Ethiopia (April-May 2012): Harar
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Harar was founded during the 16th century by a local emir, Abu Bakr.
It lies in a fertile agriculture area, where the main cultures are khat, coffee, and mangoes. It is the main center of
Ethiopia′s Muslim population and some Muslims consider it as the
4th-holiest city in the world. It is said to have the largest density of
mosques of any city in the world. However, most are small, and none has a
distinguished architecture. In fact, Harar does not
boast any impressive building. Instead, it is a dense and large maze of
small, atmospheric streets enclosed by a 3.4km-long wall with 7 gates. For
centuries it has been a major trade center and a meeting point for people
from Africa, the Arabic peninsula, and South Asia. I spent several days
watching the flow of amazing colorful people (especially women) strolling
through Harar′s market streets. Click on any photo below to get its full-resolution version. Then,
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Panoramic views |
Showa gate |
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Showa gate |
Market streets |
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Market streets |
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Market streets |
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Market streets |
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Market streets |
Erer gate |
Khat market |
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Khat market |
Small streets in Harar maze |
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Small streets in Harar maze |
Harari house (entrance
of reception room) |
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Harari house (reception room) |
Tomb of Emir Nur |
Hyena feeding |
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Hyena feeding |
Koremi (small
village southest of Harar,
populated by Argobba people) |
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Children in Koremi |
Koremi (interior
of a house) |
Somali nomads between Babile and
Jijiga |
Bee hive near Babile |
Scenery around Harar |