A religious experience
This mini mosque shares space inside a tree, in Harar, Ethiopia July 21, 2007. For 1,000 years, this city on a hilltop has been a center of Islamic faith in the Horn of Africa, with a forbidding, 4-meter (13-foot) wall surrounding ancient mosques and serpentine alleyways. (AP Photo/Anita Powell)
HARAR, Ethiopia (AP) — For 1,000 years, this city on a hilltop has been a centre of Islamic faith in the Horn of Africa, with a forbidding, four-metre wall surrounding ancient mosques and serpentine alleyways.
Now, Harar leaders are hoping it can become a centre of tourism as well.
“The future of Harar is tourist attraction,” said regional president Murad Abdulhadi.
Harar was named a UNESCO World Heritage site last year, joining some of the worldÂ’s top landmarks such as the Grand Canyon in the United States, the Great Wall of China and the Acropolis in Greece.
It is also the fourth holiest city in Islam — behind Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. And some consider Harar the birthplace of coffee. Its aroma wafts through the cool air of the Ethiopian highlands.
Popularity: 83% [?]