Harari National Cultural Centre

Visiting a traditional Adare house is a must, but you'll probably need a guide to find one. The easiest house to find, not far from the Erer Gate (known locally as Argobari), houses the Harari National Cultural Centre. This typical Adare house contains examples of traditional arts and crafts.

Several Adare houses also double as family-run souvenir shops. If you don't buy anything, it's customary to tip the owner for the tour.

A distinct architectural feature in Harar, the gegar (traditional Adare house) is a rectangular, two-storey structure with a flat roof. The house is carefully constructed to remain cool whatever the outside temperature: clay reinforced with wooden beams is whitewashed. Sometimes bright green, blue or ochre murals adorn the façades. A small courtyard conceals the interior of the house from curious passers-by.

The upstairs room used to serve as a storeroom; today it acts as a bedroom. The main living room consists of five raised platforms of different levels, which are covered in well-made rugs, cushions and stools. Guests and members of the household sit on the platform befitting their status.

The walls are usually painted bright red or ochre, said to symbolise the blood that every Harari was prepared to shed during the resistance against Menelik. Hung on the walls are woven cloths or carpets. Eleven niches are carved into the wall. In these, cups, pots and plates made by the Adare women themselves are proudly displayed.

After marriage, newlyweds retire to a tiny, windowless, cell-like room that lies to the side of the living quarters. They remain there for one whole week, during which time they are passed food and water through a hatch by relatives.