224 pages
9 x 11 inches
200 color illustrations
ISBN 978-1-58093-194-6
$50 hardcover
($65 Canada
£27.50 UK)
World rights

Morocco
Courtyards and Gardens
Achva Benzinberg Stein

The exotic lands of Morocco are rich in contrast: arid desert and lush oasis, unpopulated landscape and dense settlement, brilliant sun and deep shadow. The traditional courtyard plan of its buildings mirrors these elements, providing an outdoor space within the interior of the structure that can be both communal and private. Over the course of centuries, ornamental schemes have evolved to incorporate not only native plant life but also intricate water features and the patterned tile work know as zellij, all of central significance to Moroccan culture and climate.

Morocco: Courtyards and Gardens presents the three principal types of gardens: the simple and elegant paved patio form of the ouest-ed-dar of urban houses, mosques, and medersas; the more elaborately planted riyad of palaces and country estates; and the agdal, an open, cultivated landscape. Featured are the renowned El Badi Palace and the restored gardens of the Arsat El Mamoun, now a hotel, in Marrakech, the Kasbah of the Oudayas in Rabat, and sequestered mosques and medersas in Fez and Marrakech, rarely accessible to visitors.

Descriptions of the rugged topography and tumultous history of Morocco place these gardens in the context of a unique cultural tradition that incorporates ancient Roman, Moresque, and Asian influences.

Achva Benzinberg Stein is the director of the Graduate Landscape Architecture Program and professor in the School of Architecture, Urban Design and Landscape Architecture at the City College of New York. Her landscape design practice is based in New York.