Tamo CrossA ‘Riad’ in it’s definition is an enclosed garden or courtyard. However, by popular usage, it has come to represent traditional Moroccan homes, built around such an courtyard and more specifically those homes that have been renovated and restored and opened to the public as intimate guesthouses. Even though this is one of the inner courtyards of the Mamounia Palace, its an example of such an enclosure. The pool or fountain (sahrîdj) in the center have a strong symbolic meaning as water is a symbol of life in the desert and so the center watersource is the vital life force of the house.
Photo taken at: La Mamounia Marrakech
