thumb|upright=1.25|A riad garden in the [[Bahia Palace of Marrakesh, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries]]
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.
Etymology
The term riad comes from the Arabic term for "gardens": (), the plural of (). Historically, the term referred to a type of interior garden common to historic Moorish architecture in Al-Andalus (Iberian Peninsula) and North Africa. In particular, it denoted a rectangular courtyard garden symmetrically divided into four parts along its central axes, typically with a fountain at its middle. Archaeological remains of similar gardens have been found in and around ancient Mesopotamia, and the later evolution of such gardens can be found in the grand geometrically-arranged gardens of Iranian and Mughal architecture, known as a chahar bagh. The earliest known example of a true riad garden (with a symmetrical four-part division) in Morocco was found in the Almoravid palace built by Ali ibn Yusuf in Marrakesh in the early 12th century, which was part of the older Ksar al-Hajjar fortress. – from the second half of the 15th century indicates that it had a large cruciform garden with a central fountain, four water features and four pavilions arranged in cross-formation, thus similar to riad palaces elsewhere, including the later Badi Palace in Marrakesh.
thumb|The [[El Badi Palace|Badi Palace in Marrakesh, a riad-style palace on a grand scale, built in the late 16th century by Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur]]
Riad gardens were major elements of later Moroccan royal palaces, although sometimes in a form slightly different or more complex than the classic four-part division. The Badi Palace in Marrakesh, a lavish reception palace built by the Saadian sultan Ahmad al-Mansur in the late 16th century, was essentially a giant rectangular riad courtyard, with symmetrical gardens, pools, and two monumental pavilions facing each other at either end. (The presence of two pavilions in this manner was also reminiscent of the layout of the much smaller Court of the Lions in the Alhambra.) The Saadian palace built by al-Mansur in the Agdal Gardens, replaced by modern structures today, also had a symmetrical riad-style courtyard layout. The largest riad garden in Marrakesh today is the Arsat an-Nil ("Garden of the Nile") located in the Royal Palace and dating from the reign of the Alaouite sultan Muhammad Ibn Abdallah (1757–1790). Measuring around 130 meters on its north–south axis and 70 meters on its east–west axis, it is divided along its middle by a path from north to south which in turn is intersected by several other perpendicular paths, forming a vast, elongated version of a riad. The late 19th-century Dar Batha palace (now a museum) in Fes is a large and clear example of a classic riad.
In Moroccan domestic architecture
thumb|A restored house in riad-style in [[Fez, Morocco|Fez]]
The riad is one of two main types of traditional Moroccan houses, often with two or more stories around an interior symmetrical garden centered around a fountain. The style of these riads has changed over the years, but the basic form is still used in designs today.
In many cases, especially for palaces, the gardens were surrounded by a peristyle gallery.
Tourism
thumb|Courtyard of a riad guesthouse in [[Essaouira (Riad du Figuier)|alt=]]
In recent years there has been a surge of interest in using traditional Moroccan houses as part of the country's tourism industry. In this context, the term riad has become a common term to denote traditional Moroccan houses in general, particularly those converted into tourist accommodation.
See also
- Andalusian patio
- Courtyard house