Journey to Home of the blood dragon is the most interesting way to
found out the best natural place to
spent a wonderful weeks in a wonderful Island . It is Socotra Island located on
the Southern of Yemen, Stands on compound of unique creatures ( Trees, birds,
rare animals, and sea species) in
addition to the unique weather and unique beach . Only in Socotra you can
practice diving in a very pure water under pure blue sky . It is the Indian
Ocean's Paradise.
1.
Unspoiled : Most people would
struggle to place it on a map, but Socotra is one of the world's last unspoiledisland chains -- an archipelago off the coast of Yemen that has wildlife so
diverse it has been described as the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean.
2.
Natural
beauty : Galapagos of the Indian Ocean ,Socotra is famed for its natural beauty. Its startling biodiversity has
earned it the nickname "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean" - a nod to
Ecuador's famous Pacific island chain whose ecosystem is so unique it inspired
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
The link to the
famed Galapagos is not purely marketing either. Since it was first surveyed by
United Nations' biologists in 1997,
3.
Fascinated
landscape, German photographer Claudius
Schulze had been fascinated by Socotra since reading about it in a magazine,
but he was led there by an old proverb.
When Schulze,
27, finally made it there he was captivated by both the scenery and the people
he met.
"It blew
my mind. It's incredibly amazing and other-wordly," he said. "The
landscape is bizarre, with mountains, valleys that cut 600 meters into the
landscape, moon-like desert plains and huge sand-dunes and endemic plants that
are completely different from anything I've seen."
4.
Socotra
is home to myrrh trees: Frankincense and myrrh, Frankincense is
an oil made from the resin of the Boswellia tree, while myrrh oil comes from
myrrh trees. The oils and perfumes made from them were once considered very
valuable, and the trees are still rare but still grow on the Socotra islands.
So Socotra not only the right place to tourism but it is also the natural
hospital to treat yourself Psychologically
and biologically . that is why many tourists prefer to go there aimed to
improve their mood and to change their sight toward life positively . In
addition to frankincense, Socotra is home to myrrh trees and several rare
birds. Its marine life is a unique hybrid of species from the Red Sea, the
Indian Ocean and the western Pacific. In the 1990s, a team of United Nations
biologists conducted a survey of the archipelago’s flora and fauna. They
counted nearly 700 endemic species, found nowhere else on earth; only Hawaii
and the Galapagos Islands have more impressive numbers.
5.
Desert-Rose
It is unbelievable for many people that roses grow in the desert , but it is happened in Socotra
Island where the trees are twenty years old and the desert rose stores water in
its huge trunk and hardly grows any leaves or flowers , the desert rose also called a bottle tree, and also known as
Sabi Star or Kudu their lumpy, bulbous
trunks have been compared to rehinoceros legs.
6.
Dragon’s blood tree :
Legend has it the otherworldly dragon’s blood tree first grew on the
spot where two brothers, Darsa and Samha, fought to the death. In Arabic, it is
known as dam al akhawain – “the blood of the two brothers”.The
most famous of Socotra’s plants, a striking, umbrella-shaped tree with a thick
trunk. have large round branches shaped like umbrellas.
It gets its
name from the deep red sap within, which is gathered as a resin - and has been used for centuries in a wide range of
uses including as a dye, as incense, and in traditional medicine.
The Dragon Blood tree is unique to the Socotra
island .
7.
Diversity : Socotra has been considered one of
the most biologically diverse and distinct places on Earth. Home to some interesting animals .There are
192 different bird species that either live on the islands or visit during
migration. The only mammals native to Socotra are bats, which live in many rocky caves.
there are lots
of different kinds of reptiles on the islands, including the Socotran chameleon
and several types of skinks, which are lizards that look more like snakes, but
with very small limbs. The marine life is also very diverse, with 300 species
of crab, lobster and shrimp, over 700 species of coastal fish as well as 253
species of reef-building corals. It's estimated
that 37% of its plants and 90% of its reptiles (along with almost all of its
snails) are found nowhere else on earth, and the entire island chain is a
registered Unesco World Heritage site.
8.
Unique
Language and Unique Wildlife : Socotra people are very
proud of their homeland also they are proud of their unique language and
traditional foods , It is thought that Socotrian language is one of the oldest
Yemeni language and some people still think it is itself the Hemirian language . A group of Russian linguists under the direction of a correspondent
of RAS, Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies Vitaly Naumkin developed
a writing system for the archaic language of the Yemeni island of Socotra.
“We have
created a system of Socotra letters based on Arabic script, which is a welcome
event for more than 100 thousand islanders. It will contribute to the
development of education and culture of the Socotra language, including the
development of local media,” said the head of the Department of History and
Philology of the Ancient Near East of the Institute of Oriental and Classical
Russian State Humanitarian University Leonid Kogan.
During the
expedition, Russian linguists held a photo documentation of materials related
to the life of the islanders and their way of life and customs. These unique
materials have intrinsic value and are compelling illustrations of complex,
difficult to clear European, words and concepts.
The indigenous
population of Socotra speaks a dialect of the local Socotra unwritten language,
related to the modern Semitic Modern South Arabian languages, as well as in
Arabic.
The islands have been part of trade routes for
centuries, with artifacts from sailors having been found dating back to the 1st
century BC. But because it’s so far away from everything else, the archipelago
has largely been left to itself, which is a good thing for the unique wildlife
that lives there.
9.
Two hurricanes
battered Socotra :
The island's
status as an ecological gem, however, has caused some problems for its
residents.
As its
population battles the torrential floods left behind by Cyclone Mekunu,
reaching those in need is a major problem - partly because Socotra has few
roads stretching into its biodiversity areas.
A 2007 travel
article in the New York Times said a journey in a four-wheel-drive vehicle with
an expert local driver as guide was "a struggle to the death",
covering five miles in an hour and a half. It was, the author writes, worth it.
But plans to
build and expand access roads on Socotra's main island have been controversial
for years.
Unesco
considers the building of roads in the protected areas "a serious
threat" to the island's value, and no improvements have been made since
2010.
Chapala and
Megh Two hurricanes battered Socotra in November 2015. Cyclone
Chapala brought powerful winds similar to a category four hurricane, damaging
homes, vehicles, and injuring dozens.
Less than a
week later, Cyclone Megh passed directly over the main island, triggering flash
floods and killing another two people. Thousands were displaced from their
homes.
The damage was
not limited to buildings and infrastructure. Soil erosion and habitat damagewere also probable.
10.
Complex
war and the worst humanitarian disaster: The
mainland continues to be plagued by a complex war involving several regional
titans.
The result is
Yemen is suffering the worst humanitarian disaster on Earth, according to the
United Nations. The
humanitarian situation in Yemen is still the worst in the world Now in its fourth year of conflict, more than 22 million people—or
three-quarters of the population—need humanitarian aid and protection, making
Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis .
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