HARAR

THE LIVING MUSEUM

 THE CITY
It is a widely held beief that the history of the city of harar goes back some 1200
years.According to tradition,it was then that in order to defend themselves against mutual
enemies seven clans of neighbouring villages merged to establish present-day Harar.
.The seven clans are called
1.Tihun Gei
2.Ruqiya Gei
3.Fereqa Gei
4.Eshanti Gei
5.Harewe Gei
6.Santi Gei
7.Hassen Gei
EMPEROR MENELIK CONQUERS THE CITY IN 1887
.EMIR ABDULAHI fated to be the last of the of the 72 emirs of harar found himself in a
complicated political situation.king Menelik Shoa as well as european countries such as
France,Italy& Britain, coveted the rich emirate.
. MENELIK of shoa mobilized his huge army and
conquered harar in 1887.Menilik’s army of 20,000
troops and harar’s ill equipped 3000 foot soldiers met
at chalanqo.The towns identity from that moment was
continuously degraded,begining with meneliks
rampage and the replacement of the grand mosque
built under Rauf Pasha at Faras Magala has been
replaced by the church of MEDHANIALEM,which is an
octagonal wooden structure with elements of indian
architecture.

THE ITALIAN OCCUPATION

.A few Major urban transformations were realized
durinfg the italian occupation within jugol: the east-west
street was enlarged from harar bari to faras Magala
which name was given because horses were kept at
the place.The whitewashed market halls of stone at
the muslim market ithin the wall(GIDIR MAGALA) were
also built during the time of the italians.
THE JUGOL WALL
In 1552 EMIR NUR IBN MUJAHID,Took
responsibility to protect the city from the christian
kingdom and ever enroaching oromo tribes.The
famous ramparts of jugol to become harars main
identifying feature was built during his reign.For
harar the walls with the five gates became the
gateway to the outside world. The jugol wall
covers 48hectare 5m high and 3.5 km long.
Material used to build were rough stones of
granite and sand stone;clay was used as a
mortar.
-The number of gates was five as the five pillars
of islam.
BADRI BURI(ቡዳ በር)

BUDRI BARI IS THE GATE LOCATED

SOUTH OF THE THE CITY.THE NAME
WAS GIVEN AFTER A NOBLE WARRIOR
OR GENERAL PROBABLY NAMED
BADRADIN.THE ITALIAN RESTORATION
OF BADRI BARI WAS NEVER
COMPLETED.A BEAUTIFUL DOUBLE
ARCH IS A TESTIMONY OF THIS GATE.
ASMAEDIN BARI(ሸዋ በር)

ASMAEDIN BARI WAS USED FOR

ACCOMPANYING STUDENTS WHO ARE
CERTIFIED TO GIVE LECTURE OF ISLAMIC
LECTURES.THIS GATE WAS RESTORED BY
ITALIANS ADDING BATTLEMENTS AND
DECORATED DELICATELY WITH COLURED
GLAZED TILES.
ARGOB BARI AND ASSUM BARI(not exists currently)

ARGOB BARI
AS THE NAME INDICATES IT IS GIVEN BECAUSE
ARGOBA PEOPLES WERE THE MOST WHO USED THE
GATE.ONCE THE EUROPEAN HISTOREAN RICHARD
BURTON USED THIS GATE TO ENTER THE CITY BY
GIVING A LOOK OF YEMENIAN PEOPLES FOR HIMSELF.

ASSUM BARI(ፈላና በር)

It was the main trade center for the ancient harar and outlet
for hajaj’s(people who performs hajj at mecca).This gate
leads to the animal market .
 SUGUDAT BARI(ሰንጋ በር)
-SUGUDAT BARI IS CALLED THE PEACEFULL GATE BECAUSE IT WAS NOT OPEN FOR CONFLICTS.

-ALL THE 5 GATES WERE KEPT BY LORDS ‘S WHICH WERE CALLED

“BARI GOITAI”( የ በሩ ጌታ)

WERABA NOODLES(የ ጅብ ቀዳዳ)

