MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION PLACES..P2

TAG Tour and Travel | Home of the giants

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MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTION PLACES

Harar ju

gol archeology Site

Harar is a walled city which stands on the eastern wall of the Great Rift Valley and is the provincial capital of Ethiopia's largest administrative region, Hararge. The city's location gives wonderful views of the surrounding country - the vast Danakil desert to the north, the fertile Harar Mountains to the west, and the cattle rich Ogaden plains to the south. Harar was a fiercely religious city and was a forbidden city (closed to visitors), until 1887 when Menelik restored central rule. With its 99 mosques, including the 16th century Grand Mosque with is beautiful twin towers and slender minaret, it is considered to be the fourth most holy city in Islam after Mecca, Medina and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. The city has a distinctly Muslim feel, but the different rules are all visible in the different architectural styles found within the city. The former house of Haile Selassie can be visited and is at present used by a healer. The French poet Rimbaud lived in Harar as a trader and his beautiful house is still visited by tourists. The original Harari houses are also famous for their beautiful paintings and carvings. All around the walled city are markets famous for baskets, spices and the chewing herb, chat. A long standing tradition of feeding meat to hyenas one night a year developed in the 1960s into a nightly feeding show for the benefit of tourists.

Harar

...It is considered to be the fourth most holy city in Islam after Mecca, Medina and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem....

The W

alled city

Harar Founded circa 1520, this legendary walled city, the spiritual heart of Islamic Ethiopia, was the most important trade hub in the 19th century, when the explorer Richard Burton and French poet Rimbaud visited. Despite its Devout pedigree, Harar has a rather hedonistic feel today the compulsive chewing of narcotic khat leaves seems To dominate every aspect of public life, and the bars are unexpectedly lively and plentifulplenty to engage history buffs, too, but touristic pride of place goes to the famously demented hyena men of Harar, who lure wild hyenas to a feeding

place on the city outskirts every night.

Harar

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Founded in the late 19th century, Addis Ababa is Ethiopia at its most modern and cosmopolitan, as epitomised by them relative glitz of Bole Road and the seedier Piazza district. The city forms a good starting point for exploring most aspects of Ethiopia, whether you fancy trawling the national museum and various imperial-era landmarks in search of historical and cultural enlightenment, losing yourself in the maze-like commercial hubbub of the Mercato (reputedly largest market), or socialising in its ubiquitous coffee shops and bars whilst absorbing the wondrously discordant home

grown music that emanates from all directions.

Addis A

baba

The Home of the hominid

ADDIS ABABA ADDIS ABABA ADDIS ABABA

Afr

ican

Her

itag

e

Addis Ababa (“New Flower” in Amharic), the capital city and

arrival point for incoming Flights, also the best place to Begin

exploring. Addis Founded in 1887 by Emperor Menelik, this

Sprawling, and vibrant city of 3 million Inhabitants is home to

both the headquarters of the Organization of African Unity and

the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. As a most

attractive city, the Addis Ababa has the position of both city and

state. There are almost 80 nationalities speaking in various 80

languages. This is actually the grassland-biotic community. From

the lowest area around the Bole International Airport amid the

southern edge to the northern part of the city with more than

3,000 meters in the Entoto Mountains, Addis Ababa is in easy

access to various parts of Ethiopia. The city lies at the foot of

Mount Entoto, and is home to Addis Ababa University.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has plenty of places to travel around during your leisure time. The

Ethiopian National Museum is popular for the plaster

copy of Lucy...

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Ire Dawa is city in Harar region, Ethiopia. It is a commercial and industrial center located on the Addis

Ababa–Djibouti railroad. Manufactures include

processed meat, vegetable oil, textiles, and cement.

There are also railroad workshops in the city. Dire Dawa

was founded in 1902 when the railroad from Djibouti

reached the area, and its growth has resulted largely

from trade brought

D

Dire Daw

a

Dire Daw

a

Dire Dawa has a rich wealth of pre-historic cave paintings some of which have achieved international recognition through the efforts of the French and American Geologists that have studied them several times in the last 75 years, while there are still other caves that have never been studied so far. The remains of the British airmen and African soldiers who, during the Second World War, fought besides the Ethiopian forces to liberate Ethiopia from Italian occupation.

Dire Daw

a

The railway line that reached Dire Dawa in 1902 is believed to have been the reason the city came into being in the first place. That is why the railway station is one of the destinations of tourists and other visitors coming to the city. Kefira is a traditional market place where one can see the colorful presentation of all people of the region in their cultural dresses. The presence of camels, donkeys, and the inevitable Gharris, two wheeled carts drown by a horse or a mule, gives it an aura of going back to medieval times.

This is one of largest mosques found in the city. It is called Italian Mosque because the Italians built it during their short-lived occupation of Ethiopia. Dire Dawa, a modern Ethiopian railway town, with an international airport and several first-class Government and private

All the attractive sightseeing places of

Dire-Dawa can easily be explored by

the local minibuses. You will have to

take the blue and white minibuses that

will fetch you to the perfect places of

Ethiopia. The best way for getting

around is to utilize the minibuses or to

hire the blue taxis during your stay.

Dire-Dawa has plenty of places to

explore. The French mannered train

station is a must-visit place of the city.

This train station will provide you an

ancient feeling of 19th century. You can

also go to watch the sunset and sunrise

at the Dechatu river basin. You can

enjoy the panoramic vista after the sun

sets.

The main city of Dire-Dawa. Dire Dawa is strategically located at the east of the

nation located on the Dechatu River…

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Sim

ien

Mou

nta

ins

Nat

ion

al

Gelada monkey Simien Mountains National Park The Simien Mountains form one of Africa’s largest mountain ranges and are one of the most spectacular. With many of the peaks rising above 4000m, they make an awesome sight and contain Ethiopia’s highest mountain – and the fourth highest in Africa – Ras Dashen, standing majestically at 4620m. The Simien Mountain National Park, an area abundant with flora and fauna, fertile cultivated terraces and vibrant hillside villages. Gaping montane scenery aside, the park is the last stronghold for the endangered walia ibex and the main population centre of the magnificent golden-maned gelada monkey, while birdwatchers are practically guaranteed close-up views of the awesome lammergeyer (bearded vulture). The Park was one of the first four sites to be inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978. The Park is the refuge of the extremely rare Ethiopian wolf, gelada baboon and Walia ibex, a goat unique to Ethiopia. A total of 21 mammals have been recorded, including seven endemic species. The Simien region, surrounded by old cultural centers like Aksum, Lalibela and Gondar, has been inhabited by cultivators for at least

2,000 years.

The

roo

f of

Eth

iopi

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To the south mile upon mile of green cultivated land, intersected by Dramatic gorges stretch out beneath you. Here on the high plateau the rare Ethiopian Wolf, Walya Ibex and Lammergeier call this home. Troops of Gelada Baboons abound and the giant Lobelia can grow up to 10m in height. The awesome landscapes of the Simien Mountains are simply breathtaking with amazing canyons and immense, bizarre rock formations. Surprisingly verdant and in contrast to the surrounding arid plains, the Simien Mountains present a wonderful setting for wild trekking.