Harer enjoys a mild climate throughout the year. Sir Richard Burton, who was the first European visitor to enter the 'forbidden city' incognito said, 'Harar is not hot, cool but not cold'.


Harer is considered as the original cultivation center of the world famous coffee Arabica and the mild stimulant leaf called chat (cath edulis).

Both are lucrative export items, which provide the Ethiopian economy with substantial financial resources.


With its numerous mosques and shrines, Harer is considered as the 'fourth holy city of Islam' after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem.

It is also considered to be one of the holiest centers of Muslim learning in the Islamic world.