The Social,Political and Economic Functions of Courtyard Houses in Umm Qais,Northern Jordan

The courtyard house represents a model for the collective social, political and economic functions of the peasant community during the nineteenth century in northern Jordan. Ethnography, landscape and space syntax analyses were used to reconstruct these functions in the area of Umm Qais, Jordan. The results show that the various social systems in the study area were centered on kinship leaving projections in the form and order of the various spaces in the courtyard house. The nature of the landscape was a determinant factor in the location of courtyard houses, which was triggered by the climate regime in the area.