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Harar

A smooth 54 km drive from Dire Dawa through rolling fertile hills takes you to Harar, glistening 1850 m up on a hillside. The high stone walls of the city pierced with five gates and topped by twenty five towers. En route there is an interesting scenic view.

The medieval walled city of Harar stands amid green mountains, on the east wall of the Great Rift Valley near the Somali border. Harar’s heritage is almost entirely Muslim and Oriental; with its 90 mosques and shrines. Harar is considered to be the fourth most sacred center of the Islamic world. Its Islamic character is best expressed in the Grand Mosque (AL JAMI), which dominates the town. Rightly renowned for its intricately worked filigree jewelry of Silver, Gold, and Amber.

Harar’s Megalo Gugo Market; is also a center for beautiful baskets of woven grass, decorative wall-mats and bright shawls, as well as all the fruit, vegetables, spices and grains of province. Harar’s five gates- the only means to enter or leave the city center-have been guarded over the years. One of the gates of the city happens to be the impressive ‘Shawa Gate’. For centuries it has served as a bridgehead for the entry of Islamic ideas into Africa from the nearby Arabian Peninsula.

In the evening you will visit the most enduring attraction “a hyena man show” where you can get a chance to stretch out your hands to feed hyenas by your own.

Sightseeing: Exploration of the old Walled town of Harar includes; the Harari Museum, Rimbaud House, the 16th century grand Mosque with its elegant twin towers and slender minaret, the church of Medhane Alem, which houses a gallery with traditional religious art works, the tomb of Abu Said an early Muslim ruler, and the colorful Shoa Gate Market where one can Shop indigenous handicrafts and jewelries. And, recently UNESCO registers Gegol with in the wall of Harar as a world heritage site. In addition to these visit the coffee factory.

In the evening visit the most enduring attraction “a hyena man show” where you can get a chance to stretch out your hands to feed hyenas by your own.

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