The Southern Red Sea region is a diverse ecosystem sanctuary, with some species that are found nowhere else. It is a part of the Great East African Rift Valley and has some of the hottest places on earth, the Danakil Depression. It is located in the southern part of the Red Sea and is home to the port city of Assab. It has an area of roughly 27,600 km2 (10,700 sq. mi) and borders the Northern Red Sea region to the north, Ethiopia to the southwest, Djibouti to the south, and the Red Sea to the east and northeast.
A large portion of the land is covered with salt deposits and volcanic rocks. There are rare drought-resistant plants such as shrubs and grass. However, the region is known for its abundant vegetation of the drought-resistant A’rkobkobay (a type of palm tree), which is especially common in the administrative areas of Beylul, Abo, Menkae’kae’ Assab, and kobar (in the Danakil depression). The livelihood of local residents depends on the sea – fishing, collecting pearls, and trade.
In our ten-day stay in the Southern Red Sea region, my colleagues and I were able to observe the beauty of the region, with its more than 500 kilometers of coastline and 36 islands, many of which are visible from the coast. Fishes, turtles, coral reefs, sea flowers, and numerous bird species that are in danger of extinction are some of the tourism assets of the region. Most of us were visiting the region for the first time. Before this excursion, I had seen the Red Sea by visiting only Massawa. Now after this journey to the Southern Red Sea region, I have realized I have seen nothing of our sea’s riches. In our journey in the Southern Red Sea region, we traveled on the main route along the coastal line, passing through Ti’o, Iddi, Ber’asole, and Assab.
We were able to see the natural beauty of the region, all the way up to Eritrea’s last point, Ras Dumera. On the journey, I expected to see some wildlife because I had heard about it so many times, and luckily we were able to see almost all of the wild animals in the region along the roadsides. We saw around sixty gazelles wandering calmly along the roadside around Ti’o. I was surprised to see the gazelles walk amid the herds of domestic animals.
We saw a lot of wild asses near Marsa Fatu’ma. At first, I thought they were domestic donkeys, but when we got closer, I understood they were different. Their skin is smooth, lighter in color, and they have some black stripes on their limbs. We also noticed a lot of ostriches and stopped our car to snap pictures of a group of three ostriches that were wandering near the roadside and caught our attention. When we approached them, they didn’t run away. Unalarmed by the movements we were making to capture them on camera, they stood peacefully and looked at the camera until we were done. And then, as we were getting into the car to continue our journey, they began to walk away as if they had been waiting for us to finish our photo shoot. We also spotted a hyena, foxes, and rabbits just a few meters away from us. It felt as if I was watching live a documentary on national geography because, aside from baboons, I had never seen wild animals in their natural habitat, outside cages, out in the open.
Another thing that contributed to our pleasant stay in the region was the warmhearted hospitality of the locals. Our first night was mostly spent on a journey until we arrived in Ti’o around 8:45 pm. The next morning we drove to the main village of Ti’o along the shore, which is 6 kilometers away from the subtown of Ti’o located on the roadside, where most commercial activities are done.
Our first trip on the sea was done in a little boat, and then in the middle of the sea, we moved to a larger boat, which couldn’t be docked at the coast because it is shallow. The large boat is owned by a group of 12 fishermen who work as a team and share the money they make by fishing.
The ruins of the sesame oil factory in Rahayta.
Even if some of our friends became seasick, overall our stay in the middle of the sea was fantastic. While we were in the boat we saw a seven or eight-year-old kid fishing, sitting in a small balloon made of plastic bottles. That was unbelievable to see, but for the local residents that live in the coastal regions, the sea, it seems, is as safe as the land. The young fishermen we met on the boat spend the majority of their time at sea. Not infrequently, they even stay in the middle of the sea for more than ten days fishing. The boat has everything the fishermen need, including kitchen equipment, toilet, and foodstuffs. The sea is their life, and they allow most of their time to spending in the sea rather than on land, battling waves and storms to catch fish. The fish that we only know and buy in the form of filets from the fish market.
We met a newly married couple on their first day of honeymoon in the Ber’asole administrative area of the Southern Denkalia subzone, and we had a fantastic time with them. The reception we received from the village folks was wonderfully family-friendly. They gave us water to wash our hands and brought us their staple food luh’luh’ (which is similar to injera) along with various traditional dishes in the region.
A’rkobkobay, one type of the large trees in the Southern Red Sea region, is flourishing mainly because of the embedded culture that is against cutting down trees. Some areas, such as those around Abo in the southern Denkalia subzone, are covered by the trees, and this is having a cooling effect on the environment. In addition to A’rkobkibay, there are around 800 date palm trees in Abo administrative area, which were planted in 2018 and are expected to bear fruit by the end of 2024.
The grinding stones of the sesame oil factory
The last village we visited was Rahayta, home of the Sultan of Afar. It is found in the strategic location of Bab el Mandeb. There we had an opportunity to meet the Derder (the Sultan of Afar) and to learn about the history of the Afar Sultans from the elders of Rahayta. Then we went to see the thousands-of-years- old sesame oil factory in Rahayta’s outskirts. According to the elders of Rahayta, it dated back to the times of the Persian Empire. Looking at the ruins, one can tell the factory was housed in a very well-built structure. The big grinding stones were so heavy they were moved by elephants. We wondered how such a mill was made without the use of machinery at that period of time.
The Southern Red Sea region is located along Bab el Mandeb, a globally vital maritime route that serves as a critical link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean maritime via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, through which 80% of the world’s commercial ships travel. Standing around Ras Dumera, less than 10 kilometers away from Rahayta, one may see, without using binoculars, ships sail across the Red Sea’s international maritime route.