hARAR, THE EASTERN CIVILIZATION
The medieval city of Harrar stands amid green mountains on the east wall of the Great Rift Valley near the Somali border. Harrar’s heritage is almost entirely Muslim and oriental with its 90 mosques and shrines.
Harrar is considered to be the fourth most sacred centre of the Islamic world. Harrar is the labyrinth of Small Street surrounded by old city walls. Its architecture reflects a strong Islamic influence. Exploration of the old city includes the Harrer Museum, Rimbaud House, the 16th century grand mosque with its elegant twin towers, the church of Medhanialem, which houses a gallery with traditional religious artworks, the tomb of Abu Said an early Muslim ruler, and the colorful Shoa gate Market once can shop indigenous handcrafts and jewelers. In the evening, you visit the existing attraction known as “the Hyena Man show” where you would get a chance to feed hyenas.
An hour drive from Harrar is Dire Dawa which is Ethiopia’s second largest city and a historic railway hub. That conned Djibouti to Addis Ababa. On your way to Dire Dawa, you can visit the Awaedai “chat “Market. “Chat” is a leafy stimulant plant when it is chewed and it is widely consumed in this region.