Harar, a walled city in eastern Ethiopia, boasts a rich history as a major commercial center, linked by trade routes to the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Asia, and the wider world. Harar Jugol, the old walled city, earned recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006, a testament to its cultural heritage.
Because of Harar's long history of involvement during times of trade in the Arabian Peninsula, the Government of Ethiopia has made it a criminal offence to demolish or interfere with any historical sites or fixtures in the city. These include stone homes, museums and items discarded from war.
Early History of Harar
According to the semi-legendary text Fatḥ Madīnat Harar, the founder of the city was saint Abadir Umar ar-Rida, who along with 405 other saints such as Aw Barkhadle, Isma'il al-Jabarti and Umardin bin Qutbaddan came from the Arabian Peninsula to settle in the Harar plateau and founded the city circa 612H (1216 CE). Abadir was supposedly met by the Argobba, the Gaturi and the Harla people who accepted his leadership.
The first mention of Harar comes from the 14th-century chronicles of Amda Seyon I, according to this text, in 1332 Gēt (Harar) sent 3 governors to support Salih in his rebellion against the Emperor at the Battle of Das. This reference suggests that Harar had obtained some importance by the first half of the 14th century.
Harar as a Capital
In 1520, the city became the capital of the Adal Sultanate under Sultan Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad after his victory over the religious faction led by Abun Adashe. After Imam Ahmad's defeat in 1543, his men were dispersed back to the region of Harar.
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After the death of Nur ibn Mujahid, for the next following decade Harar would fall into a state of political instability, mainly due to the pressures of the Oromo.
The reign of Ali saw significant problems with the neighboring Oromos, as on 1 September 1662 Emir Ali ibn Da'ud had to face a violent Illamo Oromo raid which, had reached as near as Asmadin gate and killed his son Sabr ad-Din ibn al-Amir 'Ali b. Da'ud.
Ali's successor, Abdullah, significantly improved relations with the Oromos through an extensive marriage policy by marrying 5 of his sons to Oromo women. With this, the economic influence of Harar extended from Shewa to the west and Zeila to the east, with some overseas connections. Harar began to develop into a major religious center in the region, serving as a source of Islamic proselytization to the surrounding Oromo tribes.
Egyptian Occupation and Beyond
In October 1878, Muhammad Rauf Pasha led a well armed Egyptian force of 1,200 men into the interior of eastern Ethiopia and without encountering any opposition, seized Harar on 11 October 1875. The Egyptians spent much of their time establishing their authority over the surrounding Oromo to secure the caravan routes and attempt the agricultural exploitation of Harar's hinterlands.
Under the governor Nadi Pasha, the height of the walls were increased. The old palace of the Emirs was demolished and erected in its place was a two-story governor's house which looked over the marketplace and dominated the entire settlement. The town's main mosque was also torn down and replaced with a somewhat larger structure.
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In 1887, the army of Menelik II would conquer Harar after defeating Emir Abdullahi's troops at Chelenqo, then appointed his nephew Ras Makonnen as governor of the region.
Harar lost some of its commercial importance with the creation of the French-built Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway, initially intended to run via the city but diverted north of the mountains between Harar and the Awash River to save money. As a result of this, Dire Dawa was founded in 1902 as New Harar.
Harar was captured by the 29th Infantry Division "Piemonte" on 8 May 1936 under Marshall Rodolfo Graziani during the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. During the East African Campaign, Italian rule would almost immediately disintegrate and Harar was captured by the 1st battalion of the Nigeria Regiment, advancing from Jijiga by way of the Marda Pass on 29 March 1941.
Following the aftermath of World War II, the city saw the construction of a high school and a military academy.
After the rise of the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) in the early 1990s, Hararis were encouraged to use their language in official capacities. Considerable effort was taken to preserve Harari culture and identity.
