Cape Guardafui

Cape Guardafui is a promontory with a lighthouse in eastern Somalia that projects into the Arabian Sea.
The Guardafui Strait is the Sea between Cape Guardafui and the archipelago of Socotra, lying 150 miles (240km) to the east of the Cape.

Cape Guardafui is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as the ‘Aromata promontorium’, and it mentions ‘Mount Felix’ which is probably Ras Filuk.
Strabo referred to an ‘Elephas Mons’ meaning ‘Cape Elephant’, which is also probably the mountain of Ras Filuk.

Ras Filuk, meaning ‘Head of the Elephant’, is a distinctive mountain rising from the sea, 45 miles (60km) to the west of Cape Guardafui, which is clearly visible to vessels rounding the Cape.
Another Promontory, Ras Hafun, which lies 98 miles (157km) to the south, is the easternmost point of Africa.

To the west of the Strait lies Cape Guardafui
To the east lies the Socotra Archipelago of four islands. Socotra is the biggest island.
Halfway between Socotra and Cape Guardafui lies the island of Abd al Kuri, which has fresh water. To the east of it is Samhah, then Darsan which is uninhabited.
Northwest of Socotra lie two islets known as the ‘White Rocks’.
The Somali Coast south of Cape Guardafui is a lee shore, depending on the currents and winds, and shipwrecks were frequent in the Ancient World.

The Somali Current follows the prevailing Monsoon wind but despite this, it flows north in the Guardafui Strait due to the presence of the Great Whirl.

Cape Guardafui, Somalia