A Riad: is a traditional Moroccan house or palace with an interior garden. There have been a surge in interest in these form of houses recently after a new vogue of renovation in towns such as Marrakech or Essaouira. Many Riads are now used as hotels or restaurants and make a peaceful break from the hustle and bussle outside.
The riads and the dars constitute a traditional habitat of the Moroccan urban centres (médinas). These houses are entirely closed on outside and are organized around the exchange patio, often raised and equipped with a fountain. ?tymologiquement, a “riad” means “Arabic garden”, it is the same word which indicates the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh; same manner “dar” means “house”. Threatened by the ruin because of the departure of the easy populations towards the new modern districts, these riads profits since years 1990 from a renewed interest due to the will from a safeguard from the inheritance and to a tourist development. This is why a number of them were reconverted in houses of hosts or restaurants. Lastly, a number growing of riads are repurchased by Westerners who make a second home of it. The quality of the restoration of the riad can however pose problem because of nonthe use of traditional materials and techniques, often with the profit of the concrete.