Tag it:

Harar, locaed about 523 kilometers (324 miles) from Addis Ababa, in many aspects stands out in historical splendour, considering modern Ethiopian history, as we will further entail, and has also managed preserve many of it's historical heritages.

Harer

Harar has been a major commercial center

The old town is home to 110 mosques

Ras Mekonnen's Statue

Beautiful hareri home

What immediately catches the eye when one visit Harar is the old walled-city, locally known as Jegol. This old city was officially founded by Amir Abu Beker, who moved his capital from Dakar, site of an older nearby settlement. Amir ruled for a very short period of five years and was murdered by Ahmed Ibrahim al Ghazi, popularly known as Ahmed the Left-Handed (Grang). The credit of erecting the strong walls encircling the city goes to Nur ibn al-Wazir Mujahid, nephew of Ahmed Grang, to defend the city against the then advancing Oromo warriors.

Harar remained an independent, theocratic state, until, it was occupied in 1875 by the Egyptians, who killed its ex-ruler, Amir Abd al-Shakur. The Egyptian rule lasted only a decade, after which Amir Abdullahi took over, only to be defeated in 1887 by King (later Emperor) Menelik, after which Harar became an integral part of the Ethiopian Empire. The town was an important trading center, with its own currency and with a population trading far and wide, particularly traveling as far as Egypt, India and close-by Arabia, while others engaged in agriculture, growing excellent coffee, as well as the mild stimulant chat.

The city was renowned for Islamic scholarship and the production of a sizeable Islamic literature, a culture that is still alive and well. Jegol is also known for the beautiful handicrafts, including weaving, basketry, and bookbinding.

After the city was incorporated into the Ethiopian Empire, its first ruler was Ras Makonnen, Menelik's cousin and the father of the late Emperor Haile Selassie, who himself was born in the town of Ejersa Goro, in the vicinity of Harar, and who was also its one time governor.

For all the fame Harar once had, however, the building of the Djibouti-Addis Ababa railway, which was originally planned to pass through the city, was diverted to Dire Dawa, thereby adversely affecting Harar and giving the former town a commercial advantage over the latter.

Places of interest in the city include, to begin with, the centuries-old walls themselves, still as impressive as they had been. Once in the city, of interest also are Ras Makonnen's stately old palace and the Jami Mosque, which dates back to the 17th century. (Note: Women are not allowed to enter the Mosque, and photography is not permitted either.) Another attraction, of course is the legendary Rimbaud House (restored to its original appearance recently), said (incorrectly, but none the less fascinating) to have once been the French poet's residence.

On the north side of the town, where the Muslim Market is situated, one finds the white, mosque-like tomb of Abu Said Ali, an early Muslim religious leader of the town, beneath which it is said to be a well which can provide water for the entire town in case of siege.

Hyena man

One incredibly fascinating (maybe even chilling, to some and hypnotizing to others) attraction is the all-too-real "evening get-together" of hyenas, with their awesome jaws strong enough to crush an elephant's leg bones, and "hyena men". As evening falls, these hyena men set themselves at points along the outskirts of the walled city.

Doing what?

The remarkable show of feeding the hyenas flocking from the surrounding hills, each responding to a name the particular hyena man chants. What is perhaps more chilling than fascinating to spectators is the fact that the hyena men use not just their hands to feed the hyenas, but also their teeth from in between which the hyenas efficiently clear the meat or the bone without even brushing the men's faces. Dangerous but true!