Popular souqs: who buys and who comes to look?
The old markets are still standing, but their customers have changed. What does it mean for a souq to become a destination?
Anthropology of Space
Place and architecture read as mirrors of society — from mud-brick houses to glass towers.
The Rawshan of the Hijaz: an architecture of light and privacy
A field study of the Hijazi rawshan and its relationship to social structure and climatic adaptation in historic Jeddah.
The Hijazi rawshan: a window onto a philosophy of social contact
The rawshan is more than a decorative architectural element. It is a complete social system that governs the relation of inside to outside, and private to public, in the traditional Hijazi environment.
How is a mud house built? — on video
A short documentary recording the stages of building a mud wall the traditional way, from mixing the clay to roofing.
The majlis: social engineering before it is a room
Who sits at the head? And who by the door? Seating in the majlis is a map of relations drawn on the floor.
Mud houses in Qassim: an architecture that lets you answer the climate
Mud architecture in Najd is not primitive. It is a sophisticated environmental engineering system that answers climate, society and economy with an efficiency modernity has yet to match.
The aflaj: engineering water before the pump
How did people divide scarce water fairly for centuries, with no central authority to impose the share?
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