The courtyard house turns its back on the street and opens its heart to the sky. From Fez to Damascus, the plan is the same in spirit: blank outer walls, a single door, and rooms arranged around an open space with water at its centre.
The arrangement is practical. The courtyard pulls cooler air down into the house, the fountain cools it further, and the surrounding rooms are shaded for most of the day. It is private, too: family life happens inside, away from the lane.
A courtyard is a room whose ceiling is the sky.
It is also beautiful in a way that is hard to fake. Hand-cut zellige tiles, carved plaster, painted wooden ceilings and the sound of water make a world in miniature. The best restorations understand that the emptiness at the centre is the most important room of all.