Harar And Dire Dawa

 The Fortified Historic Town

Harar was established by Sultan Abu Beker Mohammed in 1520. Harar, the Holy City of Ethiopia’s Muslim community, is believed to be the forth-holiest city for Muslims after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. The old City Wall of Harar is the main attraction and symbol of Islamic architecture. Harar has approximately 90 mosques, which form the largest concentration of mosques in the world. At one time, non-Muslims were forbidden from the old city, but today, all visitors are most welcome to walk its alleyways with their unique homes, colorful markets, and numerous mosques. Everry night just beyond the old city’s walls, hyenas gather to be fed by a brave Harari. While tourists enjoy or may even participate in the show, the tradition actually has roots in an old belief that taking care of the hyenas would result in peace and prosperity for the city.

Dire Dawa

The area surrounding Dire Dawa has a rich wealth of pre-historic cave paintings, some of which have achieved international recognition through the efforts of the French and American Geologists that have studied them over the past 75 years.

Also of interest is the cemetery containing the remains of the British airmen and African soldiers who, during the second World War, fought beside the Ethiopian forces to liberate Ethiopia from Italian occupation.

The city also hosts a traditional market place where you can see the a colourful collection of people in cultural dress. The presence of camels, donkeys, and horse-drawn carts gives it an aura of medieval times.