Djibouti. Not exactly the best-known country in the world, is it? What is the first thing that comes to your mind?
For me, it is Thor Heyerdahl, Norwegian explorer and adventurer who travelled the world in flimsy seagoing crafts in the footsteps – or perhaps I should say sea legs – of ancient humans. All in an effort to demonstrate that they could travel enormous distances in their simple vessels. You will have heard of the Kon-Tiki expedition: 8,000 km across the Pacific in a simple raft, followed by the Ra expedition: Africa to Barbados in a papyrus boat. You can see both these crafts in the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo.
But what does all this have to do with Djibouti? Well, one of Thor’s last adventures at sea ended unexpectedly here. He wanted to demonstrate how the Sumerians of Mesopotamia could have traded with people in India and Africa, and in November 1977, he and his crew set off from Iraq on a 6,000 km-journey to Eritrea, in a reed boat.
They travelled through the Persian Gulf, and the Arabian Sea and headed into the Gulf of Aden on the way to Eritrea, where the journey came to an abrupt end. War was raging at the Horn of Africa, and the only place they were allowed to dock, was Djibouti.
To protest against ruthless war and violence, Thor set the Tigris on fire, right here in Djibouti’s harbour.
In an open letter to Kurt Waldheim, then UN Secretary General, Thor wrote:
Today we burn our proud ship … to protest against inhuman elements in the world of 1978 … Now we are forced to stop at the entrance to the Red Sea. Surrounded by military airplanes and warships from the world’s most civilised and developed nations, we have been denied permission by friendly governments, for reasons of security, to land anywhere, but in the tiny, and still neutral, Republic of Djibouti. Elsewhere around us, brothers and neighbours are engaged in homicide with means made available to them by those who lead humanity on our joint road into the third millennium…
Port of Djibouti in the distance, one of the busiest in Africa.
Djibouti today
Bit of a lengthy intro this, to point out that little Djibouti was a beacon of peace in an otherwise turbulent part of the world. Still is, almost 50 years later.
Let’s get on with present-day Djibouti.
Djibouti may be small, but it is one of the most strategically significant countries in the world. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, just here where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden, is a global shipping gateway between the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean.
In addition to being geopolitically important, the country is also a cultural crossroads, influenced by Africa, Arabia, and France. And as if that is not enough, the country has unique, otherworldly landscapes. And that is what we are here to see, beginning with the villages in the Dikhil and the chimneylike mineral formations at Lake Abbé.
We begin our journey in this unusual little country in the Dikhil, a region in the southwestern part of Djibouti, near the border with Ethiopia. The region is known for the traditional way of life of the nomadic Afar and Issa people, Djibouti’s two major ethnic groups. Their lives revolve around livestock herding, family, traditions, and strong community bonds, and they are known for resilience, a necessary quality here in the dry desert landscape.
After a night in Hotel Gobaad in Dikhil-ville, we get up early to explore the region.
Hotel Gobaad
Hazy morning in the dry shrubland terrain of the Dikhil
We pass villages along the way –
Quiet in the noonday sun
Then, a bit further along…
These tent-like structures are family homes –
– housing parents and up to 6 children. In addition to the large common bed, there is also a small hearth.
Now in early February, the temperature has reached 30°, and even that is a bit on the hot side for me. It hardly bears thinking about, what it would be like to live here in the heat of summer, with no electricity, and the nearest water source at least one km away.
Landscapes –
– and wildlife in Djibouti’s Dikhil region
What’cha lookin’ at, hooman!
Lake Abbé and the tectonic triple junction
The Dikhil region is home to one of the least accessible parts of Earth: Lake Abbé. It is a peculiar place, this lake, strangely beautiful in a surreal kind of way. In fact, if you want to traverse a truly alien landscape, Lake Abbé is where it’s at.
The hypersaline lake is on the border between Ethiopia and Djibouti, and where three tectonic plates meet: Nubian, Arabian and Somali, each moving away from the centre. As they pull apart, the crust becomes thinner and thinner until it cracks, letting magma through. This magma heats up the water underground, which then makes its way to the surface, boiling and steaming.
We are surrounded by vast, scorched salt flats, volcanic craters, and towering, jagged chimneys that shoot steam into the air. The heat, steam, and salt crusts create a dramatic backdrop that feels somehow disconnected from the rest of the world.
It’s all very science fiction’y. Seems only appropriate then, that parts of the 1968 cult film Planet of the Apes was filmed here.
Livestock, chimneys and Lake Abbé
Dikhil at sunset
Djibouti-ville
While Mel and Ellen are exploring an even saltier lake, I am spending a day in Djibouti, capital of Djibouti. Well, most of a day anyway, after a bit of recuperation and generous Djibouti hospitality.
As it happens, the old town is just outside my hotel, the Ras-Dika. I stroll through the lively markets, stop by a cafe for a cup of Somali coffee, and generally (and somewhat lazily) take in the atmosphere.
Mukbassa Central Chez Youssuf in the old town looks plain and simple, but don’t let that fool you. This is considered one of the best restaurants in the country, famous for serving, well, Mukbassa – fish prepared Yemeni-style.
The chef is proudly showing me his massive wood-fired stone oven.
I have a look at the old Hamoudi Mosque. Built in 1897, it is the oldest in town and has room for 1,000 worshippers. The minaret looks like something out of an old-fashioned fairytale. As I pass by, the muezzin is delivering his message, loud and a bit scary-sounding. I get dirty looks and a bit of a scolding for snapping photos. But later, when I am walking with the lovely and helpful receptionist at the Ras-Dika, and they attempt more intimidation, she sternly tells them off.
I can’t help being reminded of Kardemommeby (Cardamom Town, a classic Norwegian children’s story).
But Djibouti-ville blends tradition with modernity. Just a few blocks away is the new mosque, known as the Turkish Mosque, as it was built by Türkiye. The proper name is Abdülhamid II Mosque, and capacity is six times the old one.
That’s some gorgeous architecture there, and the call to prayer sounds pleasantly melodious.
My final bit of exploring the capital is… my hotel. From the roof of the Ras-Dika, you can see what might very well be the best views in town.
Fun fact: Djibouti city is twinned with Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Ankara in Türkiye – and St Paul, Minnesota in the USA
Lake Assal
Meanwhile, Mel and Ellen have returned from Lake Assal, even saltier than Lake Abbe and Africa’s lowest point. They have also been out with whale sharks in the Gulf of Tadjoura. Check out their Instagrams (see below) for pics.
I’m kinda sorry I didn’t toughen up and came along this morning. But only kinda. When your body says, ‘take it easy today’, you listen. A lazy day of ambling about Djibouti-ville was just the ticket.
All photos by Melissa G. Mitruen, Ellen Sjølie, and myself unless otherwise noted.
Djibouti: a beacon of peace in a troubled part of the world is a post from Sophie’s World