Hajhir Mountains

The granite spires of the Hajhir massif are located in the hinterland of Soqotra and are most easily accessed via the valley approaches north of the coastal town of Hadibo. The ultra-high point of the range is the high peak of Mashanig which lies at approximately 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level. Other peaks of local prominence include Girhimitin, Hazrat Muqadriyoun and Herem Hajhir.

The name "Hajhir" (Soqotri: هَجْهِر), sometimes transliterated as "Hagghier" or "Hagher" in English,[2] likely derives from the Arabic "ḥijr" (حِجْر, meaning "stone"). Other possible origins of the range's name include the word "hajar" (Arabic: هجر‎, meaning "to flee").

The name "Mashanig" (Soqotri: مَشَنِغ, meaning "the split one"), likely derives from the Arabic verb "inshaq" (إِنْشَق, meaning "to split"), from which one gets the word "munshuq" (مُنْشُق, meaning "splittist").

Bedouin goatherds have a long history of climbing in the Hajhir. A 2014 study of Soqotri oral storytelling traditions revealed that a number of popular myths recount ascents throughout the range by local goatherds. According to the anthropologist Christopher Elliott, many accounts demonstrate a strong oral chain of transmission that links mythical characters with actual pre-modern ascents.[3]

• Socotra Island xeric shrublands
• Hadhramaut Mountains
• Sarawat Mountains
  • Haraz Mountains