Aden
Although Aden was important as a trading port and coaling station, its only major locally produced export in colonial times was salt. There were four companies producing salt by the mid-twentieth century. The Italian owned Aden Salt Works was granted a 99 year lease oo 642 acres on January 1, 1886. In November of 1908 the Indo-Aden Salt Manufacturing & Trading Company received a 30 year lease on 907 acres. The Hajeebhoy Aden Salt Works, established in 1923, was taken over by the Kutch Salt Works in 1941 forming the United Salt Works and Industries Limited. The final company, Little Aden Salt Industries started with a 30 year lease for 1600 acres at Bureika in May of 1923. India, and later Japan, were major markets for Aden's salt production. The majestic windmills with canvas sails spread on wooden lattice frames depicted on the stamp above served to pump seawater to a series of pans or evaporation ponds. In modern times they have been replaced with motorized pumps. As water was pumped from one pan to the next the salt in the brine would become increasingly concentrated until finally it crystallized and could be collected in metal buckets in which it could be carried to conveyor belts that would dump it into huge piles awaiting transportation.
Go to the Salty Stamps Home Page. © Derrick Grose, 2023 |
