Ellai fishes by hand, lives alone in a remote cave and is a living testament to the way residents once lived on this far-flung island in Yemen.
Despite living only 2km from the town of Qalansiyah, Ellai still chooses to live in a cave, and in many ways, he is something of a living testament to the way ancient Socotri once lived on this far-flung island.
More than one-third of Socotra's plant species are endemic (Credit: John M Lund Photography Inc/Getty Images)
Marooned between Somalia and Yemen where the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean meet, the Socotra archipelago is one of the most isolated continental fragments on Earth – a piece of Africa adrift at sea. The high proportion of endemic flora here have led some to label this Unesco World Heritage site the "Galapagos of the Indian Ocean". More than one-third of Socotra's 825 plant species and 90% of its reptile species don't live anywhere else in the world, and gazing up at the islands' surreal, umbrella-like dragon's blood trees and down at thousands of bright blue and red freshwater crabs that scurry in the twilight, it can feel like you're on another planet.
Ellai isn't sure of his exact age: Socotra's first hospital didn't open until 2012 so no official records of his birth exist, but thinks that he is around 60 years old. He has had 12 children, but due to malnutrition and the lack of modern healthcare and vaccinations, only six of them survived childhood, which isn't uncommon in Socotra. Today, his children are looked after by his wife who prefers to live in the relative comforts of Qalansiyah. Ellai still spends most of his time in his cave, fishing daily to support his family.
A series of whale ribs mark the entrance to Ellai's cave home (Credit: Geri Moore)
Ellai was born in this cave, as was his mother before him. Unusually in Socotra, where men are traditionally the providers, Ellai's mother took on the role of fisherman for the family. "I still feel her presence inside the cave," he told me. She taught him how to survive, where to find dates, potatoes and tomatoes – some of the only edible food on the island – as well as which plants to use for medicine and where to find fresh water high up in the mountains. Ellai says his life hasn't changed much in the last 60-odd years, except he now proudly owns an "old-fashioned" mobile phone and has the luxury of bottled water.
(excerpt from BBC.com)
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