# Hoq Cave

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Cave on Socotra, Yemen

Hoq Cave Location on Socotra Show map of Yemen Hoq Cave (Horn of Africa) Show map of Horn of Africa 12°35′11″N 54°21′15″E / 12.58639°N 54.35417°E / 12.58639; 54.35417 Location Yemen Region Socotra Archipelago

The **Hoq Cave** or **Hawk Cave** ([Arabic](/source/Arabic_language): كهف حوق) is a [limestone](/source/Limestone) cave on the island of [Socotra](/source/Socotra), Yemen. It is located in the *Hala* spot approximately 1.5 km from the north-eastern coast, facing the open sea to northeast. Clearly visible from the sea, but difficult to access, it is situated at an altitude of 350 m. The about-2-km-deep cave has a main passage with a mean width of 50 m and a mean height of 20 m. Sunlight reaches about 200 m from the entrance. The temperature is constant during the year and varies between 25 and 27 °C, with a humidity higher than 95%.[1]

All sorts of [speleothems](/source/Speleothem), where numerous endemic [troglobionts](/source/Troglofauna) are living, can be found along the way into the cave.

A range of [epigraphy](/source/Epigraphy) from the 1st to the 6th century CE has been recorded in the back part of the cave, placing Socotra as a major hub in the overseas trading links in ancient times, where merchants from all coasts of the northern [Indian Ocean](/source/Indian_Ocean) were brought together.[2]

## Protection

The cave is a protected area under the law. To conserve the cave, a pathway has been constructed. The end of the cave is still under study for future archaeological investigations.[3] In some occasions visitors started to feel chest pain and some even spew after going a little deeper into the cave. It is unclear what is the cause of this.[4]

## Description

In 2001, a group of Belgian speleologists from the Socotra Karst Project mapped and investigated the cave, finding numerous [graffitis](/source/Graffiti) and drawings on speleothems and floors.[5][6] Subsequent research concluded that they were the work of navigators or merchants who visited the island at the beginning of the first millennium. The corpus of inscriptions is in [Indian Brahmi](/source/Brahmi_script), [South Arabic](/source/Ancient_South_Arabian_script), [Ethiopian Geʽez](/source/Ge%CA%BDez_script), [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek), [Palmyrene](/source/Palmyrene_alphabet), and [Bactrian](/source/Bactrian_language) scripts.[7] All the inscriptions are rather short, containing personal names, hometowns, professions, or ethnic and religious affiliations.[8]

## Gallery of speleothems

## See also

- [Tablet De Geest](/source/Tablet_De_Geest)

- [History of Socotra](/source/History_of_Socotra)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [Exploring the Hoq Cave](https://socotradvisor.com/exploring-caves/) Retrieved 17 February 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Evers, Kasper (2014–15). ["Cave of Revelations: Indian Ocean Trade in light of the Socotran Graffiti"](https://www.academia.edu/29295757). *Journal of Indian Ocean Archaeology*. 10–11: 19–37.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Strauch, Ingo (2019). *Buddhism in the West? Buddhist Indian Sailors on Socotra (Yemen) and the Role of Trade Contacts in the Spread of Buddhism, In: Buddhism and the Dynamics of Transculturality*. De Gruyter. pp. 15–52. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9783110411539](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9783110411539).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdPiTOrRfwc&t=1720s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdPiTOrRfwc&t=1720s)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["La grotte sanctuaire de Suqutra"](https://www.archeologia-magazine.com/numero-396/l-alimentation-cyclades.1623.php). *Archéologia* (in French). **396**. January 2003.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Robin, C.; Gorea, M. (January 2002). ["Les vestiges antiques de la grotte de Hôq (Suqutra, Yémen) (note d'information)"](https://www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_2002_num_146_2_22441). *Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres* (in French). **146** (2): 409–445. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3406/crai.2002.22441](https://doi.org/10.3406%2Fcrai.2002.22441).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Bukharin, Mikhail D.; De Geest, Peter; Dridi, Hédi; Gorea, Maria; Jansen Van Rensburg, Julian; Robin, Christian Julien; Shelat, Bharati; Sims-Williams, Nicholas; Strauch, Ingo (2012). *Foreign Sailors on Socotra. The inscriptions and drawings from the cave Hoq*. Bremen: Dr. Ute Hempen Verlag. p. 592. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-3-934106-91-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-934106-91-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Bukharin, Mikhail; Strauch, Ingo (2004). ["Indian Inscriptions from the Cave Hoq on Suqutra (Yemen)"](https://www.academia.edu/29295757). *Annali Istituto Universitario Orientale*. **64**: 121–138.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Hoq Cave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoq_Cave) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoq_Cave?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.