The Gardens of Paradise
The Persian Gardens
Gardens, as a part of human civilization, have been a part of human civilization for as long as our documented history has existed. Gardens can be found around the common homes of citizens and in the lands of grand palaces, like the Gardens of Versailles in France and the Gardens of the Taj Mahal in India. Gardens can even be found in our religions and mythologies, such as the Biblical birthplace of humanity, the Garden of Eden, and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The first documented garden was on tablets dating to the 4000s BC when our first written languages were being created. This post will focus on Persian gardens, a style of gardens that originated in modern-day Iran. Persian gardens are an ancient type of garden that has inspired other famous gardens even outside any of the ancient empires of Persia. How these gardens are laid out, designed, constructed, and interact with nature is why UNESCO has labeled them cultural World Heritage sites and inscribed them on the World Heritage List.
Another name for this type of garden structure is ‘paradise garden.’ Paradise is also Persian in origin, coming from the ancient Persian root word pardis, which translates means enclosed garden. It was the name of the first of these types of beautiful gardens that were closed behind great walls (UNESCO 2011).
The Charhar Bagh, translated as the “four gardens,” is one of the main types of Persian Gardens and is considered the originating principle of Persian gardens. As the name implies, Charhar Bagh gardens are divided into four sections separated by either waterways or walkways. The UNESCO list of criteria for the Persian Gardens listing as a world heritage site specifically highlights Criterion (I):
“The Persian Garden represents a masterpiece of human creative genius. The design of the Persian Garden, based on the right angle and geometrical proportions….. The creation of the Persian Garden was made possible due to intelligent and innovative engineering solutions, a sophisticated water-management system, the appropriate choice of flora, and its location in the garden layout.” (UNESCO 2011)
The praise of the technical skill is backed up by a quote from Russel Page’s book, The Education of the Gardener (1962): “One may choose to design a garden as a demonstration of technical skill… or a symbol and set up, as best one can, a scaffolding or framework which nature will clothe with life.”
But none truly showed off the technical skill in creating the Persian gardens within harsh environments than the construction for how they could gather water towards the gardens. Through a piece of engineering called the Qanat, qanats were developed over 3000 years ago and are a series of underground gently sloped channels that could stretch out for miles. These channels would bring the water from an aquifer or water well that would bring it to the surface. The purpose of it being underground would prevent the water from evaporating at a rate above ground. Several shafts would connect the channels to the surface to be able to work maintenance on the channels should a blockage occur (Butler 2020).
The Charhar Bagh style of Persian garden originated within the Achaemenid Empire, founded in 550 BC by Cyrus the Great, the oldest of which was found in the ruins of his capital, Pasargadae. The four sections of gardens represented the four natural elements of the Zoroastrian faith: earth, heavens, water, and plants. The Persian Gardens design, as a result, holds a deep connection to the faith, poetry, and texts related to the holy book of Zoroastrianism, the Avesta.
The construction of Persian gardens contrasted against how many European gardens were made. According to (Butler 2020), unlike European gardens that tend to work alongside the surrounding nature. Persian gardens defy their surrounding nature, that of the old lands of the Persians being harsh, dry, and hot. To find such gardens existing in such hostile environments, it’s not a wonder Paradise grew into such a significant term. An organized, beautiful garden, closed off from the harshness of the real world.
It’s for these that, even before the Muslims came and conquered Iran in the 7th century, the Charhar Bagh style of the garden began to influence the Islamic view of Paradise:
“Four gardens are described, divided into two pairs. The lowest pair is the Garden of the Soul and the Garden of the Heart (reserved for the Righteous), and the higher pair is the Garden of the Spirit and the Garden of the Essence (reserved for the “Foremost”; Butler 2020)
The conquest and spread of Islam throughout other parts of the world brought the design of Chahar Bagh and other Persian garden styles to other parts of the world. One of the most famous Chahar Bagh gardens is an example of this. One of the many types of gardens in the Taj Mahal is one of Chahar Bagh’s designs. The garden style was introduced to India by the Mughal emperors, an Islamic-ruled empire. There are also the Generalife gardens of Spain that are of a similar design, constructed by the Emirate of Granada.
Several of the gardens on the UNESCO heritage lists are still in active use today, as gardens can serve different purposes according to social and cultural contexts. The famous Charhar Bagh is typically used in very private and formal settings. Other types, such as the regular Bagh style of Persian gardens, such as the Fin Garden in Iran, are for public settings primarily for relaxation for individuals and families under shaded structures or plants.
In conclusion, the Persian gardens are a well-preserved piece of Iran’s cultural and religious past. Being an earthly representation of Paradise in both the ancient Zoroastrian and Islamic faith. For the latter, the pre-existence of the Persian gardens influenced the Islamic view of Paradise itself. These gardens’ artistic and engineering techniques were so great that their style persisted for a few millennia. The style inspired the creation of other great gardens, such as the ones found at the Taj Mahal, which serve as a center of culture to day. Though this cultural style of garden may not have its origins well known, the influence of this style of gardens worldwide and its influence on the religious depiction of Paradise itself cannot be understated.
