Firmihin Dragon's Blood Tree Forest, Ancient tree forest in Socotra Island, Yemen
The forest contains thousands of umbrella-shaped Dragon Blood Trees spread across 540 hectares of mountainous terrain on Socotra Island.
Isaac Bayley Balfour conducted the first scientific documentation of these trees during an East India Company expedition in 1835.
Local inhabitants extract and use the red sap from these trees for traditional medicine, dyes, and various cultural practices.
Access to the forest requires special permits and advance planning, with October to April offering the most favorable weather conditions.
The trees produce bright red sap and create natural habitats that support numerous plant species found nowhere else on Earth.
Location: Socotra Governorate
GPS coordinates: 12.49131,54.02054
Latest update: March 6, 2025 09:05
Earth presents numerous geological formations, natural phenomena, and architectural structures that stand out through their exceptional characteristics. This collection documents such sites across all continents: the Darvaza Gas Crater in Turkmenistan, burning for decades; the luminescent glowworms in New Zealand's Waitomo Caves; the terraced limestone pools of Pamukkale in Turkey; and the layered sediment patterns of The Wave in Arizona. Additional locations include the basalt columns at Bushmills in Northern Ireland, the deep blue expanse of Aokigahara Forest at the base of Mount Fuji, the Chocolate Hills in the Philippines with their conical mounds, and the acidic turquoise waters of Kawah Ijen crater lake in Indonesia. The collection also features human-made curiosities such as Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra with its spiral initiation well, the Winchester Mystery House in California with its unusual architecture, and Las Pozas in Mexico, a surrealist garden of concrete constructions in the jungle. Natural phenomena are equally represented: the Racetrack Playa in California with its moving rocks, the optical illusion of Magnetic Hill in New Brunswick, the Caño Cristales in Colombia whose riverbed appears in bright colors, and Lake Natron in Tanzania with its high alkaline content. Each location demonstrates specific geological processes, climatic conditions, or cultural developments that distinguish these places from typical travel destinations.
These trees stand as natural monuments across the globe. Some are recognized for their age, like Old Tjikko in Sweden and Methuselah in California. Others, such as General Sherman and Hyperion, set records for size and height. The collection includes cultural landmarks like the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Sri Lanka and ecological wonders like the Dragon Blood Trees of Socotra. From ancient baobabs to giant sequoias, each specimen represents botanical heritage.
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