Harar Diary: Color Therapy

There is too much to say about Harar. This city enchanted me. Since I am still recovering from my bout of Ebola, I think I'll just post some pictures.

The city is surrounded by five gates, which originally kept the Christians at bay. The population of Harar is still largely Muslim.



I stayed in a traditional Adare (Harari) guesthouse, which are typically set back behind a courtyard and an elaborately carved door. Inside, the walls are covered with Harari baskets. It's kitch of the best possible variety.





Many of the houses feature beautiful and colorful designs carved into plaster.



Children were my entree into Harar. These two boys adopted me and took me everywhere - even to places I wasn't supposed to go.



Markets abound in Harar. These are Oromo women, who live in villages outside of Harar. They wear necklaces of tiny colorful beads to signal that they are unmarried.



This girl was quite proud of her gold tooth. I think it's rather fetching, don't you?



Oromo women from the countryside were shy about being photographed. This girl's mother was stunningly beautiful (her daughter was lovely as well), but wouldn't let me take a picture of her. We sat together for an hour giggling about nothing and she gave me her amber necklace instead of a photograph. I was extremely moved.



In the markets, Arab, Indian and African influences merge.



This street was called Machine Street because it's lined with tailors working on their sewing machines.



The narrow streets of Harar are painted in vibrant colors, perhaps inspired by the city's inhabitants.





This combination of vivid blues was stunning on a hot, clear day.



The Afar people are nomadic pastoralists. This man hennaed his beard, giving it a striking red glow. I couldn't take my eyes off him.



This Harari woman asked me to take her portrait.



This Muslim tomb was perched on top of the hills overlooking the city. It reminded me of Greece and Morocco.



The kids at the local madrassa got a kick out of it when I recited the alphabet in Arabic with them. Their teacher used his fly swatter to keep inattentive children in line.



This man feeds hyenas 15-20 every night. It's not a tourist show - there have been hyena-related rituals in Harar for over 500 years.