Garden History – Persian Gardens

Time for more garden history – this time I’m exploring Persian gardens using Christopher Thacker’s The History of Gardens as my primary information source. According to Thacker, to understand Persian gardens, you must appreciate the harsh climate and environment of Iran - sweeping deserts, harsh and blazing sun, hot summers and freezing winters, and minimal water. In juxtaposition, a Persian garden is a walled sanctuary; shaded, lush, and cool; populated with exquisite and fragrant flowers; with water as its central focus.

Elements of the classic Persian garden include a central fountain or pool, from which flows four shallow channels of water, which divide the garden into four quadrants. The channels represent the four rivers in the Garden of Eden. The entire garden is surrounded by a wall for privacy and security. Trees line the perimeter to provides shade. The four quadrants are planted with flower beds and fruit trees, such as, iris, lilac, narcissus, tulips, carnation, rose, pomegranate, citrus, cypress,  and jasmine. A high platform or structure provides a viewing point to survey the garden. Soft couches and carpets provide a place to rest in the cool garden. There may be variations, but this theme is central to Persian gardens.

Bagh-e Fin in Kashan, Iran (a UNESCO World Heritage site) - beautifully captured by Horizon.
You can see many elements of the Persian garden.
For more photos see: http://www.flickr.com/photos/horizon/28643552/.

As with general garden history, early Persian gardens were hunting parks for rulers, sometimes with the walled garden within. Persian gardens were later influenced by Islam and writings in the Koran, which described gardens as paradise on earth. Tombs were sometimes placed in the center of a garden, further emphasizing the destiny of paradise for the entombed. As Islam spread east and west, so did the influence of Persian gardening.