Najdi Mud Roofs

Najdi architecture is the mud-brick building tradition of Najd, the central plateau of the Arabian Peninsula in present-day Saudi Arabia. Its houses, palaces and mosques have flat roofs carried on timber and finished with earth, and walls topped with distinctive stepped parapets. The style's best-known ensemble is At-Turaif in ad-Diriyah, near Riyadh, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in the 15th century and described by UNESCO as an outstanding example of the Najdi architectural and decorative style.

Materials

Stone and good timber were scarce on the plateau, so builders worked mainly in mud: sun-dried bricks made from earth, water, straw and other fibres, finished with mud plaster. Roofs and doors were made of tamarisk wood, and the roofs of mosques also used tamarisk log beams with clay and thatch. Walls were very thick, which helped insulate interiors from extreme heat. UNESCO highlights the use of adobe even in major palatial complexes at At-Turaif.

The roof edge

• Shurfat: hand-moulded, upward-tapering, crenellated battlements at the tops of walls. They act as the parapet of the roof terrace and help protect the facade from rainwater.
• Triangle frieze: a horizontal band of incised, inverted triangles beneath the shurfat also serves as rainwater protection.
• Furjat (or luhuj): small rectangular, triangular, square or arrow-shaped openings high in walls that let air and light in and can vent smoke and hot air.

Layout

Houses were typically one or two low storeys around an inner courtyard. The style influenced building in Kuwait and inland Qatar, and many examples survive in Riyadh, including Masmak Fortress and the Murabba Palace.

Care

Like all earth roofs, Najdi roofs depend on regular replastering after rain. The geometric decoration and parapets are part of the same protective skin.

Sources and gaps

Detailed figures for roof thickness and timber spacing: published information is limited.