Hoq Cave

Hoq is a cave running around three kilometres into the limestone of Socotra's northeastern coast, with large chambers, columns and a lake in the deeper sections, and its walls carry inscriptions and drawings left by sailors who sheltered there: texts in Indian Brahmi scripts along with South Arabian, Ethiopic, Greek and Palmyrene, most from the first centuries of the common era, evidence of the Indian Ocean trade the island sat on.

Background

Hoq, also called Hawk Cave, opens in the Hala area about 1.5 km from the north-eastern coast and faces the open sea. Its entrance, at 350 m, is easy to see from the water but hard to reach. The cave reaches about 2 km deep, and its main passage averages 50 m wide and 20 m high. Daylight gets in for about 200 m. Inside, the temperature holds between 25 and 27 °C all year, with humidity above 95%. Speleothems line the route, home to many endemic troglobionts. Inscriptions recorded at the back of the cave span the 1st to 6th centuries CE. In 2001 Belgian speleologists of the Socotra Karst Project mapped and studied it.

Source: Wikipedia, "Hoq Cave"

What you'll find

• The inscriptions - texts in Brahmi, South Arabian, Greek and other scripts.
• The chambers - the large spaces with columns and formations inside.
• The underground lake - the water in the deeper part of the system.
• The trade evidence - the record of the sailors the Indian Ocean routes brought.

When to go

October to April is the cool season and the practical window. The summer monsoon from June closes the island's transport. The cave is a constant temperature inside.

Practical notes

The climb up to the entrance is steep and hot and takes around an hour. A guide is required and lighting is by head torch. The inscriptions are fragile and must not be touched.

Nearby

Arher is south, and Hadibu is west.

Key facts