Thanks to the support of the company MARBEL we managed to organise a mini raid to Soqotra again. Three of us left Monday the 11th to Yemen. This time we were welcomed with open arms by our Yemeni friends and met some important people in Sana’a during our first days.
Between the 15th and the 22nd we explored the island with an official Yemeni archaeologist, the EPA representative and some scientist of the Biodiversity Project. Our extensive report will soon be online!
Some preliminary results:
· Dirk Roelandt was the first cave diver on the island and we did found a promising site and other possibilities of underwater cave research;
· We explored some new areas (and caves) where we discovered other fascinating ancient wall paintings. This time we will handle this information with much more care to prevent any misconception;
· We took the first steps into the protection of a cave and to prevent any abuse of the site;
· The co-operation with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), the General Authority for Antiquities, Museums and Manuscripts and the Biodiversity Project was marvellous! A further bond with all people (Yemeni, Soqotri, ...) was established on a basis of mutual respect.
