Harar
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Harar enclosed within the city wall, Jugol |
Harar (sometimes spelled
Harrar or
Harer) is a city in eastern
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 . According to the census of 1994, it 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 2006 by
UNESCO in recognition of its cultural heritage.
[http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19189&Cr=world&Cr1=heritage] It is considered "the fourth holiest city of
Islam" with 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines.
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/5176110.stm] [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1189] |
People in the market, Harar, Ethiopia Courtesy: http://www.whileseated.org |
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, possibly descended from an Aksumite military outpost (similar to the
Gurages). 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.
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 preserved its political and cultural independence from the rest of Ethiopia for centuries, and in
1520 it became the capital of an independent Muslim kingdom 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.
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Panorama of Harar, Ethiopia Courtesy: http://www.whileseated.org |
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.
[Richard R.K. Pankhurst, An Introduction to the Economic History of Ethiopia (London: Lalibela House, 1961), p. 267.]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.
The old town is home to ninety-nine
mosques and many more
shrines, centred on
Feres Magala square. Notable buildings include
Medhane Alem Cathedral and the
sixteenth century Jamia Mosque. There is also a
market.A long standing tradition of feeding
porridge to
hyenas one night a year developed in the
1960s into a nightly feeding show for the benefit of
tourists.
*
List of emirs of Harar (after 1660)
*
Harari portal - Gateway to Harar and Harraris on the web*
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)
