The vast main square of Adrar is the unmistakable centre of town — a flat red-earth expanse ringed by the pinkish ksar-style walls of the colonial-era administrative buildings. At midday it is empty and burning hot, useful only as an open-air parade ground; in the cooler hours of late afternoon, families gather, vendors set up small carts, and the square comes briefly to life.
The Sudanese-Saharan architecture that surrounds the square — crenellated walls, pointed buttresses, and small openings — is a French colonial pastiche of the genuine local style. It is striking nonetheless, and the colour of the walls when the sun is low is the single most photographed thing in Adrar.