Harar: Alleys, Museums and Culture

Harar combines a distinctive landscape with an old town whose narrow alleys and striking façades reveal a long urban history. Museums, shrines, a cultural festival and activity in the marketplaces each offer a different perspective. As you plan, consider which aspects of Harar interest you most—this can help you tailor your search for a holiday apartment to the kind of trip you have in mind.

Harar Jugol: A Cityscape on the Plateau

The fortified historic city of Harar lies on a plateau with deep gorges, surrounded by desert and savanna. Even today, the urban layout of Harar Jugol follows a 16th-century design. Commercial and religious buildings stand in the centre, alongside narrow alleys lined with distinctive façades. Together, these elements make the city’s layout an important part of the Harar experience: it is not just about individual sights, but also the succession of central buildings, narrow streets and characterful house fronts.

If you are particularly interested in the historic cityscape, you can focus your exploration on these features. If you would rather combine different themes, you will also find museums, religious buildings and cultural traditions alongside the architecture. Tours of Harar Jugol can be arranged through hotels or at the central Tourist Information Office. Ask locally about current availability.

Museums and Historic Buildings

The Harar Community Centre Museum contains a replica of a traditional gey gar, a Harari house decorated with hundreds of historical artefacts. The Sherif Harari City Museum, meanwhile, is housed in a two-storey mansion with broad balconies. Emperor Haile Selassie spent much of his childhood in this house. The two houses therefore offer different points of interest: one focuses on the representation of a traditional home and its artefacts, while the other highlights the architecture of a mansion and its historical connection.

The Arthur Rimbaud Museum displays exhibits about the poet as well as monochrome photographs of the city from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This offers a view of Harar through both a literary figure and historical cityscapes. If you are interested in visual impressions, you can make the photographs a focus in their own right, alongside the buildings and collections. Another striking place is the domed Awaach of Amir Nur, one of 438 shrines in the old town of Harar Jugol. The minaret of Al-Jami Mosque dates from the 1760s.

Traditions and Special Experiences

Shewal Eid is a Harari cultural festival celebrated on the eighth day of the month of Shewal and lasting 24 hours. At dusk, the hyena men appear in Harar to feed wild hyenas.

The wider Harari destination also has its own cultural connection: Shuwalid is an annual three-day festival of the Harari people. It is celebrated at the shrines of Aw Shulum Ahmed and Aw Akebara, at the main entrance gates of the walled city of Harar. Shuwalid and Shewal Eid are distinct descriptions of festivals, each with its own timeframe. When planning your trip, it is therefore worth keeping their respective names and details separate.

Market Life and Choosing the Right Holiday Apartment

At Harar’s marketplaces, local women sell tropical fruit. This glimpse of market life adds an everyday aspect to the city’s historical and cultural impressions. Together with the museums, shrines and alleys, it offers a range of themes around which you can plan your days—without needing to give every interest equal priority.

Your planned itinerary is a helpful starting point when choosing a holiday apartment: Would you mainly like to explore Harar Jugol’s cityscape, visit museums, discover cultural traditions or leave time for a variety of experiences? First decide on your priorities, then tailor your search to the places and activities you plan to visit.

For the broader travel overview: East Hararghe.