Harar

For centuries, Harar has been a major commercial centre, linked by trade routes between Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. It is also known in Arabic as the City of Saints.

According to Sir Richard Burton, Harar is the birthplace of the khat plant. The original domesticated coffee plant is also said to have originated in Harar.

In 2007 the six largest ethnic groups reported in Harar were the Amhara (41%), the Oromo (28%), the Harari (12%), the Gurage (3%), the Somali (7%), and the Tigrayans (3%).  Amharic was spoken as a first language by 49% of city inhabitants, Oromo by 24%, Harari by 12%, and Somali by 7%. It is home to about 157,000 people (2022)

Residents of Harar are friendly even by Ethiopian standards. The best thing you can do is at a minimum learn the gender-neutral Amharic word for hello: selam (or selam-new). You will use it a lot. If you are easily recognizable as a foreigner (farangi in Amharic), walking one city block you can expect:

• 5-10 people greeting you
• 1-2 people stopping you to ask where you're from
• 1 person walking with you and making conversation
• 0.5-1 people offering their services as a tour guide or general fixer (usually in a genial, non-pushy way)
• 0.5-1 children following you repeating the word "money" ad infinitum

Be sure to allocate extra time for these interactions, although in Harar you are unlikely to be going anywhere in a hurry. Harar is small and you are likely to see the same people over and over again, so keep that in mind before blowing someone off.

Throughout the year, afternoon temperatures are warm to very warm, whilst mornings are cool to mild. Rain falls between March and October with a peak in August, whilst November to February is usually dry.

• Harar Tourism website

Harar is not the easiest city to reach; budget transportation options involve long hours and/or cramped conditions. For maximum comfort (and cost) from Addis Ababa, fly to Dire Dawa and have a hotel there arrange private car transport to Harar.

There is bus service from Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa and Jijiga.

• From Addis Ababa, the Selam Bus Company bus leaves around 4:30-5:30 in the morning and takes about 11 hours. It arrives at the 1 Selam Bus Station about 500 metres west of the Harar Gate.
• From Dire Dawa there are minibuses for 150 birr (2025). The trip takes about 1-1.5 hours and arrives at the 2 Bus Station (western) just outside the Harar Gate.
• If you somehow find yourself in Jijiga, the minibus from there costs 300 birr (officially in 2025; in reality you’ll likely be asked for 400) and takes 2-2.5 hours. It arrives at the 3 Eastern Bus Station about 4 kilometres southeast of the Jugol.

Minibus prices are regulated by the government. There will be many checkpoints along the way and if you find a transportation (not military) official who speaks English you may ask them the correct price to see if you’ve been overcharged (you will almost invariably have been). From Dire Dawa a government agent will likely collect your fare at the beginning of your route, but then the driver/conductor will add various service charges (e.g. for luggage). You may notice them doing this to locals also so it is your call whether to kick up a fuss.

If the bus from Addis Ababa sounds uncomfortable (it is), alternatively you can take the overnight train from southern outskirts of Addis Ababa to the Dire Dawa station (about 10km west of the city), and then take a bajaj to the minibus station in Dire Dawa where the minibuses depart for Harar (your bajaj driver will know where to go). If the short minibus ride also sounds uncomfortable, see below about hiring a private car from Dire Dawa. Regardless, consider breaking the trip up with a hotel stay in Dire Dawa.

Harar is 54 km by asphalt road from Dire Dawa. In Dire Dawa you can hire a private taxi to take you to Harar for around 5000 birr (as of 2025; ask at a hotel).

Harar is served by Dire Dawa International Airport. From the airport you need to take a shared taxi to the minibus station where the minibuses depart for Harar.

Auto rickshaws ("bajaji" in Ethiopia) are readily available. Flag one down pretty much anywhere. There is no need to take them around the Jugol as it is very walkable.

The main entry into the Jugol is the 1 Harar Gate at its western end. The other gates are:

• 2 Fallana Gate to the north
• 3 Argoba Gate to the east
• 4 Sukutat Gate to the southeast
• 5 Bedri Gate to the southwest
• 6 Shoa Gate, a pedestrian-only gate just south of the Harar Gate

The old town is home to ninety-nine mosques and many more shrines, centered on 1 Feres Magala square.

• 2 Abdela Sherif Museum. Located in a mansion where Haile Selassie lived as a child. Better to have a guide for this one to explain the dusty artifacts. 200 birr. (updated Nov 2025)
• 3 Rimbaud's House and Museum. A mansion that once housed the renowned French poet Arthur Rimbaud now converted to a museum. 100 birr. (updated Nov 2025)
• 4 St. Mary Catholic Church (Harar Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Name of Mary) (Walking east down the main street in the old town, turn left immediately after the Jamia Mosque, and then take the next right. The church is behind a large unmarked solid metal gate.). One of two churches in the Jugol. Has an impressive carved wood door. (updated Nov 2025)
• 5 Medhane'alem Church (Medhane Alem Cathedral). A beautiful Ethiopian Orthodox cathedral on the Feres Magala square. (updated Nov 2025)
• 6 Jamia Mosque (Grand Mosque of Harar). At the centre of the Jugol. Only Muslims may enter.  (updated Nov 2025)
• 7 Awaach of Amir Nur (Emir Nur's Tomb) (Heading east on the main road through the Jugol, turn left before the hospital). A domed shrine for the 16th-century Emir of Harar. (updated Nov 2025)
• 8 Harari National Museum. Displays artifacts of the region. Its gate is locked as of 2025, although the signs are still up and it appears well maintained. Across the street are mansions that belonged to Haile Selassie's family. (updated Nov 2025)

• 1 Spice market (exit the Jugol at the Harar Gate and walk south about 300 metres). Has a huge variety of coffee and spices and is worth a visit. (updated Nov 2025)
• 2 Cloth market (look for sewing machines lining the alleys between Feres Magala and Gidir Magala). Wonderful handmade traditional fabric and clothing, along with some Asian imports around the outskirts. (updated Nov 2025)
• 3 Khat market. The drug of choice for pretty much everyone in the region, the first step to trying khat is buying it. Be discerning or hire someone who can discern for you. (updated Nov 2025)

• 4 Grocery store (exit the Harar Gate and look to the next corner on your right). A medium-sized grocery store. (updated Nov 2025)
• 5 Late-night street vendors (exit the Harar Gate and turn left). Vendors crowd around the westbound minibus station just south of the Harar Gate, in case you're in a pinch. (updated Nov 2025)