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'Harar' (sometimes spelled 'Harrar,' 'Hārer,' or 'Harer') is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division (or ''kilil'') of Ethiopia. Located on a hilltop, in the eastern extension of the Ethiopian highlands about five hundred kilometers from Addis Ababa with an elevation of 1885 meters, this city has a latitude and longitude of .
Based on figures from the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, Harar has an estimated total population of 122,000, of whom 60,000 were males and 62,000 were females.^[1] According to the census of 1994, on which this estimate is based, the city has a population of 76,378.
For centuries, Harar has been a major commercial center, linked by the trade routes with the rest of Ethiopia, the entire Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and, through its ports, the outside world.
Harar Jugol has been included in the World Heritage List in 2004 by UNESCO in recognition of its cultural heritage.^[2] It is considered "the fourth holiest city of Islam" with 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines. ^[3]
Harar is also famous for its distinctive, natural processed coffees which bear the same name.

Contents

People

History

Attractions

Notes

Further reading

See also

External links

People

The inhabitants of Harar represent several ethnic groups, both Christian and Muslim, including Amhara, Oromo, Somali, Gurage, Tigray, and others. Nevertheless, within the walled city, the indigenous Harari are predominant. The Harari, who refer to themselves as ''Gey 'Usu'' ("People of the City") are a Semitic speaking people, once thought to be descended from an Aksumite military outpost. Today, they are most commonly classed as a social and cultural, rather than as a distinct ethnic group, since most families have intermingled with the neighboring groups, and were welcoming of foreigners into their community. Their language, Harari, constitutes a Semitic pocket in a predominantly Cushitic region. Originally written in the Arabic script, it has recently converted to the Ge'ez alphabet.

History

Called "Gey" ("the City") by its inhabitants, Harar was founded between the 7th and the 11th century (according to different sources) and emerged as the center of Islamic culture and religion in the Horn of Africa. It was part of the Adal Sultanate (at times a vassal of Ethiopia) of which it became the capital in 1520 under Abu Bakr. From Harar, Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi, also known as "Gragn the Left-handed," launched a war of conquest in the sixteenth century that extended its territory and even threatened the existence of the Christian Ethiopian empire. His successor, Emir Nur ibn Mujahid, encircled the city with a wall, 4 meters high and with five gates. This wall, called ''Jugol'', is still intact, and is a symbol of the town to the inhabitants.

The sixteenth century was the Golden Age of Harar. The local culture flourished, and many poets lived and wrote there. It also became known for coffee, weaving, basketry and bookbinding. The rulers of Harar also struck its own currency, the earliest possible issues bearing a date that may be read as AH 615 (= AD 1218/19); but definitely by AD 1789 the first coins were issued, and more were issued into the nineteenth century.^[4]
The city managed to maintain its independence until 1875, when it was conquered by Egypt. During this period, Arthur Rimbaud lived in the city - his former house now a museum. Ten years later, it regained its independence, but this lasted only two years until 6 January 1887 when the Battle of Chelenqo led to Harar's incorporation into the ''Negus'' Menelik II of Ethiopia's growing Empire based in Shewa.
Harar lost some of its commercial importance with the creation of the Addis Ababa - Djibouti Railway, initially intended to run via the city but diverted north of the mountains between Harar and the Awash River to save money. As a result of this, Dire Dawa was founded in 1902 as ''New Harar''.
In 1995 the city and its environs became an Ethiopian region (or ''kilil'') in its own right. A pipeline to carry water to the city from Dire Dawa is currently under construction.

Attractions

The old town is home to 110 mosques and many more shrines, centred on Feres Magala square. Notable buildings include Medhane Alem Cathedral and the sixteenth century Jami Mosque. There is also a market.
A long standing tradition of feeding meat to hyenas one night a year developed in the 1960s into a nightly feeding show for the benefit of tourists.

Notes

1. CSA 2005 National Statistics, Table B.4
2. Panda sanctuary, tequila area join UN World Heritage sites
3. Five new heritage sites in Africa
4. Richard R.K. Pankhurst, ''An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia'' (London: Lalibela House, 1961), p. 267.

Further reading

★ Fritz Stuber, "Harar in Äthiopien - Hoffnungslosigkeit und Chancen der Stadterhaltung" (Harar in Ethiopia - The Hopelessness and Challenge of Urban Preservation), in: ''Die alte Stadt. Vierteljahreszeitschrift für Stadtgeschichte, Stadtsoziologie, Denkmalpflege und Stadtentwicklung'' (W. Kohlhammer Stuttgart Berlin Köln), Vol. 28, No. 4, 2001, ISSN 0170-9364, pp. 324-343, 14 ill.

See also

★ List of emirs of Harar (after 1660)

★ Harar Brewery

★ Harar coffee

★ Islam in Ethiopia

External links

★ Harari portal - Gateway to Harar and Harraris on the web

★ Harari People -Harraris finder community

★ Harar and the Hayena man Performance

★ Writer Camilla Gibb's photos of Harar

★ Ethiopian Treasures - Harar City Wall

★ Map of Harar (1936)

★ Harar at the turn of the Century

★ Ras Makonnen's Vacant Mausoleum

★ Rimbaud In Harar

★ Harar Under Egyptian Rule

★ Harar in the Old Days

★ List of Emirs of Adal and Harar (complete)

★ Harari Australia portal - Gateway to Harar and Harraris on the web

★ Photos Pascal Meunier