When And Where Were The Great Islamic Gardens Built?
Islamic gardens are found across a very large span of the world, from Spain in the west to India and Uzbekistan, close to China, in the east. They have been created in many different countries. But certain people, places and periods stand out for their special contribution to Islamic gardens.
Persian garden ideas spread across the early Islamic state
Many ideas and methods in Islamic gardens seem to originate from the Persians. (The Persians are the largest of various ethnic groups who live in the country now called Iran.) By the middle of the 7th Century CE, the Muslim Arabs had conquered the Persians, converted them to Islam and began using crafts and skills developed by the Persians.
Muslim Arabs also conquered North Africa and during the 8th Century CE they conquered Spain and set up an Arab state there. At first, it was ruled from Damascus in Syria, which for a time was the capital of this growing Muslim superstate. Though far apart, there are many similarities between the arts and crafts of Arab Spain and Syria.
The long first golden age of Islamic gardens
From the 9th Century CE, an era of beautiful Islamic gardens had begun in the countries which today are Iran, Iraq, Syria and Spain. Baghdad became a city of gardens. By the 10th Century CE, the Arabs in Spain had formed a separate government of their own. It had its capital in Cordoba, southern Spain where a very large and beautiful mosque was built. Other famous cities in Arab Spain were Seville and Granada and all three had fabulous gardens. Persian cities, like Shiraz, also had many beautiful gardens.
But from the 13th Century CE, Spanish Christians from northern Spain were gradually conquering Arab Spain. Granada alone remained a small independent Arab state till 1492 CE, when it was finally conquered by Christian Spain. Much of the Alhambra palace and gardens and Generalife gardens at Granada was built in the 14th Century CE, during the later part of this period of Muslim rule in Spain. However, there were later additions, especially at the Generalife.
Timur’s Central Asian garden city
At the eastern end of the Islamic world, there were also invaders – though these were to become great builders of Islamic gardens themselves. From the 11th Century CE, successive waves of Turkish-speaking peoples migrated westwards from Mongolia. An early wave founded the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Later invasions in the 13th and 14th Centuries, led by Jenghis Khan and then Timur, for a while devastated the area which today is Iran, Iraq and Syria. But Timur wanted to use the craft skills of the people he conquered for his own Muslim society. He drew many skilled craftsmen to build an enormous city with grand gardens in the Islamic style at Samarkand in Uzbekistan. There are detailed descriptions of Timur’s gardens written by a Spanish ambassador, who visited in 1403 and liked very much what he saw.
The golden age of Mughal gardens
The next great phase of garden-building began late the same century when Babur, one of Timur’s family, conquered what is today Afghanistan, Pakistan and the north of India. He set up what was called the ‘Mughal’ Empire, derived from ‘Mongol’. The Mughals were Muslims. Babur was intensely keen on Islamic gardens and personally designed and built them. Three other Mughal Emperors – Akbar, Jahangir and Jahan – were also extremely keen on creating gardens. Jahangir was rather more of a garden-builder and botanist than an Emperor. Between 1483 and 1658 CE these Mughal Emperors produced a golden age of garden-building in north India, Pakistan and Kashmir. Some of the largest, boldest and most imaginative gardens in the Islamic world were created under their rule. Two of the most famous works – Shalamar Gardens in Lahore and the Taj Mahal, Agra - were completed by Emperor Jahan in the middle of the 17th century CE.
Another golden age for Persian gardens
At the same time as the Mughal Emperors were building their many gardens, there was a fresh golden age of garden-building in Iran too. A powerful Persian ruler, Shah Abbas (1587-1629) transformed Isfahan into a famously beautiful city where the centre was largely composed of gardens. Its great central square is little changed today. The Garden of Fin at Kashan was also built by him .
Fine Islamic gardens continued to be built during the 18th and 19th centuries and existing gardens were modified. But the most creative periods for garden design are those mentioned.
Further information about history of Islamic Gardens
General
http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm?ArticleID=309
Persian gardens
http://www.answers.com/topic/persian-gardens
Mughal gardens
http://mughalgardens.org/intro.html
Gardens of early Islamic Iraq: Baghdad and Samarra
http://www.muslimheritage.com/topics/default.cfm
Spanish ambassador’s account of his visit to Timur’s Samarkand http://www.gardenvisit.com/travel/clavijo/index.htm
Virtual tour of Isfahan, Iran, starting from Shah Abbas’ central square. Click on this site’s
taxi icon for a list of destinations.
http://www.isfahan.org.uk/meidshah/meidshah.html