Product Description

In the North African land of Morocco, every dar-dwelling, religious institution, or commercial building-is organized around an interior, walled courtyard that provides privacy from the bustle of urban streets and an outdoor space for social interaction and tranquil meditation. Over the course of centuries, ornamental schemes have evolved to incorporate not only native plant life but also intricate water features and patterned tile work known as zellij, all of central significance to the Moroccan culture and climate.

Vitally important for providing shade and catching breezes in an arid landscape, Moroccan gardens are designed and cultivated with vibrant color and aromatic plants. Author Achva Benzinberg Stein explores the three main types of gardens, the simple and elegant paved patio form of the ouest ed-dar, the more elaborately planted riyad, and the agdal, an open, cultivated landscape. Striking color photographs, including numerous aerial views, show gardens and courtyards in Marrakech, Fez, and elsewhere.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #393872 in Books
• Published on: 2007-12-13
• Released on: 2007-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Review
"Beautifully illustrated" and "lovely"-"serves as a primer for any designer on the elements necessary to achieve a successful courtyard..." -- Garden Design Online, January, 2008

About the Author
Achva Benzinberg Stein is 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.

Customer Reviews

Just TOO appealing.
Oh dear, oh dear - why do I buy books like this! It is so gorgeous that I want to re-vamp my entire garden right now so I can transpose some of this beauty to my home in Australia. In fact I have started, but my back and knees are a dead giveaway - I'm not young enough to do it, nor old enough to shame my sons into doing it. Still, using some of the ideas here, I have made some relatively simple changes to our deck and garden to reflect the Moroccan style and am very happy with them.

If loving gardens were a sin, I'd go straight to hell. Gardeners have their likes and dislikes but I'd challenge any gardener not to find someting to take their fancy in this book. As for non-gardeners, well, just buy it anyway, because the plates and text are so, so good. To paraphrase Omar Khayyam: " . . . a cup of tea, a book about Moroccan gardens . . . and gardens are Paradise enow".

A must-have for landscape architecture students and design professionals!
Professor Stein was the Director of the Master of Landscape Architecture Program in the School of Architecture, University of Southern California (USC) when I was studying in USC. She is one of the best teachers and most talented professors that I have ever met and I learned a lot from her, including motivation for study, design methodology, landscape theory, etc. She was my teacher and she'll always be my teacher. I have great respect for her.

Even though there are a variety of garden styles in the world, they can be put into two major landscaping systems: formal gardens and naturalistic gardens. The formal gardens are represented by Egyptian gardens, Persian gardens, Islamic gardens, Moroccan gardens, Italian gardens, French gardens, some American gardens and some English gardens, etc. The naturalistic gardens are represented by Chinese traditional gardens, some English gardens, some Japanese gardens and some American gardens, etc.

Professor Stein has done research on gardens in arid climates for decades. "Morocco: Courtyards and Gardens" is a significant contribution to the field of landscape architecture. It is extremely well-written and comprehensive, filled with striking photos. It covers the social and cultural influences, basic Moroccan garden categories and layout, plant materials, ornamental schemes, and shade and shadow, etc.

"Morocco: Courtyards and Gardens" is one of the best on this subject. It is written by a great professor with many years of experience and excellent design expertise. It is a must-have for landscape architecture students and design professionals!

Gang Chen, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Author of "LEED GA Exam Guide," "Planting Design Illustrated," and other books on Architecture, LEED and Landscape Architecture

Poor Quality Photos, Good Text
I was taken by the gorgeous cover photo of this book, but unfortunately the rest of the book's photos are extremely grainy - they were obviously taken with a cheap, compact camera. With all of the beautifully printed books available today, it was disappointing to spend quite a bit for this one only to find it was poorly produced. However, the text is interesting and informative. So, if you're interested in scholarly information about Moroccan climate, landscape and courtyard design, this book will be of interest. However, if you're looking for pretty pictures, this book will not make you happy.