Lecture-7 The Eastern & Western gardens of the Islamic empire (Spanish & Mughal gardens)
Persian Garden layout on a Persian Carpet
Persian garden After the Arab conquest of the 7th century, the traditional design of the Persian garden was used in the Islamic garden. Persian gardens after that time were traditionally enclosed by walls and were designed to represent paradise. Four water canals typically carry water into a central pool or fountain, interpreted as the four rivers in paradise, filled with milk, honey, wine and water. Greek influences are also apparent; the Western use of straight lines in the plan is blended with Sassanid ornamental plantations and fountains. Schematic diagram of a Persian garden
Islamic garden design The general theme of a traditional Islamic garden is water and shade, Islamic gardens are intended for rest and contemplation. For this reason, Islamic gardens usually include places for sitting. The garden is a transient form of architectural art dependent upon the climate, and the resources available to those who care for it. the classic formal garden, known as the Charbagh (Chahar Bagh), is one form which exists in the Islamic civilization. Islamic gardens consists of the four-part garden laid out with axial walkways that intersect in the garden center. This highly structured geometrical scheme, called the chahar bagh, became a powerful metaphor for the organization and domestication of the landscape. Islamic hydrological technology consisted of a profusion of devices for catching, storing, channeling, and lifting water. Among the more important of these, besides the QANAT. There are surviving formal Islamic gardens in a wide zone extending from Spain and Morocco in the west to India in the east. Famous Islamic gardens include those of the Taj Mahal in India and the Generalife and Alhambra in Spain.
Types of Islamic gardens "The Muslims had different kinds of gardens serving different purposes. The bustan was the garden of the inner court of a house, a formal garden with pools and water channels. The jannah was an orchard with palms, oranges, and vines irrigated by canals. The rawdah referred in particular to the vegetable garden that produced foods for the cooks."
THE ALHAMBRA The fortress palace of the Alhambra, Granada, was begun by the founder of the Nasrid dynasty about AD 1250 as the final stronghold of Spanish Islam, its construction being spread over 250 years. Contained within the shell of the Alhambra is a delicate composition of spaces whose relationship seems particular to Islam. The shapes accumulate in the mind rather than the eye, the whole apparently complex composition being based very simply on the two contrasting forms of the Hall of the Ambassadors/Myrtle Court and the Court of the Lions. The spaces themselves are mathematically proportioned, human in scale, and in principles imaginatively liberated. Where possible, the interior projects itself through the ramparts to admit views of the countryside. its source of water supply; within its massive encompassing towers and walls is the supreme example of Moorish imagination and elegance in the design of enclosed landscape.
THE ALHAMBRA The Court of the Myrtles was used in combination with the Hall of the Ambassadors, as well as being the court of ablutions for the adjoining mosque. Part of the sense of interweaving space is given by windows such as that looking outwards from the Hall of the Ambassadors and that looking inwards towards the Garden of Daraxa. The high point lies in the Court of the Lions, originally enriched with orange trees. The columns are alabaster, the decorative surfaces are carved plaster and the fountain itself is bronze.
The Generalife The Generalife, built in the open country as a summer retreat under the protection of the walls, is in direct contrast to the introvert interior of the Alhambra. The gardens are an extension of the architecture of the house, lying openly along the falling landscape. The composition is based on a romantic view overlooking Granda and the extrovert nature of the design is a forerunner of the hillside villa of the Italian Renaissance. The Generalife at Granada was built some three hundred years later (before AD 13 19) as a summer residence of the Moorish kings. It lies high on the steep, well-watered slopes of the Cerro del Sol adjoining the Alhambra and is sited solely for the enjoyment of landscape in a way that foreshadows the Italian Renaissance.
The Generalife Basically the design is a traditional patio garden sensitively placed along the contours, and without damage to enclosure the external world has been decisively drawn in on the north and west. The high-level view of the Court of the Canal looks south towards the entrance. The ground-level view shows the central rill and fountains, which served as an ablution tank for the small mosque on the outer wall but broke with tradition in not having a cross arm. The Patio de los Cipreses was the private garden of the women, defined by a U- canal and planted with oleanders that flower in June, the month when the Moorish Court arrived at the palace. The water-staircase lead down from the treed hillside. The air is cooled and the senses delighted by the site and sound of falling water.
The Taj Mahal The square charbagh garden is 300 m 2 designed by Ali Mardan, inspired by Persian gardens, which was introduced to India by the first Mughal emperor, Babur. The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters of the garden into 16 sunken parterres flowerbeds. A raised marble water tank called al- Kawtharat in the center of the garden with a reflecting pool on a north-south axis, reflects the image of the mausoleum. It symbolises the four flowing rivers of (Jannah) and reflects the Paradise garden derived from the Persian paridaeza, meaning 'walled garden'. Paradise is described as an ideal garden of abundance with four rivers flowing from a central spring or mountain, separating the garden into north, west, south and east. Most Mughal charbaghs are rectangular with a tomb or pavilion in the center. But, the Taj Mahal garden is unusual in that the main element, the tomb, is located at the end of the garden. Early accounts of the garden describe its profusion of vegetation, including abundant roses, daffodils, and fruit
The story of Taj Mahal In 1631, emperor Shah Jahan, during the Mughal empire built it out of grief over the death of his favored wife; Mumtaz Mahal. Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. The Taj Mahal was to be a materialization of her spirit. The architecture is compellingly feminine and to many it is even the concept of Mumtaz Mahal herself, for ever seated by the banks of the Jumna river. The plan break with standards, since the tomb stands, not in the centre of the charbagh but on a terrace to the north, overlooking the Jumna river. It is, therefore, a link between two complementary landscape: a universal paradise garden and a revered but particular riverscape. From the river terrace the Fort is seen in the distance. The final conception of the riverscape is said to have included his own black marble tomb opposite the Taj, which was never realized.