Highlights: Harar, Eastern Region of Ethiopia

About Harar

Home to Ethiopia’s Islamic community, Harar is said to be the fourth holiest Islamic city after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. The walled city, Harar Jugol, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has the greatest concentration of mosques: 1 per 110m.

According to legend, 43 holy men came from Arabia in the 10^th century, bringing with them the ways of Islam. Sheikh Aba Dir, despite being the youngest, was recognised as the holiest because of the many miracles he accomplished; under his leadership, Harar attained its name and its sacred status. Other tales suggest Harar was a settlement – either Christian or Muslim – from as early as the 7^th century. The town leapt to bloody notoriety in the 16^th century, when led by Ahmed Gragn into war with the Christian Ethiopians and Portuguese led by the son of Vasco da Gama. The Muslim Christian War took such heavy toll on both sides that it left room for the Pagan Oromo to expand out of the Rift Valley into the areas left desecrated.

Remarkably for a town with such a violent past, Harar is an attractive, welcoming and cosmopolitan town. The alleyways of the walled city are filled with markets, mosques, traditional houses, museums and, perhaps more surprisingly, bars. The explorer Richard Burton, the first non-Muslim to enter the town, is commemorated, as is the French poet Arthur Rimbaud who lived for many years in Harar. With 5 doors in its walls representing the 5 pillars of Islam and the 5 prayers in a day, and 6,666 verses of the Koran carved into its structures, the walled town is a fascinating place to wander and explore.

The modern town that has grown up around the Harar Jugol has several successful industries including coffee, beer and khat. And at dusk, on the outskirts of the city, the notorious hyena men feed the wild hyenas; visitors are welcome to watch or participate.

Nearby Dira Diwa is Ethioipia’s 2^nd largest city and home to the region’s airport. Several caves around the city are adorned with prehistoric rock art thought to be 5,000 years old.