April 5 - Harar is one of the most unique and stimulating places I've ever been! This completely walled inner city, called Jugal by the locals, makes up only one square kilometer (about 3/4 mile by 3/4 mile) but possesses the following characteristics (get ready):
- 99 private and public mosques (did you know Allah has 99 different names? Coincidence?)
- more than 100 tombs of Muslim holy men
- 1 Ethiopian Orthodox Christian church, Our Savior of the World
- 1 Catholic Church
- 385 narrow - and I mean NARROW - alleys
- the ONLY place in the world where wild spotted hyenas are hand fed raw meat every night
- more than 30,000 full time residents
- the boyhood home of the beloved King Haile Selassie, who ruled Ethiopia from 1941-1974
The wall is 3.6km long, between 15 and 20 feet tall, and with only 5 openings/gates. The city was founded about 1,000 years ago by Sheik Abadir from the Arabian Penninsula. Then in 1520 the Islamic Sultan Abu Bakr of the Walasma ruling family decided to move the seat of his government to Harar.
An amazing place!!!
Thank you for these stunning pictures. We are so happy everything has gone well,
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