"Although Dire Dawa is now Ethiopia's second city in size, it was not what I had come to see. The purpose of my excursion was to visit the hitoric city of Harar, another 33 miles by road into the hills. Despite having to squeeze onto the bus, and the fact that it was a steep climb up the escarpment of the Rift Valley, because this must have been one of the best kept stretches of road in the country, it was a fairly smooth ride and only took an hour, reaching Harar by midday.
Harar is the capital and administrative centre for the Harari Region. Though an ancient city, Harar did not come into prominence 'till the 11th century, when it became an important centre for the Islamic faith, and by the 18th century had developed into the 4th most important city in the Islamic world.
Above, this painting of an attractive little mosque that was on the outskirts of the city. Harar is reputed to have around 98 mosques , though this is not particularly obvious when one walks around." - MH
