How do its people live?

Some may know information about the island of the Socotra archipelago, and we may have seen some video clips. Still, the reality on the island is entirely different, as it is characterized by a unique and perhaps rare situation in everything, starting with nature and climate and ending with its inhabitants.

 The agency “Sputnik” monitored the unique wildlife, which is perhaps unparalleled anywhere in the world, on the island in the southeast of Yemen, where it enjoys multiple climates at the same time. On its back, you find the year’s four seasons distributed between east, west, north, and south.

 The island, in general, is considered a nature reserve. However, UNESCO has designated some areas as a world heritage. It is covered with rare plants and trees that have no equal in the world and are not suitable for cultivation anywhere else except in an area called “Qalansiya,” like the “Blood of the Two Brothers” tree, which was estimated to Scientists are hundreds of years old, and many legends are raised around it.

 Community Peace

 The island of Socotra is experiencing a rare case of community peace, security, and stability in recent times and a development movement in all fields due to its distance from the scene of events in Yemen. Hence, you find the educational process usually is going, and schools are spread in most areas, which the Emirates Red Crescent contributed to its establishment, as announced. 

The Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen announced the opening of several schools in the governorate to serve the educational process and schools affiliated with the Yemeni government.

“Amal,” director of the Ataya School for Basic Education, says: “Parents donated the land on which the school was built, after which the Red Crescent established it, and the Khalifa Foundation for Humanitarian Works took over its establishment and provided the requirements for the entire educational process, and it was opened in the year 2019”.

During the tour in the island regions, we monitored the regularity of students in schools due to the lack of infections with the Covid 19 epidemic, in addition to the fact that the students walk the way back and forth to their schools without any fear, and education on the island has privacy, given the nature of the place and the fact that there is a particular and heritage language for the people of the island. 

They use it among themselves, and it is not written, but children learn it by indoctrination, and festivals are held to preserve the heritage and the Socotra language.

 Far From the Epidemic

 Regarding the health situation on the island, Dr. Ahmed Khallaf, Director of Khalifa Hospital in Hadibo, says that the hospital started in 2012 as a general practitioner. Now it contains departments for the heart, kidneys, intensive care, teeth, and orthopedics, in addition to general surgery, which includes complex endoscopic surgery and other specialties.

 Regarding the health situation in light of the Coronavirus pandemic, Khallaf said: “In the beginning, we did not have cases as a result of the geographical isolation of the island, and we did not have any cases except in the third wave, and there was no place equipped to receive cases in Socotra except in this hospital, and when vaccines appeared The largest proportion of citizens were vaccinated with two doses, and now the death rate does not exceed 2.5 percent.”

 Long History

 “Sputnik” met one of the prominent social figures in the governorate, Sheikh Suleiman Fadhan Al-Ahmi, who spoke with us about the history, culture, and civilization of the island, saying: “The island had a global presence throughout history, and the problem of the island in those eras was the absence of Socotra intellectuals in those periods. Therefore, to talk to the world about its history and past, as the island is a point of contact between the world’s countries, especially in trade, and it was considered the “Qatar” market, hence its name.

 Innately Safe

 In the Qalansiya district, Sputnik met with Sheikh Mubarak Salem al-Saqtri, one of the notables in the region, who confirmed that three years ago, the island was suffering from a scarcity of oil derivatives. Still, now life has begun to improve dramatically, as we did not have gas stations and without stations. Electricity, food stores, and even drinking water there was a crisis.

 As for Muhammad Abdullah, “the chief teacher” in Socotra, he says: “The situation now on the island speaks for itself, and the island’s destiny is that it is safe by nature from all sides, as there are no predatory animals or dogs and others on it, so the security aspect is stable on the island, and what is related to the development aspect was There was a development that existed before, and because of the war, some obstacles occurred, but things have now returned to the right path and some developmental matters have moved, but they need more significant support from the brothers.

Socotra University

 Sputnik also met with the First Undersecretary of the Socotra Archipelago, Raed Muhammad Al-Juraibi, who spoke about the educational aspect, saying: “The island is the highest in the educational level now than any other province, and there are many teachers from outside the island to activate the educational and educational process, this matter.” As a result, the latest qualitative leap and Socotra University was established, which was established according to the Yemeni Education Law and in the presence of a delegation from the Ministry of Education. Furthermore, we are in the process of selecting the Socotra Institute for Vocational Training and Technical Education. It is the only institute on the island.”

