Category:Islamic courtyards

العربية: صحن

English: Courtyards in traditional Islamic architecture - in Arabic a Sahn or sehan. They are found within Islamic religious and secular structures.

Religious sahns

A mosque sahn—courtyard is within almost every mosque complex of traditional Islamic architecture.
The courtyards are open to the sky and enclosed on all sides by structures with halls and rooms, and often encircled by a shaded semi-open riwaq or arcade. Sahns usually feature a centrally positioned a howz or ritual cleansing pool, under an open domed pavilion. A mosque courtyard is place used for performing ablutions, and a patio for rest or gathering.

For images of mosque sahns—courtyards, see also: Category: Mosque courtyards.

Secular sahns

Within a residence or other secular building the sahn is a private courtyard, and often a walled garden.
The space is used for: Paradise gardens and the landscape aesthetics of plants, water, architectural elements, and natural light; a cooler private space with fountains and shade during summer heat; a source of breezes into the structure; and a protected and proscribed place where the women of the house need not be covered in the hijab clothing traditionally necessary in public.