Resources - Books & Web Links
In the Islamic world, gardens are specially prized as places which can make you feel at peace, refreshed and in harmony. Many Islamic countries have long, very hot, dry, dusty summers and it can feel like paradise to find somewhere cool, green, shady with fountains and lots of water flowing — the traditional Islamic garden.
Books
John Brookes (1987) Gardens of Paradise: the History and Design of the Great Islamic Gardens, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London. ISBN 0297 786822
Emma Clark (2004) The Art of the Islamic Garden, Crowood Press, Marlborough.
ISBN 1861 26609 X
Sylvia Crowe & Sheila Haywood (1972) The Gardens of Mughul India, Thames & Hudson, London. ISBN 0500 010781
Ronald King (1979) The Quest for Paradise: a History of the World’s Gardens, Whittet
Books, Weybridge. ISBN 0905 483103
(Chapters 6 & 9)
Elizabeth B. Moynihan (1980) Paradise as a Garden in Persia and Mughal India. Scolar Press, London. ISBN 0859 675939
Constance Villiers-Stuart (1913) Gardens of the Great Mughals, Adam & Charles
Black, London
(Material from the latter is now freely available on:
http://www.gardenvisit.com/garden_tour/mughal-gardens-india/mughalgardens-india.htm)
Web Links
A large section on international garden history, including much on Islamic gardens. Profiles
of gardens to visit in many countries and many photos:
http://www.gardenvisit.com/
Virtual tour of Alhambra and Generalife, Spain
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200604/alhambra/
Photos and virtual tour of Shalamar Mughal garden, Lahore, Pakistan
http://mughalgardens.org/html/shalamar.html
For short video of traditional Syrian courtyard garden, click on ‘Damascus House’ video
in bottom right hand corner of Home Page.
http://arabiannights.ca/videos.html
Photos of a variety of Iranian gardens
http://www.isfahan.org.uk/persgard/index4.htm
Very short and basic overview of Islamic gardens with good photos
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~arch/181/persiangarden.html
Bradford’s Mughal garden
http://www.bradford.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/parks_and_gardens/mughal_gardens.htm
More Links
See other links related to history of Islamic gardens on our page about when and where were the great Islamic gardens were built.