Harer is presented as a holy city for Ethiopian Muslims and as the fourth most important city of Islam. Founded in the twelfth century, it became a base for Ahmed Gragn’s invasions, was captured by Egypt in 1875, and was incorporated into Menelik II’s rule in 1887.
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The Story
Harer is described as a holy city for Ethiopian Muslims and as the fourth most important city of Islam. Within its walls stood ninety mosques, giving the city a strong religious identity. Its markets, located both inside and outside the walls, made it a lively center of exchange as well as devotion.
The city was founded in the twelfth century. In 1520, the Muslim invader Ahmed Gragn captured Harer and used it as a base for invasions covering large portions of Ethiopia. This episode placed the city within the military and political struggles that shaped the eastern highlands and the wider Ethiopian region.
Harer changed hands again in the modern period. Egyptian forces captured it in 1875, while Menelik II took control in 1887 and appointed Ras Makonnen, the father of Haile Selassie, as governor. The extract also associates the city with the French poet Rimbaud, who lived there as a trader, and with distinctive evening practices involving the feeding of wild hyenas.
Harer is presented as a holy city for Ethiopian Muslims and as the fourth most important city of Islam. Founded in the twelfth century, it became a base for Ahmed Gragn’s invasions, was captured by Egypt in 1875, and was incorporated into Menelik II’s rule in 1887.
Continue exploring
The Story
Harer is described as a holy city for Ethiopian Muslims and as the fourth most important city of Islam. Within its walls stood ninety mosques, giving the city a strong religious identity. Its markets, located both inside and outside the walls, made it a lively center of exchange as well as devotion.
The city was founded in the twelfth century. In 1520, the Muslim invader Ahmed Gragn captured Harer and used it as a base for invasions covering large portions of Ethiopia. This episode placed the city within the military and political struggles that shaped the eastern highlands and the wider Ethiopian region.
Harer changed hands again in the modern period. Egyptian forces captured it in 1875, while Menelik II took control in 1887 and appointed Ras Makonnen, the father of Haile Selassie, as governor. The extract also associates the city with the French poet Rimbaud, who lived there as a trader, and with distinctive evening practices involving the feeding of wild hyenas.