Harar

Harar

Harar is one of the old walled city. And was a major center of Islamic learning in its day. The city Was a great commercial center whose local rulers issues their own currency for at least a century. It Consists of 90 mosques and countless shrines. So, is regarded by some as the fourth most scared center of the Islamic world. Certainly after Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. It was from here, in the 16th century, that the forces of Muslim warlord Ahmed Giragn sailed forth on a jihad (or holy war) that, for a while, came close to obliterating Ethiopian Christian culture. The camping collapsed in 1543. Because Giragn was shot dead during a battle on the shores of Lake Tana. 

The Grand Mosque best express the city’s Islamic character. Which dominates the town. Built on the 16th century. Its tall white shade minarets soar skywards above a broad courtyard in which pilgrims cleanse themselves before making their devotions.

Another attraction of the town is the “Hyena Men,” who, as evening falls, set themselves up at points around the city wall. These men make their living by laying on a remarkable show, throwing meat, offal, and bones to packs of wild hyenas that come down from the surrounding hills.

Translate »