A. V. SARABYEV Candidate of Historical Sciences Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yemen Keywords:. Socotra, social structure, cultural dynamics, islamizania The author was able to observe the life of Socotrians while working on the island as part of the Russian integrated expedition in the Republic of Yemen*, the Socotri detachment of which is led by the Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences V. V. Naumkin* * - the author of a number of books about Socotra, who began in 1974 to study in detail the culture and language of Untouched by mainland civilization, an archipelago in the Arabian Sea inhabited by a people who speak a unique unwritten language, the "island of sorcerers", the birthplace of the mysterious" dragon tree " Dam al-Ahawain***, a land without predators and weapons... Such and similar characteristics of Socotra Island, located 300 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula and 200 kilometers east of the Horn of Africa, can be found in travel guides and popular publications. Islam, which has been the official religion of the island's population since the 16th century, has not been able to supplant the Socotrians ' peculiar ideas about the world and their traditions, which are closely related to their original beliefs and rituals. The Arabic language and culture, the mentality of the inhabitants of the South Arabian deserts and oases, their warlike disposition and special code of conduct - all this was quite alien to the Socotrians, who had an ancient and original culture. A peculiar conservation of Socotra society was observed in the second half of the XX century. Yemen, which included the Sultanate of Socotra in one way or another, did not have a noticeable impact on the culture and lifestyle of Socotrians. Since 1967, the island as an administrative unit was part of the NDRJ****, and then, since 1990, it has been part of the United Republic of Yemen, and the island is divided into ... Read more