Ashrafi Islands

On 26 October 1973, the 28,748-ton tanker Siris, chartered by Israel and sailing under the Liberian flag, was travelling empty through the Strait of Gubal when she struck a mine, ran aground near the Ashrafi lighthouse and later sank in deeper water. The remains of the Star of Rawiah are becoming part of the reef, with many fish and invertebrates living in and around them. The lighthouse on the Ashrafi Islands was established in 1862, and the current tower, made of brick with black and white bands, dates from 1940 and was refurbished in 1987. The old iron tower, inactive since 1940, stands about 400 m to the north. There were already oil fields in the region in August 1914: that month, the steamer Zietieh was loading spares at Suez for the oil fields of Ashrafi, Quisum and Ganim.