Harer


Harer:

see HararHarar
or Harrar
, city (1994 pop. 76,378), capital of Harar region, E central Ethiopia, at an altitude of c.6,000 ft (1,830 m). It is the trade center for a region where coffee, cereals, and cotton are produced. Harar was probably founded in the 7th cent.
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Harer (Ethiopia)

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

Harer, a small city in eastern-central Ethiopia, is the primary Islamic pilgrimage site on the continent of Africa. As a settlement, it appears to date to the seventh century CE. The entrance of Islam into Harer is attributed to Shaykh Abadir, who in the tenth century established Islam with the assistance of forty-four saints. In 1520 the city was captured by Ahmad Gran (1506–1543), a Somali empire builder, who made it the center of a large Muslim state. Somali rule ended after only half a century, but the new rulers from the Ethiopian Oromo people were also Muslims. Following Ahmad Gran’s death, his widow built the distinctive large walls around the city, which allowed it to maintain some independence until Egyptian forces invaded the region in 1875 and occupied Harer. In 1887 it was incorporated into Ethiopia by Menelik II (1844–1913).

The largest mosque in Harer is al-Jami, and part of the building dates to the eleventh century, making it possibly the oldest building in the city. However, possibly the most interesting site is the tomb of Abadir, which several times weekly is the scene of Sufi ceremonies.

Sources:

Munro-Hay, Stuart. Historical Ethiopia: A Book of Sources and a Guide to Historical Sites. Trenton, NJ: Red Sea Press, 2000.Trimingham, John Spencer. Islam in Ethiopia. London: Oxford University Press, 1952.