(Photo from the website of our riad, http://www.riadariha.com)A Riad is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden/ courtyard.
From the outside, you can usually see very small windows on the clay or mud brick walls. As you entered you house, the surroundings will undergo a major transformation. There is always a large courtyard in the middle of the house and all of the rooms open into the central atrium space. The riads are very much inward focused and it allows for family privacy and protection from the weather in Morocco.
Finding your riad could be an experience in itself. In Marrakesh, the riads are located in the medina (old city) and they are usually tugged away in a quiet spot and away from the main road. To get to the riad, you will need to venture into the maze of alleyways. This is when a compass comes in handy.
"Let's try this way... "
Go pass several of these dark alleyways
Here are a few photos of the common area:
From the outside, you can usually see very small windows on the clay or mud brick walls. As you entered you house, the surroundings will undergo a major transformation. There is always a large courtyard in the middle of the house and all of the rooms open into the central atrium space. The riads are very much inward focused and it allows for family privacy and protection from the weather in Morocco.
Finding your riad could be an experience in itself. In Marrakesh, the riads are located in the medina (old city) and they are usually tugged away in a quiet spot and away from the main road. To get to the riad, you will need to venture into the maze of alleyways. This is when a compass comes in handy.
"Let's try this way... "Go pass several of these dark alleywaysturn left, then half right, then half left again, then right and half left again...
Riad Ariha. O, are we almost there?
No quiet. Let's do another turn
There is the entrance! The door is usually low so that the people entering the house will have to bend. It's kinda like bowing and it is paying respect to the people in the house.
Here are a few photos of the common area:
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