Travel Guide Aweday

Just before Harar lies Aweday, nicknamed "New York" because this village never sleeps: here you'll find the world's largest khat market. From 6 p.m. onwards, when the khat is delivered, a frenzy of activity grips the inhabitants, who are obsessed with "His Majesty the Khat". Men carry bundles of leafy branches, while women vendors sit on mats. Trucks await their cargoes to take to the roads, planes take off for Djibouti, Yemen and Somalia. Nearly 50,000 tons are exported every year. At more than €30 a kilo, it's no wonder that farmers are abandoning Harar's highly reputed coffee, sold for €2 a kilo.