis. During the period under study, Aden developed from a small poor village into a sizable town, a prosperous trading port, an important military and naval base and a vital communications centre. The factors and policies responsible for this development and the problems which had to be faced are dealt with in Chapters III-V. The British had no desire to use Aden as a base for expansion and wanted to keep contact with the interior to a minimum. However, for geographical, economic and political reasons, they could not avoid becoming involved with the neighbouring tribes. The last three chapters trace the course of Arab-British relations and analyse the factors which governed them.