Gardens Of The Islamic World: Introduction
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.
This resource offers information and ideas to help you design an Islamic Garden. Published to support the REEP Garden Awards 2007, the resource offers a great deal of information about the principles of Islamic garden design.
The first two sections give main facts about the Islamic garden style and are essential reading if you are entering an Islamic Garden design for the Awards.
For those of you that don't have a palace with enormous grounds at your disposal, a follow-up article looks at the creation of miniature Islamic gardens!
Key Things About Islamic Gardens
Some basic features which you would need to include in a design for the Awards.
The ‘Chahar Bagh’ Garden Plan
An important type of Islamic garden plan and how you could choose to apply it in your own way.
Garden Features In Islamic Gardens
Extra detail about many ideas and points of interest – much more than you could ever possibly use in your garden design. Unlike the first two sections, it includes some weblinks to illustrations of subjects mentioned.
- Water channels, Paths and avenues, ‘Eight’ is a special number, Flower-beds and flowerpots.
- Pools, Fountains, ‘Chadar’ waterfalls, ‘Chabutras’.
- Pavilions and ‘iwans’, Night-time garden features, Novelty garden special effects of the past.
- Plants, Wild-life, Giving gardens names, The principle of unity.
Designing An Islamic Garden In Britain
This section includes choice of plants which suit both an Islamic garden and the British climate. It also raises practical issues about what man-made decorations you include in your design.
- Choosing a site for the garden.
- An easy task: plants to suit an Islamic garden in the British climate.
- A harder task: man-made garden features for an Islamic garden in Britain.
Resources
The sections at the end offer extra information, if you wish this. Some websites are listed where you can see photos and videos of Islamic gardens. It is helpful to see many pictures of Islamic gardens in order to gain ideas for a design.
Extra Information
A section on the history of Islamic gardens, though this is not actually necessary to produce a design for the Awards. However the history section lists more websites, some of which provide good photos, which could assist garden designs.
- When and where were the great Islamic gardens built?
- Novelty garden special effects of the past – more information.
Resource Credits
Words by Charles Patmore
Photos by Tanya Jane Patmore
Garden plan graphics by Kristina Patmore
Produced January 2007 for REEP.