DIRE DAWA: – Though various heritages are being excavated from Harla village heritage site, proper attention for preservation and adequate infrastructures are needed for the site in order to make easily accessible for tourists and benefit the surrounding community, Dire Dawa Cultural and Tourism office said.
Explaining about the site to the media crew who visited Dire Dawa and the surrounding recently, Dereje Tadesse, Dire Dawa City Administration Culture, Tourism and Heritage Information Officer said Harla village heritage site that is located nearby the city is hardly accessible because of difficult landscape and lack of infrastructure. Therefore, joint efforts are underway to preserve the site especially with the community who currently reside there in a desperate bid to benefit them too.
As to him, a team of archeologists led by British Professor Timothy Insol made excavation and found many treasures such as coins, shells, ruins of mosques, floors of living homes and others in different three times. In the course of excavation and transportation, the team created job for the surrounding community. More importantly, Professor Timothy made a great promotion for Harla village through BBC and CNN.
Harla kingdom communities are believed to be giant people and they used big stones to build their houses. Documents reveal that they had been famous in handcraft and pottery. They had their own coins, stamps, clay pots and calendars. Currently, there are ruins of mosques in the site. The surrounding farmers usually find these treasures through excavation, said Dereje.
Dire Dawa City Administration Culture and Tourism Office is undertaking a planned action to accumulate these heritages in a mini museum by gathering from the farmers either in the form of gift or purchasing in collaboration with the surrounding kebeles. The office is also striving to create awareness for the local community regarding preservation and benefit of the heritage.
“The village had been a market area in the 13th century and served as a trade route to Zeila and Barbera ports. As documents indicate merchants from Far East used to come and exchange commodities here,” he said. For his part, Ibrahim Ali, resident of the area, said they are told that Harla is older than Harar and there had been around six Mosques in the site.
Government should pay more attention to preserve the site and make beneficial the community. Visitors repeatedly go there but the community is no more benefited in any case so that no one is caring for the site considering as own property and this trend has to be changed, he said.
The Ethiopian Herald, July 16/2019
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
