Socotra Island
One of my students found this and sent it to me…it is of an island that is known to be the most alien-looking place on Earth.
Socotra is a small Yemeni archipelago of four islands in the Indian Ocean. Although part of Yemen, it looks like it’s on a completely different planet!
It is an isolated archipelago where the approx 50,000 inhabitants are mainly Arab, Somali and South Asian origin. They are predominantly Muslims and have their own local language called Soqotri.
50,000 may seem like quite a lot people, but up till 1999 there were no airports there…and it was not until 2006, when UNESCO named it a World Natural Heritage Site, that 2 main roads were built. Now there is one that runs along the north shore from Quelensiyah to DiHamri area (2 different districts) and another from Socotra’s northern to the southern coast.
It is good that UNESCO recognizes the importance of preserving the island as there are about 825 extremely rare species of flora and fauna on Socotra Island…where 37% of them are endemic! This means that there are about 307 plant species that can be found nowhere else on Earth!
The island has some very very strange looking plants like the Dragon’s Blood Tree (where its red sap made people in ancient times think that it was the real dragon’s blood!), Desert Rose and the Socotran Fig Tree. The unique and impressive endemic range of flora and fauna is apparently created due to the harsh weather, drought, intense heat…combined with the process of speciation. Being an isolated island, some of flora and fauna have actually been preserved for about 20 million years!
Even the wildlife there is unique. They have 140 different species of birds, 10 of which are also endemic.
The name Socotra is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘dvipa sukhadhara’, which means ‘Island of Bliss’. Everything there looks so untouched and so untainted….it’s beautiful. There are white and sandy beaches that seem to run for miles, mountains that rise to 5,000 feet and limestone plateaus which are full of caves. Those caves can be up to 7km in length and are commonly filled with huge stalagmites and stalactites.
Do take a look at the photos below and be prepared to be shocked…and no, it’s not from a Star Wars movie set hehe
Tsem Rinpoche
The Dragon’s Blood Tree!
One of the few roads on the island!
The Desert Rose
The Socotran Fig Tree
The houses that the people of Socratra live in…incredible!
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Interesting facts about this unique Socotra Island having a nickname “Galapagos of the Indian ocean”. Been located between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, is the largest of the four islands in Socotra Archipelago. This island offers a very unique species of fauna and flora which many of us have not seen before. It seem to be the most alien place on earth with many weird looking plants and even the wildlife there looks extra-ordinary weird. Looking at those pictures in this blog tells us all, how unique and weird looking it was.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing.
Thank you for the incredible discovery sharing of Socotra Island. Never heard about the Island till I came across this article, such a mystic creations of Mother Nature. The unique climate of Socotra, has grown to be most strangely beautiful and the most unique place on this earth.
I hope all those rare species of plants, tress, and animals on Socotra Island will continue to remain there as long as they can. I truly loved all the scenery photos shared.
Wow …such a unique island called Socotra which i did not know before or come across . Everything from trees to flowers looks so unique. A place home to a panoply of strange plants and animals uniquely which adapted to the hot, harsh, windswept island. The landscape of this remote Socotra Island looks as if it comes from a sci-fi film.
From what I see through the pictures this Socotra Island, looks more like Alien place. It’s truly unlike any place on earth and is also called the ‘Lost World ‘ to some of the tourist. I did some research on this island .
It seem over millions of years, the isolated island in the Arabian Sea has cultivated a unique biodiversity unlike anywhere else on Earth. Twisted dragon’s blood trees and bulbous bottle trees have made Socotra a place of legends, feared by sailors throughout history and believed by some to be the site of the original Garden of Eden.
Now it seem to be a tourist attraction in Yemen after when UNESCO named it as World Natural Heritage Site in 2006. Its wonderful news as UNESCO recognizes the importance of preserving the island.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these unique island with us.
Dear Rinpoche,
Didn’t know that there’s such a place! Thanks for sharing.
This is really an extraordinary island with extraordinary plants and trees! And the houses are really incredible too! 🙂 The trees are really funny and so cute looking! Really unique place. Thank you very much Rinpoche for sharing this for our knowledge _/\_
These remote and untainted places like Socotra showed us how inferior the human race really is. We should be humbled by mother earth, by nature. The cities human created like New York, London, Paris don’t even come close to rival the beauty nature has created.
How nature can adapts to harsh conditions and still retain it’s beauty is perhaps a lesson we need to learn from.
Here are some other links of strange and interesting trees around the world.
http://enpundit.com/10-weirdest-trees-on-earth/
http://www.oddee.com/item_96804.aspx
I’m sorry but you’re wrong when you affirm that the houses you show belong to the the people of Socratra. Those houses are situated at north-west of Sanaa, capital of Yemen, not on the island of Socotra where architecture is quite different…..
Oh my… this certainly is some really strange looking trees! But I must say although I am not used to the look of it, the place itself in Socotra Island is beautiful!
So funny how they call a tree ‘Dragon Blood’… so mystical hehe…
Thank for sharing such interesting photos!!
Why is it so different from others? Did some aliens modify the DNA or something? I hope there are many more photos or phenomena like this which can make us think more out of the box 🙂
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this pictures. I cant help but keep exclaiming ‘wow’ when I see these pictures. They are truly uniquely beautiful.
The houses that Socotra’s people live in look so ancient and beautiful and the water is so clear. And I am happy to see the rather nicely constructed road and hope that these two main roads provide convenience for people living in that island.
This place is simply beautiful. I hope that with the acknowledgement of UNESCO, Socotra Island wont attract too many tourists to the extent that it loses its own culture and beauty.
There are two faces to a coin. Civilisation may bring forth convenience, but if we lose the beauty and the valuable culture, it will be a pity.
I hope too that those rare and endemic plants and animals on Socotra Island will continue to remain in that island for as long as they can.
Thank you, Rinpochela! i really enjoyed the unusual sights – the gargantuan trees seem to gorge themselves full to survive the harsh terrain; but they do still want to flaunt their beautiful blooms! Truly, there are so many things i have not seen in life; and i am so bound by my own concepts and perceptions! “Kam-sia Chhe-chhe” again, Rinpochela. *:) HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR! (:*
Incredible images. I love how the world is still so full of surprises and mystery. If i had woken up one morning on Socotra, I would be quite convinced I was in another world.
Does anyone know the history of Socotra? How did it get a Sanskrit derived name?
WOW this place is magnificent! Would love to visit it one day if I have the opportunity to! Reading about this makes me wonder how big the world actually is? Are there still places where the great Dinosaurs exist but we do not know of? Great point to ponder on. How much do we actually know of this world/earth we call home?