Jebel Shamsan

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No trip to Aden would be truly complete without a climb up the craggy monolith which is Jebel Shamsan, Aden's highest point of the mountain ridge known as the Shamsan Range rising to 553 metres.  Shamsan will often be seen written and pronounced as Shum Shum or Sham Sham. In very early times each peak of the Shamsan Range had a towered fort, part of Aden's defence structure. There were 20 or more such forts.

 

The view east presents a splendid panorama of Khormaksar and Slave Island whilst to the north you can see the 374 metre Jebel Muzalqam over the harbour at Little Aden. Look south or west and out to sea, and the horizon is about 45 miles away; you can see the ships which move between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and pass within a few miles of the harbour.

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The climb up Jebel Shamsan is not for the faint-hearted and is best made during the early morning hours just after daybreak before the heat of the day sets in.