riad
/ˈriːad
/noun
(In Morocco) a large traditional house built around a central courtyard, often converted into a hotel.The group recorded their new CD in the Moroccan city of Fez, in the courtyard of a converted riad....
- The pick of the bunch are the riad hotels, which typically occupy a traditional Moroccan house built around an open courtyard.
- Marrakech's latest white-hot must do has been the rise of the riad, the town houses of the labyrinthine old city, the medina.
Origin
Arabic riyāḍ, riad, literally 'gardens', plural of rawḍa 'garden'.