-THESE HOLES WERE INSTALIZED ON THE

WALL FOR THE PURPOSE OF DRAINAGE AND
REMOVAL OF AN UNWANTED RAINWATER.
THE URBAN
FORM AND
ARCHITECTURE

- THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE HOUSE

- INTERIOR DESIGN

- WOOD CARVING
WOOD CARVINGAn Indian woodcarver called Mistri is still remembered. He worked in
Harar around the turn of the century and he undoubtedly left his mark on the city. A number of
doors are said to be by his hand. He particularly worked for Abd el Muslimano and his son
Ahmed Bomba. The entrance to the residence of Tafari Makwannen was very probably carved
by him
one two three four
Some of the modern doors have a
rectangular, others a semicircular or
ogee arch over them. The ornaments
are elaborate, sometimes unduly so
for Western taste. Leaves and flowers
prevail in both bas relief and high
relief. Not only the door frames but
also the panels are carved. Decorative
motifs include ropes, pearls,
palmettes, rosettes, flowers, vases,
and others
The interior decoration of a room is the women's affair. The housewife takes care that the nädäbas are covered with
rugs, mats and pillows and the walls are adorned with examples of typical Harari basketry. (This incidentally, is
made only by women.) In addition to baskets, enamel plates and bowls are now hung upon the walls. Traditionally
baskets used for wall-decoration always had to be hung up in pairs and in absolutely preserved places.However with
the sporadic appearance of new designs of baskets, there is always a chance for rearranging the decoration, which
would normally follow a symmetric pattern. Thus every household has its own style, and it is not uncommon for
women visitors to express their appreciation of it.
The largest type of baskets hung on the wall is the type used for serving bread or sweets during meetings of women's
associations, and these have high, conical lids which are hung above and overlapping them. Rows of these baskets
occupy the area immediately behind the gidir nädäba and below the niches (although there is sometimes a second
row of baskets below the niches, which are quite high up). The four big baskets have to be arranged in alternate
pairs, as do their lids, although the design of the baskets need not be the same as that of the lids. Between the niches
in the centre reserved for books there is a vertical line of three tiny basketry-work plates (sägri), also with lids. Two
of these must be of the same pattern and design. These small plates are used to serve coffee beans at a wedding or a
funeral feast. The wall towards the dra next to the amir nädäba, where the spear-holder is sited, is also adorned with
basketry plates in pairs. These are of about the size of a breakfast plate, and they were used in the past to serve the
bread (uxt.) Two of them are known as "basket for the mother-in-law" (hamt mot), which the family of the bride or
bridegroom present to the in-laws after a wedding. Here are also the first pieces of basketry made by the young
girls, who start making baskets at a very young age.
THE HOUSE & NADABA(መደብ)

• The ground plan of a traditional Harari house is a large living room (gidir gr or gr qäd) is in the centre, with (nädäba),Shoes removed.

• There are five nädäbas(መደብ): amir nadaba "hidden" nädäba (sutri nädäba), serving as a sleeping place; and the nädäba right behind
the entrance door (gäbti ähär nädäba). (nädäba dera).
• As one enters the main living room (gidir gr), there is a doorway (but no door) leading left or right into the kirtät, a side ‐room with a ceiling
only half the height of the gidir gr.
• The wall between kirtät and gidir gr sometimes has a window‐screen of delicately carved woodwork.
• Adjoining the kirtät, there is a second side‐room, with a low ceiling: the dera, used for the storage
• The wall at the side of the dera has a special niche,
• This staircase leads to a room above the low ceilings of the kirtät and dra, which is called the qala. have one made of delicately carved
woodwork
• The ceiling of the qala is at the same height as that of the gidir gar.
• The walls of the gidir gar have eleven niches (taqet), five of which are in the main wall opposite the entrance.
• The two rectangular niches (eqad taqet) in the centre are theoretically reserved for books the Quran in particular. Their rectangular shape is
to remind man of death and his grave.
• The small triangular or ogee‐arch shaped niches (til1i taqet) are
used to put up porcelain and other niceties
• Right in front, next to the nädäba of honour (amir nadaiba)
which is either on the right or the left of the living‐room, there is
a protruding pillar (maxazu = house pillar, (61) in which are two
fittings which together make up a spear holder. (waram moraga
drawings 1a; 1b). Spears are rare nowadays; in olden times they
were there ready for the master of the house whenever need
arose to defend the house or the city.
• Above the entrance door to the living room on the inside there is
a shelf (wantaf inci: = "wood for mats") made of tree trunks,
• The ceilings in older houses are also made of thin tree trunks
• the tit gar or "small house" (see diagram B). This room is
usually reserved
• for the younger people of the family; sometimes it is rented to
tenants. •A room for a farmhand or servant was always within
the compound
• MODERN Harari houses in Harar stick to the traditional
ground‐plan and the layout of the rooms; the floors and visible
parts of the nädäbas, however, are often tiled.
The room upstairs, qutti qala,
accessible from the main room, is rare. The indoor spaces of the
house are much more primitive that those of the Harari house.
Several niches are carved into the walls and the obiects therein
are above all functional. Seldom does one see the wooden dishes,
gabata, hung on the walls as decoration.
Seating space is defined by a beam resting on two thick pil-
lars, and a small beam under this beam is used for hanging
clothes and fabric. Masonry benches are generally of just two lev-
els. The kirtat is separated from the main room by a low wall of
approximately 1.30 m in height. This area, exclusively for
women in the daytime as at night, might house the kitchen,
meaning the hearth for the fire with different utensils. Women
sleep with their children on the wooden benches with woven hides
called dulan, easily moved around. Just opposite, the dera, room
without windows, separated from the kirat by an equally low
wall, with or without a door, serves for storing and stocking
goods, wood, and sometimes cereal.
• FEATURES OF THE HOUSE
• Densely built
• small windows
• The exterior is cleanly whitewashed /once ayear/ today (other colors introduced)
• Compounds /Abat/Many Houses
• Most windows face the courtyard, only a few on the upper floor facing the lane
• The building material stone of the vicinity. Pounded stones and clay as mortar,same material used for plastering the inside and
outside walls before whitewash is applied.

TO CONCLUDE
Very much alive as of yesterday, the urban Harar was able
to integrate and re-territorialize within Jugol an
architecture imported from India. Very much alive today,
the identity ofJugol because it itself is not a dead language
- reinvents itself constantly.
REFERENCE
-Oldest city harar ...........................................................................documentary.
-The city of harar and the traditional house...........................PDF
-The architectural legacy...............................................................LECTURE NOTE

NAME;NEBIL MUNIR
ID;UU80216R
SUBMITTED TO; MR NATNAEL BEKELE