A riad or riyad is a type of garden courtyard historically associated with house and palace architecture in the Maghreb and al-Andalus. Its classic form is a rectangular garden divided into four quadrants by two paved paths intersecting in the center, where a fountain is typically situated. The planted areas are usually sunken below the level of the paths. Its origin is generally attributed to traditional Persian gardens whose influence spread during the Islamic period. The term "riad" is nowadays often used in Morocco to refer to a hotel or guesthouse-style accommodation with shared common areas and private rooms, often within a restored traditional mansion.
A riad garden in the Bahia Palace of Marrakesh, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
Interior garden in the Generalife of the Alhambra, in Granada, a variation of the riad element in Muslim palace architecture of the region
The Badi Palace in Marrakesh, a riad-style palace on a grand scale, built in the late 16th century by Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur
A restored house in riad-style in Fez
Moorish architecture is a style within Islamic architecture which developed in the western Islamic world, including al-Andalus and what is now Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. Scholarly references on Islamic architecture often refer to this architectural tradition in terms such as architecture of the Islamic West or architecture of the Western Islamic lands. The use of the term "Moorish" comes from the historical Western European designation of the Muslim inhabitants of these regions as "Moors". Some references on Islamic art and architecture consider this term to be outdated or contested.
Image: Córdoba (5157827355)
Image: Bab Oudaia 2
Image: Pavillon Cour des Lions Alhambra Granada Spain
Columns and two-tiered arches in the original section of the Great Mosque of Cordoba in Spain, founded in 785