September 01, 2020 –Socotra Online
Reporting and Photography: Arif Abdo
With success and positive impacts, words were brought around about the first exploratory camels journey in the Socotra Archipelago with participation of 13 explorers for 15 days with support of Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation.
Socotra Online met group of explorers to reflect their opinions. Sheikh Ali Mubarak Hasnahi said that the journey started from Zayed City 1 in Astero in south of Socotra and ended by returning to the same city after visiting number of tourism and heritage districts across the Socotra Archipelago for revival of old heritage that vanished years ago. The camels journey moved on the same course of the ancestors, which was the course of looking for trading, grazing and living requirements. It was a cultural heritage that generation used to be proud of it.
Sheikh Ali Ahmed Al Karani mentioned that the journey was just for entertainment and revival of ancestors’ heritage, as camels were the main transportation mean for ancestors. The explorers in this journey was acquainted with the hard life of ancestors for living honorable life and building such cultural history. Life of ancestors was simple and primitive with feelings of understanding and harmonization. We had to live such hard life to have the same feelings; therefore, we went in this journey for 15 days.
In this regard, the Japanese participant “Anna” mentioned that the journey included participants of different nationalities including 10 of Socotra people, one from UAE, one FROM India, and me from Japan. She added that in spite of the hard journey, the participants enjoyed recognition of customs and habits of Socotra community. The feelings of fraternity, harmonization and cooperation were predominant among the explorers. I would like to express thanks and appreciation to organizers of this journey for this opportunity of recognition of customs and habits of the people of Socotra.
Naseem Mohamed, one of residents of Daihemri, who received the journey in Daihemri reserve, asserted that he was impressed of seeing the camels coming to his house, and added that this was very exciting and impressing. He also expressed his thanks and appreciation to all participants and supporters of this exploratory journey; Khalifa Foundation, which had many contributions aiming at helping the people of Socotra for having better life.
