There are some images that just capture your imagination. Harar has a long history of politics and religion. Situated in eastern Ethiopia, Harar has for a long time, been a place in which Christianity and Islam have coexisted in harmony. Today Harar is a sprawling city, the old city walls barely contain the street stalls and markets and even in the early hours of the morning, the place is bustling with people.
For the most part, the city walls are still in tact around the old city of Harar. The old city is comprised of stone and stuccoed buildings brightly painted with turquoises, bright whites and vibrant pinks. Wooden balconies stick out over the street and the old city has a feeling of straddling Africa and Arabia. All of Harar really has this feeling, for it served as a major commercial center between African and Arabian trade routes.
Harar was exotic. There’s no other way to put it. Even today, although Danny was terribly sick in Harar, my imagination runs wild when I think of the city where I fed hyenas, drank a pint of beer for $.05, and explored a maze of painted buildings.
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IF YOU GO: We spent only two nights in Harar since we had to get back to Addis Abba for our passports. That was enough time to see the major sites, but we probably could have spent another day in the surrounding area going to smaller villages and seeking out the famous feral horses. Harar is about 8 hours by bus from Addis Abba, but feels like a world away. The accommodation options were not great, although we later learned that many homes in the old city rent rooms, which would have made for a more interesting and pleasant experience. There are lots of Ethiopian tour companies that will take you to Harar. If you’re more interested in traveling in Arabia, a more adventurous way would be to start your holidays in Dubai, work your way across the Arabian peninsula, cross the sea to Djibouti and overland to Harar.
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