Moroccan Riads

[Nalayeahmed]

I've been critical of some of the tasteless architectural designs popping out of the more developed regions of Somalia, and its alarming how bad its getting. Somali city states were home to some of the more beautiful architectural movements in africa, combining Arabesque arches with African practicality. The entire swahili coast was heavily influenced by Somali architects, from djibouti down to Zanzibar we've left our mark. the problem now is communities that were historically nomadic with no appreciation of architecture are moving into towns and cities and influencing the landscape with hideous structures.
im a fan of Megribi architecture, its practical and beautiful. more about Riads


A riad (Arabic: رياض‎) is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden or courtyard. The word riad comes from the Arabian term for garden, "ryad".[1] The ancient Roman city of Volubilis provides a reference for the beginnings of riad architecture during the rule of the Idrisid Dynasty.[2] An important design concern was Islamic notions of privacy for women inside residential gardens.
When the Almoravids conquered Spain in the 11th century they sent Muslim, Christian and Jewish artisans from Spain to Morocco to work on monuments.[3]
The riads were inward focused, which allowed for family privacy and protection from the weather in Morocco. This inward focus was expressed in the central location of most of the interior gardens and courtyards and the lack of large windows on the exterior clay or mud brick walls. This design principle found support in Islamic notions of privacy, and hijab for women. Entrance to these houses is a major transitional experience and encourages reflection because all of the rooms open into the central atrium space. In the central garden of traditional riads there are often four orange or lemon trees and possibly a fountain. The walls of the riads are adorned with tadelakt plaster and zellige tiles, usually with Arabic calligraphy, with quotes from the Quran.

[Nalayeahmed]

how exactly do you upload pics on this site?

[Babygirl-]

Get the link to the pic then paste it here, and insert the image between here img sign at the top..

It's at the top near Bold, uderline signs etc.

[Nalayeahmed]

thanks cuzzz

[Nalayeahmed]

moroccan Riads






Swahili Architecture designed by Urko Shanhez a spanish architect based in Lamu Kenya

[Nalayeahmed]

heres a link to the swahili architecture being built in Lamu

http://www.lamuapartments.com/gallery

[Babygirl-]

Beautiful, Somalia will look like that Inshalaah.

[Nalayeahmed]

I've been interested in Moroccan craftsmanship for some time now. The Moroccans are known for their elaborate woodwork and plaster work. In the near future when the dust settles in our country inshallah, we should start craftsmen schools in our regions. Import some experienced Moroccan craftsmen and even our beloved reer Xamar cad-cads and Barwani brothers to teach us their skills. These skills have been passed on from generation to generation and as trade secrets we'll obviously have to compensate for their knowledge.