Marquette (AKA 95) - Naval Cruise Book

 - Class of 1946

Page 54 of 90

 

Marquette (AKA 95) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1946 Edition, Page 54 of 90
Page 54 of 90



Marquette (AKA 95) - Naval Cruise Book online collection, 1946 Edition, Page 53
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Page 54 text:

Prince of VVales Landing Harbor Ciy Pass to old Aden Old Aden 1-Y 1 k 1 W . , d,ddd d Wells, loolcln g towa rd s Aden I . ,-,,Q M, Y f ' ,. , fax My Wells, looklng towards mountams ' - 4 j,m+1iva,f1,.f,, W, ,, ' Anc1ent Shlpyards 415

Page 53 text:

accustomed, we found western civilization approaching in the guise of a fleet of native taxis. Nearly everyone decided it would be fun to ride in a car a V-8 Fords manufactured in the United States or Canada, many of them convertibles. The drivers offered not only to drive us around but to act as guides. After the usual round of bargaining and argument, agreements were made with the cabbies for the trip. gain. The taxis were Almost immediately, it was explained to us that we were not in Aden at all. The small town in which we landed was called Tawahi, or Harbor City, and contained little except the British Governmental buildings. The original Aden, or Crater, as the British called it, was -on the other side of the nearby mountain in a valley surrounded by high peaks. So we commenced our drive to the old Arab city of Aden. As we progressed, we climbed higher and higher above the harbor, until we could see much of the surrounding area below. Beyond the entrance to the harbor were a series of cliffs, cut by what seemed to be rivers of sand, instead of water. We reached the narrow, man-made pass that was the entrance to Aden. On either side of the road approaching the pass were both Christian and Mohammedan graveyards. After winding our way through the narrow pass, the ancient city suddenly opened before us in the valley below. We entered Aden and our driver pulled off to the side of the main street. He told us he would meet us at the other end of the street, thus per- mitting us to walk through and view a little of the local color. No sooner were we left to our own devices, than we were surrounded by a swarm of natives, young and old. Some would grab us by the arm and with the other hand point to their mouth, indicating need of food. Other appeals to our generosity included keeping an eye covered with one hand while begging with the other, or carrying about a small Cand definitely uninterestedj baby as an object of our pity. The business men would yell to us from their small stalls to cajole us into their shops to view their wares. A brief inspection indicated that what they had could be of use only to the Arabs themselves, or to people of more imagination than we. Perhaps what attracted our attention most were the Moslem womenis veiled faces. The veil usually consisted of a thin piece of black or colored cloth, completely covering the face, it was a weird sight to the Occidental eye. VVe were' glad to return to the safety of our taxi fortress and to be off once again. t Our guide then suggested that we view King Solomon's wells. VVe assented and with no litle curiosity were on our way. These wells, situated on a height overlooking the town, were discovered in 1854 by the English Governor of Aden and were opened to public view by him. Their original purpose was to collect the rain water that ran down from the mountains, providing one of the few available sources of fresh water in this vicinity. Approaching the wells, we passed through the better section of Aden and were impressed by the modern Arab buildings we saw. The wells are situated in an ever- narrowing canyon whose mouth points to the most rugged peaks in southern Arabia. Calling them wells is perhaps inaccurate, for actually they are huge stone and cement tanks, some as much as one-hundred and sixty feet deep, dug into the walls of the canyon. Arranged in step-like fashion, these tanks are connected by pipes and tunnels, so that as one tank fills it overflows into the next. Those at the higher end of the canyon serve as dams as well as tanks. All had stone steps cut into their side to allow descent to the bottom as the water level dropped. It is said that the famous Queen of Sheba often came here to bathe, and no doubt the part, Cresulting from the presence of fresh waterb, was quite popular with early desert monarchs. This was evidenced by the number of Egyptian and Arabian tablets found in a museum nearby the wells. It was at the museum that many of us had our first glimpse of the famous incenses, frankincense and myrrh, indige- nous to this section. C405



Page 55 text:

Seeing that our interest was aroused in what he was showing us, our combined taxi driver and guide offered to take us to an Arab town located outside the not controlled by the Briiish Government protectorate and directly. VVe acceped and after driving back through the mountain pass, we saw one of the oldest shipyards in the world engaged in making wooden dhows, as they had been for centuries. VVe went through a series of sentry-manned gates, typical of British-controlled borders, and soon found ourselves in the desert. Our education was resumed when we found that all deserts are not always Sandy and hot. Since dusk was approaching, there was a stiff breeze blowing and the temperature was falling rapidly. VVe learned also that the desert varied between the sandy dunes we had expected and large areas of burnt, rocky waste. We were surprised also to see a series of windmills in the distance. After a little explanation, we found that the mills pumped sea water into shallow rock tanks, where it was evaporated in order to obtain salt. For a considerable area around the road, salt lay glistening on the ground like snow. At length we spotted our goal, the oasis, and the little town around it. There was much excitement and noise about the town for the Arabs were celebrating their Moslem equivalent to our Christmas. This village, though smaller, was quite similar to Aden, both in buildings and the number of goats, chickens, and camels roaming about indiscriminately. Part of the celebration centered about a small carnival. There were wooden swings and crude carousels placed about much like an American carnival. The Arabs were either scattered about the amusements or gathered in compact crowds to watch the native dancers. A continuous and rythmical drum beat emanated from a point which was never located. The dancers moved about almost as if they were jumping on springs in time with the drum beat. On a hill to the rear was a small white mosque and to complete the scene, we expected the French Foreign Legion to come charging up at any moment. On the way back to Aden we passed the barracks of the famous Arabian Camel Corps. Still further on were the British air fields and radio installations. VVith country so flat for miles around, construction evidently was simple. The golf course we passed seemed a little comical, for every hole was the same as the last, except perhaps for its distance and number of artificial hills. ln the failing light, we caught a brief glimpse of the end of a polo match, the intricacies of which we had little time to unravel. Arden offered a larger variety of strange and unusual sights than we had seen for many a week. Camels calmly pulling carts down the main road, goats running in all directions, numerous walls topped with broken glass, live chickens waiting in the hotel to be picked for a meal - all these items added to our Middle-Eastern education. We returned to the ship and the port section verified our account the following day, adding a few British Navy flat hats as trophies of our conquest. WVe left Aden that afternoon expecting to sweat out the trip up the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. ' C423

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