Harar: Ethiopia’s walled city
A guide to Harar — the old walled town of Harar Jugol, its mosques and markets, and the famous hyena feeding.
Harar feels unlike anywhere else in Ethiopia. Its walled old town, Harar Jugol, is a dense maze of narrow alleys, brightly painted houses and busy markets, packed with mosques and shrines — a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the east of the country.
The old town
Wandering the Jugol is the main pleasure: colourful lanes, traditional Harari houses, spice and textile markets, and gateways in the old walls. It is a place to slow down and get lost for a few hours.
The hyena men
After dark, just outside the walls, local "hyena men" hand-feed wild hyenas that come in from the hills — a genuinely unusual tradition that visitors can watch and, if brave, join. It is one of Harar’s signature experiences.
Also worth seeing
- The house associated with the French poet Arthur Rimbaud, who lived here in the 1880s.
- Harari coffee — the surrounding region is famous for it.
Harar is reached via nearby Dire Dawa. Browse places to stay in Harar in or beside the old walled city.