Village guest houses have an important place in the culture of Kurdish society. The guest houses connected people and were a gathering place.

Villagers, who protect the 150-year-old guest house in the village of Mistefawiyê in Girkê Legê, thus preserve a cultural heritage.

Village guest houses have an important place in Kurdish culture. Villagers gather in guesthouses in almost every village and chat, thus relieving the tiredness of the daily hustle and bustle. The guest houses, which are also used to welcome foreign guests passing through the village, still exist today.

Guest houses are usually the largest room in the house. Based on geographical features, these houses, made of mud brick or rock, have survived until today. Dengbej (storytellers) also often accompany the village residents who gather after daily errands.

Until recently, there were many guest houses in Aliya village of Girkê Legê. Due to the increasing village population and changing living conditions, they mostly disappeared over  time.

In Mistefawiyê, another village of Girkê Legê, there are guest houses dating back 150 years and still standing. Mistefawiyê guest house, one of the oldest guesthouses in the region, was built by the notables of the Abasa tribe. Despite not being used, the guest house, preserved by the inhabitants of the village, has survived to this day. The guest house, located on a high hill, is 12 meters long and 4 meters wide.

"A CENTER TO RESOLVE DISPUTES"

Speaking about the history of the guest house, 80-year-old Abdullah Fetah Faris, a resident of the village, said that the guesthouse is a school for the villagers. Noting that the villagers who came together in the guest houses exchanged information, Faris stated that the stories and events belonging to the oral culture were passed on from generation to generation in the guest houses. Stating that the guesthouses served as mediating assemblies, Faris said, "Guest houses were a center where disputes were resolved."

Faris added that they spent most of their time in guest houses in the past. In this way, interpersonal communication was also kept strong in the society. Faris remembers his past every time when he looks at the guest house.