Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town

World Heritage

Ethiopia

🎧 Listen to Introduction

The historic city of Harar is located in the east of the country, on a plateau with deep canyons and surrounded by desert and savannah. The walls of this Muslim holy city were built between the 13th and 16th centuries. The fourth holiest city in Islam, Harar is home to 82 mosques (three of which were built in the 10th century) and 102 shrines, but it is the townhouses with their unique interior designs that are the most striking part of Harar's cultural heritage. The influence of African and Islamic traditions on the town's building types and urban layout has given it a unique character and distinctiveness.