Theparadise garden is a form ofgarden ofOld Iranian origin, specificallyAchaemenid which is formal, symmetrical and most often, enclosed. The most traditional form is a rectangular garden split into four quarters with a pond in the center, a four-fold design calledchahar bagh (“four gardens”).[1] One of the most important elements of paradise gardens is water, with ponds, canals, rills, and fountains all being common features. Scent is an essential element with fruit-bearing trees and flowers selected for their fragrance.
It is also often referred to as anIslamic garden. The form of garden spread throughoutEgypt and theMediterranean during theMuslim Arabic conquests, reaching as far asIndia andSpain.
Originally denominated by a single noun denoting "a walled-in compound orgarden", from "pairi" ("around") and "daeza" or "diz" ("wall", "brick", or "shape"), philosopher and historianXenophon of Athensborrowed theOld Iranian*paridaiza(h), Late Old Iranian*pardēz (Avestanpairidaēza,Old Persian*paridaida, Late Old Persianpardēd) into Greek asparadeisos.[2]: 8 This term is used for theGarden of Eden in Greek translations of theOld Testament.[2]: 8
InHebrew the wordpardes (פרדס) means 'orchard', likely borrowed from Old Iranian. The word appears in theBible several times, including in theSong of Songs, chapter 4, verse 13: "Your orchard is a pomegranate with its fruit, acacias with nard," as well as inEcclesiastes , chapter 2, verse 5, andNehemiah , chapter 2, verse 8.
InPersian, the wordpardis means both paradise and garden.[2]: 8
The oldestPersian garden of which there are records belonged toCyrus the Great, in his capital atPasargadae in the province of Fars to the north ofShiraz. It is the oldest intact layout that suggests elements of the paradise garden.[2]: 7 Likely planted withcypress,pomegranate andcherry, the garden had a geometrical plan and stone watercourses. These watercourses formed the principal axis and secondary axes of the main garden at Pasargadae, prefiguring the four-fold design of thechahar bagh.[2]: 8 In theAchaemenid Empire, gardens contained fruit trees and flowers, including thelily androse. In 330 BCAlexander the Great saw the tomb of Cyrus the Great and recorded that it stood in anirrigated grove of trees.[3]
It is believed that theAchaemenid kings built paradise gardens within enclosed royal hunting parks, a tradition inherited from theAssyrians, for whom the ritual lion hunt was a rite that authenticated kingship.[citation needed] The Assyrians in turn had inherited their landscaping techniques from theBabylonians.[citation needed]
In the 5th century, at the time of the invasion ofPersia byCyrus the Younger,Xenophon described a complex of palaces and pavilions belonging toArtaxerxes. This included gardens watered by anaqueduct – the earliest known record of gravity-fed water rills and basins arranged in a geometric system.[2]: 8 The Spartan GeneralLysander who joined Cyrus as a mercenary reported to Xenophon how Persian kings "excelled in not only in war but also in gardening, creatingparadeisos" where they collected plants, especially fruit-bearing trees and animals encountered during foreign campaigns.[2]: 8
The four-fold layout was later reinterpreted in Islamic terms byMuslim Arabs after the7th-century conquest of Persia, becoming associated with theAbrahamic concept ofparadise and theGarden of Eden.Genesis 2:10 reads, "And a river went out ofEden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads."[4] andMuhammad spoke of four rivers: of water, milk, wine and honey.[5]
By the 13th century the gardens had spread with Islam throughoutEgypt,Mediterranean north Africa and intoSpain. This style of garden came into India during the 16th century in the reign ofPrince Babur, the first Emperor of theMughal Empire.[2]: 9 MostMughal gardens came to have a tomb or pavilion in the centre, the most famous of which is theTaj Mahal although with the decline of the Mughal Empire andBritish colonial rule, the original garden has been substantially changed.[6]
The essential plan of a paradise garden is afour-fold layout (charbagh) with a pond or fountain in the centre. Later designs incorporated a pavilion or mausoleum when they began to develop into elaborate status symbols. The rectangular or rectilinear design is typically quartered by water channels made using the ancientqanat system.
An important and common feature is the elaborate use of water, often incanals,ponds, orrills, sometimes infountains, and less often inwaterfalls. This created the soothing sound of running water and also had the practical purpose of cooling the air.
Aromatic flowers and fruit-bearing trees are quintessential elements. The ground where theflora were planted was sunken or the walkways raised so that passers-by would be able to easily pluck fresh fruit as they walked throughout the garden.Olive,fig,date andpomegranate were ubiquitous and symbolically important.Orange trees arrived fromIndia via theSilk Road by the 11th century and were incorporated for their fragrance and thebeauty of their flowers.[7]
They are typically enclosed by high walls providing shade and protection, especially desirable in the harsh, arid climate where this type of garden flourished.
Much of the use and symbolism of the paradise garden is thought[by whom?] to have derived from theGarden of Eden, despite most elements of the designpredating theAbrahamic religions. In theBook of Genesis, the Garden of Eden is described as having a design similar to thefour-fold design, with acentral spring that feeds four rivers, each flowing out into the world beyond. In theQuran, theJannah is described as being abundant with material delights including delicious foods and constantly flowing water.
Having emerged in the desert, the thirst and gratitude for water are abundant in Islamic traditions. In the Quran, rivers are the primary constituents of the paradise, and references to rain and fountains abound. In the Quran 21:30: "Did the disbelievers not observe that the heavens and the earth were closed, then We opened them? And We created from water every living thing. Would they still not believe?'." Water is associated with the virtues ofpurity andobedience: "Then the water was told, 'Be still'. And it was still, awaitingGod's command. This is implied water, which contains neither impurity nor foam" (Tales of the Prophets, al-Kisa').
Although the concept ofchahar bagh gardens representing 'paradise on earth' predates the Islamic adoption of the style, the paradisical retreats of thePersians became known as "the embodiment of the celestial paradise promised to a practicing Muslim".[2]: 11 Gardens representing paradise on earth orparadise gardens spread throughout theMuslim-conquered world and developed into different, grander and more elaborate styles.
The paradise garden is one of the few original and fundamental kinds of garden from which all gardens in history derive, sometimes in combinations.[citation needed] In its simplest form, the paradise garden consists of a formal, rectangular pool, having a flow just sufficient to give it movement, and a dais from which to observe it. However, a pavilion provides more permanent shelter than the original tent. Strictly aligned, formally arranged trees, especially thechenar orPlatanus, provide shade.[citation needed]
An example of this style are theBahá'í Terraces andMansion of Bahjí onMount Carmel inIsrael, both of which have extensive gardens of intricate design.[8]
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