English: Sheikh Othman at the border between Aden Colony and the Sultanate of Lahej (Western Aden Protectorate). Cropped from a postcard published c. 1935.
The village of Sheikh Othman was purchased from the Sultan of Lahej in 1881 and annexed to Aden Colony. Sheikh Othman's precious water wells were to supply most of Aden's drinking water for many decades. Soon after the purchase, the British built a new village with about 150 houses and a school and dispensary, and measures were taken to drive the surplus population from the Steamer Point in the port of Aden to Sheikh Othman. Within 10 years the population rose from 600 to over 7,200. (R. J. Gaven, Aden Under British Rule, 1839-1967, 1975, p.189)