Socotra, Socotra Archipelago

Island in the Indian Ocean belonging to Yemen, but under the control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council
The island is isolated and home to a high number of endemic species
Up to a third of its plant life is endemic
The long geological isolation of the Socotra archipelago and its fierce heat and drought have combined to create a unique and spectacular endemic flora

Dar al-Hajar, Wadi Dhar

Former royal palace located in Wadi Dhar, built in the 1920s as the summer retreat of Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, ruler of Yemen from 1904 to 1948
It sits on top of a structure built in 1786 for the scholar al-Imam Mansour
The palace stayed in the royal family until the Yemen revolution of 1962, and now the palace is a museum

Located on Socotra Island, the beach is surrounded by jagged limestone mountains, and offers white sand and turquoise water

Lagoon on the coast of Socotra, the saline lagoon connects to the Gulf of Aden, from which it is separated by a spit
The lagoon contains extensive seagrass meadows, and the shore hosts endemic plants
The seagrasses provide nursery habitats for juvenile fish, and the lagoon hosts vulnerable species, such as the reticulate whipray and bluespotted ribbontail ray
It is an important roosting and feeding area for waterbirds, and it serves as a breeding site for the Egyptian vulture and Socotra cormorant

Diksam plateau noted for having the densest concentration of dragon blood trees on the island of Socotra

Modern dam blocking the Wadi Adhanah, located in the Ma’rib Governorate
The current dam was built in the 1980s, and near the ruins of the ancient Great Dam of Marib, first built in the 8th century BC
It was one of the engineering wonders of the ancient world and a central part of the Sabaean and Himyarite kingdoms around Marib

Park located on Socotra Island, known for picturesque canyon, and its bottle and tamarind trees