What Are Persian Gardens?

Think of one thing that perfectly defines the notion of paradise. To many of us, one of those thoughts evokes the idea of a tranquil, well kept garden. It might be new for you to hear that the reason you see paradise through the prism of a garden could be because of the Persians.

Although Babylonian mythologies are full of allusions to a garden, the Persians took this idea to a whole new level given that their legacy endures to this day in popular imagination one way or another. Persian gardens (in Persian باغ های ایرانی) refer to a tradition and style of garden design that has its origins in Persia (currently Iran). Indeed, Greek historian Herodotus noted that the Persian kings liked gardening.

What makes a Persian garden a Persian garden?

High walls, trees for shade, streams and fountains set apart Persian gardens from the rest.

It is important to reiterate this point that Persian gardens are walled in, which is a huge departure from Chinese, French, Zen or English gardens. The Iranian plateau being an arid region, Persian gardens offered respite from the hot climate by creating shady areas within the gardens.

Although all these gardens may share formal landscaping features, there are three divergent criteria that make Persian gardens unique:

The need to hear and see water flowing, which explains the use of fountains and canals. For most gardens, water fountains are mainly employed for their visual appeal. But the creators of Persian gardens wanted to go further than that. They wanted to replicate both the dropping and trickling sound of water in a stream.

The gardens are normally divided into four large squares by means of causeways and water channels.

Finally, is the clever integration of the indoor and outdoor elements with the use of high walled enclosures. As a matter of fact, when you are in a Persian garden for the first time, it is very hard to isolate these two elements.

The Persian word for this "enclosed space" was referred to as "pairidaeza" which was transmitted and adopted by the Judeo-Christian mythology, when the Jews were under Persian exile.

Experts believe that it is here the Jewish scribes and religious leaders further relied on the notion of "paradise" to describe and refine the theological implications of the garden of Eden. It is an idea that was reiterated and continued to evolve even when the region fell under Muslim rule. Even if the Arab invasion led to the death of Zoroastrian religion in Persia, the idea of paradise still remained in Islamic orthodoxy.

To this extent, the Persian garden's atmosphere eventually evolved to mirror the image that the Quran had represented about paradise. This is expressed in the philosophy of the Char bagh gardens which were quickly adopted by neighbouring civilisations, particularly in present day India and Pakistan.

Where to find an original Persian garden today

95% of the remaining Persian gardens are in Iran, but as we will see, there are Persian inspired gardens outside Iran, particularly in India and Pakistan. As a matter of fact, the national symbol of India, the Taj Mahal, borrows heavily from the philosophy of Persian gardening.

The second one is the Humayun's Tomb in Delhi. Designed by a Persian architect named Mirak Mirza Ghiyas in the 16th Century, it was built in honour of the Mughal Emperor Humayun on a 25 acre piece of land.

The rest of the Persian gardens which are world heritage sites are found in Iran. These include: Pahlavanpour Garden in the city of Mehriz in Yazd province, Abbas Abad Garden in Behshahr in Mazandaran province, Akbarieh Garden in South Khorasan province, Fin Garden in Kashan in Isfahan province, Chehel Sotoun in Isfahan province, Shazdeh Garden in Kerman province, Eram Garden in Shiraz District, Pasargadae in Fars province, and Dowlat Abad Garden in Yazd province.

But why is their legacy so important to world history that they have been designated as world heritage sites? According to UNESCO, "Natural elements combine with man-made components in the Persian Garden to create a unique artistic achievement that reflects the ideals of art, philosophical, symbolic and religious concepts. The Persian Garden materialises the concept of Eden or Paradise on Earth."