The colourful Muslim city of Harar in eastern Ethiopia is so packed full of historical buildings the entire town centre is a UNESCO Heritage site. For a photographer, I struggle to think of a location where photogenic merit is so highly concentrated in a relatively small area. Cobbled streets, ancient mosques, tiny shops and yes, even bars (after all, this is Ethiopia where they love their beer). And of course, there are people dressed in every colour imaginable going about their business all around you.
Harar is also famous for its coffee – in fact, it is regarded as the best one in Ethiopia, which is a rather high measure considering the country is known as one of the great coffee cultures in the world. Alas, it isn’t possible to transmit the wonderful aromas of local beans through the photos.
