The inhabitants of Socotra differ from mainland Arabs, and are believed to be a mixture of Greek, Portuguese, African, and Arab. Their language is a version of the ancient Himyarite language, which was spoken in pre-Islamic Arabia for many centuries.

Socotra was long ruled by the Mahra sultans of southeastern Yemen. Their rule was interrupted by Portuguese occupation between 1507 and 1511. In 1834, the British tried, but failed, to purchase the island. However, in the 1880's, the sultan accepted British protection for the sultanate. The sultanate finally came to an end in 1967, when Socotra became part of Yemen.

What Are Their Lives Like?
Very little information is available on the Socotran. It is extremely difficult to gain permission to visit the island of Socotra, which has long been regarded as the "ends of the earth." Few serious surveys of the island have been undertaken.

Socotra is a windswept island of temperate climate. The Hajhir mountains occupy the interior of the island, with a narrow coastal plain in the north and a broader plain in the south. Socotra has only one small airstrip to which there are no scheduled flights. The island is inaccessible to ships during the monsoon season.

The Socotran engage in fishing, pearl diving, and small scale farming. In the interior, nomads keep cattle and other animals and try to raise some crops. The island's principal exports include ghee (a type of butter), fish, and frankincense. The capital (and largest town) is Hadiboh, which is located on the northern coast.

The island has long fascinated scientists because of its high numbers of rare plant species. The plants of the region are related to those of the northeast African highlands and the plains region of Somalia. Altogether, 216 species are unique to Socotra, of which 85 are considered to be threatened. Many of the plants have economic or medicinal value, but little has been done to exploit this opportunity.

There is evidence that Christianity was introduced to the people of Socotra as early as 535 AD, when a Nestorian Bishop resided on the island. It is believed that the Christian church there was a result of the work of the Apostle Thomas.

The Socotran remained faithful to their beliefs as late as 1542, when St. Francis visited them on his way to India. Sadly, by 1680, Christianity was virtually extinct, due to both oppression by the Arabs and the neglect of the Nestorian patriarchs to support the mission on the island.

What Are Their Needs?
The isolation of the Socotran from the rest of the world presents difficulty to anyone wanting to target these people with the Gospel. Permission to visit the island must be obtained from the Yemeni military, and the only hotel on the island is reserved for military use.

While there are portions of the Bible available in their native language, there is little hope that they will be distributed or used without some form of spiritual breakthrough. Prayer is key to opening the doors of the Gospel to these people.

• Ask the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into Yemen to minister life to the Socotran.
• Pray that the Jesus film will soon be made available in the Socotran language.
• Pray that Christian radio broadcasts will soon be made available in the Socotran language.
• Pray that God will reveal Himself to the Socotran through dreams and visions.
• Pray that God will give the Socotran believers boldness to share Christ with their own people.
• Take authority over the spiritual principalities and powers that are keeping the Socotran bound.
• Ask God to raise up prayer teams who will begin breaking up the spiritual soil of Socotra through worship and intercession.
• Ask the Lord to bring forth a triumphant Socotran church for the glory of His name!

THE PEOPLE

• People name: Socotran
• Country: Yemen
• Their language: Soqotri (Skatri)
• Population: (1990) 47,500
  (1995) 60,900
  (2000) 71,600
• Largest religion: Muslim (Zaydi) 50%
  Muslim (Sunni) 40%
  Muslim (Ismali) 9.7%
• Christians: <1%
• Church members: 183
• Scriptures in their own language: Portions
• Jesus Film in their own language: None
• Christian broadcasts in their own language: None
• Mission agencies working among this people: 0
• Persons who have heard the Gospel: 8,100 (14%) Those evangelized by local Christians: 3,200 (6%)
  Those evangelized from the outside: 4,900 (8%)
• Persons who have never heard the Gospel: 52,800 (86%)

• Country: Yemen
• Population: (1990) 11,311,400
  (1995) 14,501,200
  (2000) 17,051,200
• Major peoples in size order: Yemeni Arab 83.8%
  Indo-Pakistani 5%
  Somali 3.7%
  Mahra 2.1%
  Sudanese Arab 1.7%
• Major religions: Muslim 99.8%
  Christian 0.1%
• Number of denominations: 11