Bab Iskender
The Bab Iskender (Template:Langx), also variously known as the Eastern Strait, the Small Strait, the Narrow Pass or the Small Pass, is the eastern section of the Bab-el-Mandeb straits, which separates Ras Menheli in Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula from Ras Siyyan in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa.
Geography
The strait is 4 miles (6.4 km) wide and 14 fathoms (26 m) deep. The Yemeni island of Perim divides the strait into two channels, Bab Iskender and Dact-el-Mayun respectively.[1]
The western section of the straits, Dact-el-Mayun, (also known as the Western Strait, the Large Strait, the Large Pass or the Wide Pass) has a width of about 15 miles (24 km) and a depth of 180 fathoms (330 m).[1] The straits are about 20 miles (32 km) wide in total.[2]
Near the African coast lies a group of smaller islands known as the Seven Brothers, which belong to Djibouti. Further along, on the Western side of the Dact-el-Mayun, is Eritrea.[3]
The island of Perim, which is owned by Yemen, is a strategic military outpost, due to the Bab-el-Mandeb's position as a shipping route which leads up to the Suez Canal.[4]
Irregular tidal streams make navigation of the Bab Iskender dangerous for ships, however it is still used for shipping, despite frequent shipwrecks in the vicinity of Perim.[5]
In 2008 a project to connect Yemen and Djibouti, crossing the Bab Iskender and Dact-el-Mayun by means of a suspension bridge, via Perim was announced. Al Noor Holding Investment Company launched the $200 billion project, however it was indefinitely delayed in 2010.[6][7]
References
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- ^ a b William James Lloyd Wharton, John Phillips (1900), The Red Sea and Gulf of Aden Pilot page 230. Great Britain Hydrographic Office.
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Key Facts about Bab-el-Mandeb Strait". Bab-el-Mandeb. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Yemen increases the defense of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait". Atalayar. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hakim, Ali A. el- (1979). The Middle Eastern States and the law of the sea. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 12. ISBN 0-7190-0711-9.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Yemen-Djibouti bridge gets go-ahead | MEED". MEED. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Parry, Max (23 December 2024). "Incredible plan to build 100 new cities starting in Africa with £100bn project". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
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