FB Pixel
Select Page

Eastern Ethiopia

The Holy City in The Horn Of Africa

Harrar is located at an altitude of 1800 metres.  Harrar is labyrinth of small streets surrounded by old walls. Its architecture reflects a strong Islamic influence. We walk past the old town and visit a house where Rimbaud has been living. Harrar has been the chosen town of the poet who settled here in order to proceed to his weapons trade destined to Emperor Menelik II. He was here in the 16th Century. Some of the Mosques in Harrar have been established since the 13th Century. Until relatively recently, Harrar has been venerated by Muslims as the centre of pilgrimage, the town being the holiest of the Horn of Africa with a great number of Mosques and Quran schools. A visit in this town includes some of these Mosques as well as few old traditional houses.