The city of Aden in Yemen has a strong Indian connection. Aden was important for the British to control and facilitate trade between the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. The city attracted Hindu, Jain, Parsi, Muslim, Jew and European merchants, and became a major cosmopolitan business hub before the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. At our online talk #Adenwalas, professor and historian Mark Wagner will tell the story of British governed Aden, which was built by merchants and labourers from Mumbai and the Konkan region of India who made the city their own.

About the Speaker

Mark Wagner is a professor of Arabic at Louisiana State University, and has been awarded a prestigious fellowship at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study. His expertise is on the multicultural history of Aden, with a focus on the Jewish business community in Aden.