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UNESCO World Heritage (WH) Programme is currently undergoing a strong multiplication of sites in all parts of the world. The determinant factors and conservation methods it uses are founded on universal criteria. It nevertheless appears that in reality each classification is strongly associated with issues of development at work at a particularly local scale. This is the case of Harar in Ethiopia whose old town was classified as a WH site by UNESCO in July 2006. Beyond the ambition for international recognition of an architectural heritage, with the underlying hope to pass it on to future generations while attracting tourism, the latent background is one of the political choices in urban planning, fundamental for the city’s future development.