7 First Impressions of Harar, Ethiopia
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After photographing Addis Abba, I took a bus to Harar. While not a major city in my 100 City project, it was a city I still had to come photograph while in Ethiopia.

Harar is a special place and the best of what people might imagine of the more traditional and historic side of Ethiopia. It’s considered Islam’s fourth holiest city and probably my favorite walled city I’ve been to anywhere, and the least touristy. The Unesco World Heritage city takes you back in time and while it might not be the independent kingdom it once was, it still provides a rare glimpse of that past combined with a very authentic and local feeling today. Mixed in with the history, is a very active and friendly local community that makes the experience photographing here even better. While the walled city is packed with interest and life, there’s another side to the city outside of the walls worth exploring too. 

So here are my first impressions of Harar, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

7 First Impressions of Harar
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

1. Might be my favorite walled city

I’ve been to a good number of walled cities by now and Harar might be my favorite. Walled cities are always interesting. They’re old, contain character and are usually filled with a back-in-time atmosphere. On the other hand, this unique and interesting environment isn’t always perfect. Most attract plenty of tourists and get changed over time because of it. They can lose their authenticity with tourist shops, restaurants, hotels, and more visitors than locals. Some are past their time of people actually living there and become more of an attraction. When it comes to the ones that are still able to keep their authenticity, they don’t always make for the best photography environment due to narrow, crowded alleys with no sunlight too. Harar’s walled city, though, doesn’t fall under any of these negatives, while being filled with positives.

Harar contains a very authentic and local atmosphere within its walls. There’s so much going on and it never feels fake because it isn’t. It contains a mix of wider streets and colorful alleys. The colors, in particular, are great for street photography. There’s so much life and variety of interest to discover in its large maze of streets and neighborhoods. I can’ t think of a walled city that compares.

2. Islam’s fourth holiest city

While Christianity is still the major religion in Ethiopia, Harar is one of the oldest Islamic cities in East Africa. Harar actually contains the largest concentration of mosques in the world with 82 and is said to be Islam’s fourth holiest city. Founded in the 10th century, it’s also said to be the first city Muslims migrated to from the Arabian peninsula. While it used to be an independent kingdom, it still keeps much of that ancient character and religious influence. You feel it exploring the winding streets and hills, while finding hidden shrines and mosques throughout. Many holy cities have become crowded with visitors and tourists, but Harar is different, which makes it even more enjoyable, in my opinion. You might see a few tourists, but most people are local, giving this holy city a lot of authenticity without much change.

3. More photo friendly than other parts of Ethiopia I went to. More friendly, in general, too.

I’d been warned about Ethiopia by other photographers on its photography friendliness, or lack of it. Addis Ababa was my first stop and it backed these warnings up with plenty of “no photos.” Harar, however, didn’t feel nearly as bad. I found most people much friendlier towards photographs, and friendlier in general too. Honestly, I didn’t get many “no’s” here at all and had a great time interacting with the people. Most are very welcoming towards visitors, while the children are very curious. I attracted young followers multiple times while walking the streets with my camera. While Addis Ababa felt untrusting towards cameras, Harar felt warm and full of smiles, making it a great experience getting lost inside its walls while photographing away.

4. Explore and get lost. 

With all of the walled city’s winding streets, it’s easy to get lost. The labyrinth of narrow, walled alleys turn in every direction that even with phone navigation, you still might find yourself in a completely different area than intended. So instead of wasting your time looking at your phone, I think it’s best just to get lost and see where you end up. There’s so many little streets, you might miss some so just keep coming back. Every day I’d try to take different routes and find if I could discover something new. Most of the time I did. It’s really an elaborate walled city with a variety of interest throughout. 

Still, it is nice to have a few points of interest so you can know where you are at some point. For me, the Meat Market and Medhane Alem Church where some good center points. After that, you always have the wall and different gates to help know where you are. But getting lost and not always knowing what’s next is part of the fun when exploring Harar for street photography.

5. Great for colors and shadows, changes at different times of the day

Harar’s walls are painted with a variety of colors. A mixture of browns, tans, pinks, blues and a range of pleasing pastels that can look great in photos. The textured walls are rarely flat giving some nice character, tones and shadow when the sunlight hits them too. With the winding streets, hills and angles, the look changes throughout the day depending on where the sun is. You can come here to the same spot at different times of the day and get a very different look to your back grounds. I liked to mix up my exploration each day so I’d hit the same spots at different times to see the variety of looks I could capture and which places to come back to at what times.

Of course, in the middle of the day with the sun shining directly above, the colors usually looked their worst with the harsh light. But when the light is just right, the colors, shadows and tones looked beautiful, making for amazing backgrounds to work in with the life of the streets. Finding the interest to hold it all together along with strong shadow play and colors is a match that’s hard to beat outside of Harar.

6. There is a city and interest outside of the walls too

Harar’s main attractions are within the walls of its old city, but there is more worth exploring outside its walls too. The main road enters the old town at Duke Gate, but if you head the opposite way (west) you can see a different side of Harar. There’s some side roads you can check out, but a more concentrated area of interest is over by the Iman (Aw Ture Mosque). The intersection here is always packed with activity and chaos. A main spot to pick up a shared van, you’ll see people, cars, and animals moving in all directions. 

If you head south in this area, you’ll find a nice concentration of busy local streets with plenty of life. Markets and more with an authentic local feel that gives a more village like atmosphere compared to the walled city. Later in the day it can get really busy here, as many come back from selling goods within the walls and others bring back their herds of goats. The walled section is still the most interesting and unique, but for a change of scenery and pace, it’s well worth to give this local area a chance with your camera.

7. A full of life, but relaxed and welcoming ancient city

Harar is unique among famous ancient cities when it comes to its life inside the walls. While it is full life, there’s a relaxed welcoming atmosphere. You’ll find interest all over, while still enjoying a lively, but more quiet calm compared to other walled cities. It doesn’t feel touristy at all, it feels local with its Harari and Adere inhabitants. These locals bring a different vibe than much of Ethiopia too. Not to say Ethiopia isn’t friendly, but Harar does feel even friendlier and more welcoming. Everybody seems happy and not too bothered by visitors. Most go on enjoying their day, while some even involve you in it. More smiles and a sense of trust towards strangers is notably seen and felt here. As far as ancient walled cities, it would probably be my favorite due to the people and enjoyable atmosphere walking its streets with your camera. It’s a relaxing experience full of interest and warm energy.

If any of you have been to Harar before, tell me about your experience and impressions of the city and country in the comments below! And stay tuned for more on Harar, including some of the best Street Photography shots I captured while there.

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(from a street photographer’s perspective)

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