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Harar Brewery and Heineken
Harar Brewery is a brewery in Harar, Ethiopia, owned by Heineken N.V. For many years HEINEKEN expanded its business across the continent and in 2011 they made the acquisition of Harar and Bedele Breweries Ethiopia.
In 2012 HEINEKEN commenced the construction of a new Greenfield brewery, which was announced as fully operational in January 2015. HEINEKEN also signed two Public Private Partnerships; the CREATE project to provide locally sourced malting barley, and a water access project to provide clean water to 50,000 people in Harar.
With a total capacity of 1.5m hectolitres, the Kilinto brewery is already producing the recently launched Walia® beer together with Bedele® and Harar® beer brands. It is planned that the site will also brew other brands including the flagship Heineken® beer.
Employing around 280 people, drawn from the local workforce, the new facility complements the already established Bedele and Harar breweries; which were acquired from the Ethiopian government in 2011. The EUR110mln new brewery is part of a total EUR310mln investment in the country by HEINEKEN since 2011.
HEINEKEN has committed to sourcing at least 60% of all its raw ingredients needed for production in Africa from within the African continent by 2020. In Ethiopia HEINEKEN entered a Public Private Partnership, CREATE, in 2013, aimed at improving both quality and quantity of barley grown in Ethiopia as well as improved access to markets for farmers.
After only two years in operation, our programme is already supporting c6,000 farmers, and by 2017, it is our plan to be supporting c20,000 farmers and their families, producing some 20.000 MT of malted barley.
HEINEKEN's key brands are Bedele Special, Bedele Regular, Harar, Hakim Stout and Sofi Malt.
Brewing Mesopotamian Beer - 4,000 Years Old
Alcohol Consumption in Harar: Historical and Religious Context
In contrast, today, there is an expectation of abstinence from alcohol in Harari Muslim communities. According to multiple authentic Hadith and Quran verses, the consumption of alcohol and any intoxicant is prohibited “haram“2. Drinking alcoholic beverages would thus be viewed as a sinful act by a Muslim.
Despite the general consensus on the prohibition of alcohol in Islam, many Muslims consumed alcohol across the Islamic world from early to modern times. The Muslims didn’t just occasionally drink. They were observed to drink excessively. It is suggested that this was because of the illicit nature of the substance6.
Alcoholic beverages have a long history in Ethiopia and an important place in Ethiopian cultures. For example, “Tej” (honey wine), is an ancient Ethiopian alcoholic beverage. In the Harari language, “Tej” is called “Teji”7. “Tej” is believed to be one of the oldest alcoholic beverages ever produced8.
The earliest evidence of alcohol production in the area may be from the 14th century Egyptian author Ibn Fadl Allah. He reported black grapes were grown in Ifat and other Ethiopian Muslim sultanates to the East9. Black grapes in theory can be used to make red wine.
Richard Burton describes the way in which the Harari drank as “freely - even in the presence of the “ulema” (Islamic scholars) and the pilgrims”14. This suggests a lack of social stigma regarding alcohol consumption in Harar.
The radical ideology considers images, saints, shrines, festivals, music, dance, and socializing, as distractions from true piety19. According to Wahhabism, anyone who deviates from its teachings, including other Muslims with differing practices, are branded as “infidels” and deserving of severe punishments for such transgressions18.
The majority of residents in Harar were not inclined to adopt the strict orthodoxy of Wahhabism15.
| Beer Brand | Brewery | Description |
|---|---|---|
| St. George | Kombolcha Brewery (BGI group) | Lager, gently malty aroma, dry flavor with a hint of yeast |
| Bati | Kombalcha (BGI) | Lager, typical lager taste |
| Harar | Harar Brewery | Pale golden lager, grassy aroma, clean malt character |
| Hakim Stout | Harar Brewery | Dark beer, mild malty aroma, sweet malty flavor |
| Meta | Sebeta Brewery | Lager, strong corn aroma, sweet aftertaste |
| Bedele | Bedele Brewery | Pale yellow lager, malty sweetness with a little sourness at the end |
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