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Exotic Harar,
Ethiopia's Walled City
 Within
Harar are a bustling 33,000 or so Hararis or Adaris
(other groups don't live within the walls) in a
square km or two. Despite the numbers, most streets
aren't crowded and it is quite relaxed. Just
wandering through the narrow pathways bracketed by
high whitewashed walls is worth the visit. The
special sites in Harar are the House of Arthur
Rimbaud, the French poet and arms dealer, the
ancient mosque of Abul Bakir, and the gates of the
city. There is unfortunately dilapidated mansion in
which the Emperor Haile Selassie grew up as
well.
The House of
Rimbaud (right) is being renovated with the help of
UNESCO, making slow but impressive progress until
it was recently stopped by a shortage of funds. It
is a great two storey affair with plenty of Indian
woodwork and art deco wallpaper. It has a wonderful
indoor balcony at the top. From the windows you can
almost see all four directions over Harar. On the
first floor through another entrance you can see
the restoration underway on the old library. While
this is styled as Rimbauds' House, the other story
is that it was a French school at which Rimbaud
taught. Regardless it is fantastic. It brings to
mind the period of French ascendancy in Ethiopia,
which is still highly visible. The French
connection here is strong, the language is quite
common and even the all pervasive 'Ferengi' for
foreigner is an Amharic corruption of 'French'.
French support for Ethiopia from the 1880s to World
War I included the building of the
railroad.
  The
mosque of Sheikh Abul Bakir reminds you of the
Moslem heritage of Harar (there are 87 mosques in
Harar). Abul Bakirí's mosque is built on
ancient remains which reputedly date back 1000
years. It is a holy site for the Moslem population,
who visit in large numbers, attended by the current
descendant Sheikh. There are seven gates to old
Harar, and AABD will show you them all if you give
him the time. The most famous is the one you drive
through coming into the old town. Many of the
others have been bricked in or replaced by modern
roads.
One gate our guide
will show you is the one through which the explorer
Richard Burton passed in 1855. He was reputedly the
first European to come to Harar.
Adaris are
justifiably proud of their houses, which are all
solid and square, behind walls in a small compound.
They have a large sitting area for socializing over
coffee or chat (more on this later). They have
loads of colorful baskets and Chinese platters on
the walls. They are focused on marriage - there is
a rack over the front door which holds a valuable
rug or rugs which are the dowry for the eligible
young lady in the house. They have a room near the
entrance which is kept for newlyweds, who are
expected to get acquainted through being kept there
for a week after their marriage. A small opening is
used to pass in food and other necessities. I
always wondered how they went to the
toilet.
Apart from the
regular houses, AABD will show you places which
sell the famous Harar baskets and jewelry. The
baskets are a bit pricey, but very nice. No foreign
resident of Ethiopia should leave without them as
souvenirs. There is an odd shaped tubular basket
which they use for covering candles. I rudely call
them a Harar condom. They also do nice silver
bracelets and earrings. The Adder are amongst the
most prosperous and educated of Ethiopian peoples.
They are traders. They suffered under the Communist
Dergue. They are prospering again. There are also a
lot of Amhara people in Harar, but much of the town
and all of the surrounding countryside is
Oromo.
Outside of the old
town, there is still a lot to see in Harar. There
are the buildings of the Harar Military College.
There are numerous public buildings and churches.
My favorite stop, however, is the Harar beer
factory. I had planned to go to the beer factory
for a long time before I got around to it.
Excerpt
from a longer article supplied by John Graham. a
Canadian living in Ethiopia. Photo by Karen
Hoffman, ATA New York
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