Tablinum

In Roman architecture, a tablinum (or tabulinum, from tabula, board, picture) was a room generally situated on one side of the atrium and opposite to the entrance; it opened in the rear onto the peristyle, with either a large window or only an anteroom or curtain.

The walls were richly decorated with fresco pictures, and busts of the family were arranged on pedestals on the two sides of the room.

Like the ancient Roman tablinum, it opens onto a heavily shaded courtyard and, on the other side, a rear garden.

Unlike the Roman tablinum, the garden side is closed with a mashrabiya lattice[2]: Ch.

The larger court will generally be less shaded by its own walls, and more exposed to hot winds; it may also be less sheltered by surrounding rooms.[2]: Ch.