Violence is unacceptable

 In turn, Salem al-Qaisi, a member of the administrative body of the local council in the district of Qalansiya, says, in terms of safety, Socotra is safe. There are no accidents, as the people solve their problems by custom and do not resort to violence. There are rare cases of infringement in the images that we see. It is resolved tribally, and given that the island is in the heart of the Indian Ocean and is open on all sides, more support is required to maintain this stability.

 Socotra is a Yemeni archipelago consisting of six islands in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Horn of Africa near the Gulf of Aden, located about 240 km (150 mi) east of the coast of Somalia and 380 km (240 mi) south of the Arabian Peninsula.

 The archipelago includes the main island, Socotra, and five other islands: Darsa, Samha, Abd al-Kuri, Sayyal Abd al-Kuri, Sayal Socotra, and seven rocky islands, Sirah, Radd, Adalah, Karsah, Siher, Thaan, and Jalas. Socotra is the largest of the Arab and Yemeni islands, and the island is 125 km long and 42 wide The length of the coastline is 300 km. The capital of the island is Hadibo. According to the 2004 census, the island’s population was 175,020 thousand people.

 The fame and historical importance of Socotra goes back to the beginning of the Stone Age and the flourishing of the trade of sacred goods and the activity of the ancient trade route – the frankincense road. 

The ancient world used to look at sacred commodities with a view of reverence, such as incense, myrrh, patience, frankincense, and various perfumes, and they called the land that produced these commodities the sacred ground, and that is why the island of Socotra was called by the ancient Greeks and Romans the island of happiness.

The island’s long isolation from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula left behind a unique and unusual level of biological settlement and the social class of the island’s inhabitants. As a result, it is in a unique position in terms of the great diversity of its plants. The proportion of endemic species, as 73% of plant species “out of 528 species”, 09% of reptile species, and 59% of land snail species found in the archipelago are not found in any other regions of the world.

 As for the birds, the site harbors essential species at the global level “291 species, 44 of which breed on the islands, while 58 of them regularly migrate,” including some endangered species. Of the people, 730 coastal fish species, 300 species of crabs, lobsters, and shrimp.

 The island was classified as a World Heritage Site in 2008. In addition, the New York Times ranked it as the most beautiful island in the world in 2010 due to the unique biodiversity and ecological importance of this island and its reflection on the planet in October of 2013.

Public transportation 

Public transportation in Socotra is limited to a few minibusses or the rental of a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a driver.

 Socotra Island is connected to the Yemeni mainland through ships that depart from a port located five kilometers south of Hadibo and reach the city of Mukalla on the coast of Yemen. Based on the information received, the trip takes from 2 to 3 days and is mainly for transporting goods and sea navigation to Socotra stops for at least four months every year. It is due to the wind blowing season.

 Yemen Airways and Al-Saeeda Airlines operate separate flights from Socotra airport to Sanaa, Aden, and Mukalla airports.

The population of the island

The island’s population in 1966 was estimated at 16,000, while it reached 30,000 in 1973. The results of the general census of housing and population carried out by the Republic of Yemen in 1994 stated that their number went 44,880. According to the 2004 census of Yemen, the population was 65,514 people.

 Their lack of ethnic disharmony generally distinguishes the people of Socotra. Studies indicate that they are descended from the population of Himyarites and Yemenis displaced from Mahra and Africa. Although waves of Portuguese and Romans came before them to occupy this island and the English who came recently in 1954 AD, this did not. 

It constitutes the crystallization of distinct population groups that have their character. 

It indicates a clear indication that the island of Socotra constitutes the general population of purely Yemeni origin, which gives this region an element of geological strength and the rest of the details above.

 The origins of the inhabitants of the island of Socotra go back to Mahra bin Haidan, as stated in the book “Lisan al-Arab” by al-Hamdani, and the Himyarite tribes, and there are some clans whose origins go back to Hadhramaut and the Sultanate of Oman. Socotra Island was the capital of the Mahri Sultanate until 1967 when it fell to members of the National Liberation Front coming from Yemen and was annexed to South Yemen and then to the Republic of Yemen.

The language of the island

The indigenous people of the Socotra archipelago, including Abd al-Kuri Island, and Samha, speak the Socotra language, which is one of the modern South Arabic languages.

 Socotra speakers are present in Socotra, and the lands of Yemen, an ancient Himyarite language, and this language is considered throughout history isolated from the Arab lands. Arabic is also spoken in Socotra in the form of a dialect.