The courtyard house makes its first appearance in Mesopatamian sites such as Tell Chuera in present-day
Syria ca. 6500 BC, and in the central
Jordan Valley on the northern bank of the Yarmouk River, ca. 6400–6000 BC (calibrated), in the
Neolithic Yarmukian site at
Sha'ar HaGolan, giving the site a special significance in architectural history. The houses consist of a central courtyard surrounded by several small rooms. They range between 250 and 700 m2 (about 2,700 and 7,500 ft2) in area. Monumental construction on this scale is unknown elsewhere during this period. In
Ancient Roman architecture courtyard houses were built around an
atrium. Courtyard houses are also common in
Islamic architecture. Courtyard houses consisting of multiple separate residences have been built in many regions and eras, including the earliest
Chinese dynasties and the
Inca period. Throughout history the courtyard house has played a major role, and only in the last couple of centuries has its use been neglected. Recently, more attention has been given to the courtyard house, as a type to solve a number of problems of dense inner city housing. Courtyard houses are also a form of dwelling built in the
British Isles late in the
Iron Age. They are restricted to the
granite peninsula of
Land's End and the
Isles of Scilly,
Wales and other
highland areas. Examples are at
Chysauster and
Carn Euny in
Cornwall. Another type of courtyard house was built by the landowners in
England in the late Middle Ages and the Tudor period. These were single family homes that were larger than the manor houses built by the lesser gentry in earlier centuries and less fortified than the castles built by magnates in earlier centuries. Examples include in the late
Tudor and early
Stuart period a transition occurred to more compactly planned and symmetrical layouts. This change is illustrated by the contrast between
Hatfield House and the earlier
Hatfield Palace, which it was built to replace. , Uzbekistan Traditional courtyard houses found in the
old towns of
Uzbekistan's cities are known as
hovli. They consist of living rooms built into four tall brick walls, surrounding a courtyard filled with
fruit trees,
vegetables,
herbs and
flowers. In the centre of the courtyard, a raised metal platform with a table on top of it, known as a
karavot or ''so'ri'', is used for conversation and eating. The walled-in rooms and courtyard are separated from the outside street by a gate built into the walls. in
Marrakesh In the old towns of
Morocco, known as
medinas, courtyard houses have always been the standard form of housing. The traditional houses are called
riads,
riad being the name of interior gardens in
Moorish architecture. Once neglected, Moroccan riads have experienced lately a real comeback with the tourism boom the country has been experiencing since the early 2000s. Many of these houses have been turned into guest houses, especially in cities likes
Marrakesh,
Essaouira,
Fez and
Tangier. In rural villages of
India, such as
Andhra Pradesh these Courtyard houses are termed as
Manduva Logili Illulu, and in
Kerala they are called as
Nalukettu. Courtyard houses built in ancient India are based upon
vastu shastra, propounded in mythology by
Maya Danava. With the resurgent economy in India, many new houses are being built according to the principles of vastu shastra. ==See also==