LOC11:25
08:25 GMT
By Ahmad Al-Zarka (With photos) SANAA, Sept 3 (KUNA) -- Standing as a visitor's reminder of Britain's colonial rule Yemen's " Little Big Ben" in Tawahi, Aden, south of the country, was set up as a replica of the original London "Big Ben." Another Big Ben replica is also found in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Yemen's "Big Tell" was built in 1890 on a mountain overlooking the historical, commercial and tourist port of Aden, the country's economic capital, and the Tawahi quarter from four directions.
The 117 year old historical landmark, built when Yemen was still a British colony, was described by the British engineers who designed it a replica of London's as "The Arabs' Big Ben" and "Big Ben of the East." The diameter of the Tawahi's Big Ben is one meter from the four directions. It is 1.5 meter wide and 22 meter in height.
Inside the o'clock, overlooking the sea and the Tawahi's commercial and residential areas, there is a screw iron stairs till the top.
Big Tell used to give out light beams whose spectrum colors mixed with the blue color of the sea water making of it a landmark that attracted tourists for decades.
Fascinated by the Tawahi's O'clock beauty, tourists used to climb the hill where it was built to get acquainted with its architecture.
The Yemen's Big Ben rings used to rattle the dead of the night with its every hour rings.
In the mid 1960s the wind, humidity and other erosion factors seemed to have taken toll on the Arabs' Big Ben that was dead till 1983 when a huge maintenance operation brought it back to life.
Soon the civil war in the country caused it to come to a halt and even parts of it were looted.
In 2002, as part of the celebrations of Queen Elizabeth 50th anniversary on the throne, the British ambassador in Yemen visited the Aden's Big Ben accompanied by British team of engineers who did much repairs to it and again it long hands started to move forward at the cost of 28,000 sterling.
Unluckily, it stopped again and the Yemeni Electricity Authority in Aden has recently to provide 400,000 Yemeni rial to build a fence surrounding it and provide around the clock guard.(end) az.msa KUNA 031125 Sep 07NNNN