Editing Courtyard (section)

=== Middle East ===
Courtyards were widely used in the ancient [[Middle East]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reynolds |first=John S. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/46422024 |title=Courtyards: Aesthetic, Social, and Thermal Delight |publisher=John Wiley & Sons, Inc. |year=2002 |isbn=0-471-39884-5 |location=New York |pages=IX |oclc=46422024}}</ref> Middle Eastern courtyard houses reflect the nomadic influences of the region. Instead of officially designating rooms for cooking, sleeping, etc., these activities were relocated throughout the year as appropriate to accommodate the changes in temperature and the position of the sun. Often the flat rooftops of these structures were used for sleeping in warm weather. In some Islamic cultures, private courtyards provided the only outdoor space for women to relax unobserved.   Convective cooling through transition spaces between multiple-courtyard buildings in the Middle East has also been observed.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Abdulkareem|first=Haval A.|date=2016-01-06|title=Thermal Comfort through the Microclimates of the Courtyard. A Critical Review of the Middle-eastern Courtyard House as a Climatic Response|journal=Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences|series=Urban Planning and Architectural Design for Sustainable Development (UPADSD)|volume=216|pages=662–674|doi=10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.12.054|issn=1877-0428|doi-access=free}}</ref>

In c. 2000 BC [[Ur]], two-storey houses were constructed around an open square were built of fired brick. [[Kitchen]], working, and public spaces were located on the ground floor, with private rooms located upstairs.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=YvpfndOKwGgC&dq=false&pg=PA10 Tim McNeese (1999), ''History of Civilization - The Ancient World'', Lorenz Educational Press, p. 10] {{ISBN|9780787703875}}</ref>