Moroccan riad Moroccan riad A riad () is a type of traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard. The word riad originates from the Arabian term for garden, , ryad. The ancient Roman city of Volubilis provided a reference for the beginnings of riad architecture during the Idrisid Dynasty. When the Almoravids conquered Spain in the 11th century they sent Muslim, Christian and Jewish artisans from Spain to Morocco to work on monuments. The Riad is the Moroccan traditional house, normally with two or more stories around an Andalusian-style courtyard that contained a fountain. Riads were the stately
Company in a courtyard behind a house and white pilasters, a gentleman and a lady, in a red jacket and yellow skirt, are seated at a small table. The lady, sitting almost with her back to the spectator, is squeezing a lemon into a glass of wine. The gentleman, with his pipe in his right hand, looks on with interest. Behind the couple an older woman comes forward with a glass of beer. At the corner of the house to the right a servant-girl, standing on a tub, is scouring a brass pot. To the right is a wooden fence with an open garden-door, above which rise