Persian Garden

PERSIAN GARDENS-
TRANSITION FROM MESOPOTAMIAN AGE TO ISLAMIC TIMES.
ASSURBANIPAL AT A MEAL IN THE PARK OF KUYUNBJIK
“Everywhere,” he makes Socrates say to his pupils, “the
Persian king is zealously cared for, so that he may find
gardens wherever he goes; their name is Paradise, and they
are full of all things fair and good that the earth can bring
forth. It is here that he spends the greatest part of his time,
except when the season forbids.”
The Persians made three types of garden, as did the Egyptians:

•palace gardens
•tomb gardens
•domestic pleasure gardens
•love and their veneration for trees
•the symbol of eternal life was a tree with a stream
•tree-planting was a sacred occupation
•evenness of their plantation
•these paradises were first and foremost hunting-
parks

•evolution of the Persian garden, when poetry is able to tell us
of the wonderful love felt by this people for their flowers and
their rose-gardens.
•The groves about their tombs were very important to the
ancient Persians

Some important traits
•Water symbolised life, as it was believed to be the source of life.

•Irrigation canals made cultivation possible.

•Parts of the Iranian plateau were under cultivation by 3,000 BC.

•Plants and trees symbolised deities.

•Ceramic representations of the world divided into four quarters with a pool of
life at the centre date to 4,000 BC.

•An Akkadian king proclaimed himself King of the Four Quarters.
Pasargadae, plan based on archaeological evidence.
This is the earliest example of the quadripartite ( Chahar- bagh) plan
•A reconstruction of Cyrus (or Cambyses) the
Great's palace garden at Pasargadae c550 BC.
•The paths are conjuctural.
•Water channels define the space between two
palaces.
•There are small pavilions.
•This is the earliest known remnant of what
became the classical Persian garden.
•It is likely to have been planted with cypress,
pomegranate and cherry.

The plan is based on David Stronach's
Pasargadae: a report on the excavations,
(Oxford, 1978).
•Persia was conquered by the Arabs in the seventh century and deeply influenced by
Islam thereafter.

•But Islamic gardens were deeply influenced by the Persian tradition of garden making.

•The Balkuwara Palace (or Bulkawara Palace) in Samara is very much part of the Persian
tradition and had a quadripartite garden flanked by pavilions.
PERSIAN GARDEN- ISLAMIC STYLE
Classical Formal Casual
Public Hayat Meidan Park
Private Hayat Chahar Bagh Bagh
Styles:

The six primary styles of the Persian garden may be seen in the
following table, which puts them in the context of their function
and style.
•Trees and trellises largely feature as biotic shade; pavilions and walls are also structurally
prominent in blocking the sun.

•Also related to the heat is the importance of water in the gardens.
•A form of underground tunnel, below the water table, called a Qanat is used to irrigate
the garden and its environs.
•Well-like structures then connect to the Qanat, enabling the drawing of water.
•Trees were often planted in a ditch called a Jub, which prevented water evaporation and
allowed the water to quickly access the tree roots.
•The Persian style often attempts to integrate that which is "indoors" with the "outdoors".
•Architectural elements such as vaulted arches between the outer and interior areas to
open up the divide between them
In 711 A.D. the Syrian Arabs invaded Spain.
Arab influence in Spain
ALHAMBRA ,GRANADA,SPAIN
1
4
6
5
3
2
7
4a
HALL OF JUDGEMENT
HALL OF TWO SISTERS
Vaulting in the Hall of the Abencerrajes
Court of the Lions
Court of Myrtle
Hall of the Ambassadors
PERSIAN INFLUENCE…………
EVOLUTION OF MUGHAL GARDENS IN INDIA
MUGHAL GARDENS
Common features of Persian gardens- that
featured in all Mughal gardens.


•A high surrounding wall.
•Straight channels of water, lined with tiles.
•Bubbling fountains.
•Trees for shade and fruit.
•A Pavilion or gazebo.
•Strong emphasis on flowers in beds and pots.








The Shalimar Gardens in Srinagar, Indian administered Jammu and Kashmir,
India during the summer
“
If there is a paradise on earth, it is this, it
is this, it is this.
”
The gardens were the inspiration for other gardens of the same name, notably the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Upon completion of the gardens, the emperor is said to have recited the famous Persian expression:
STRUCTURE OF THE GARDEN








A
B
C
D
360° panoramic view of the Chahar Bagh gardens
Walkways beside reflecting pool
Jai Mahal Palace, Jaipur
Mughal garden, Pinjore, Haryana
Chatri: (originally Persian for umbrella) a small, vaulted pavilion used
in India for decorative purposes mostly in the articulation of roofs'
corners.

Baradari: An Indian open-sided pavilion (literally, it means twelve-
pillared, possibly in reference to the four walls of the pavilion
pierced each by three doors).

Chadar: The Mughal equivalent of a shadirwan, a sloping, carved
surface over which water flows.

Chabutra: A stone or a brick platform, usually situated at the
intersection of two axes, be it two causeways or two water channels.

Jalis: Perforated stone or marble screen, usually carved in geometric
forms.


SOME UNIQUE FEATURES OF A MUGHAL GARDEN
CHATRI
BARADARI
CHADAR
CHABUTRA
JALI
A Baradari combined with Chinikanas- small nisches on the wall for
fragrant flowers in the morning and oil-lamps at night.
FORMS OF WATER FOUND IN ISLAMIC GARDENS
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