Islamic Garden

Contextualizing Islamic Gardens And Their Development

Gardening has been a historical activity that was common in many regions and continued for many purposes, such as for cultivating and shaping the natural landscape according to humans’ needs and aesthetic sense. However, different religions and cultures brought new designs and structures that were shared and adapted to different environment and climates. The Islamic garden is not an exception, as it developed and was influenced by many civilizations. This essay is an introductory attempt to trace the origins and developments of the Islamic garden, its types, notable examples, and finally a remark on the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque’s Islamic Garden.

The birth of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH

Gardens made by Muslim patrons using these forms are called Islamic, and they have an agreed upon set of meanings, although those meanings change along with the social practices and values of the patrons who employ them. (Ruggles, 2011). Gardens in the Islamic world resulted from the association of a broad range of heterogeneous components. The Janna, defined as a garden opposed to the desert, constitute an important component of Islamic culture as a symbolic echo of paradise. Although rooted in the Persian tradition of parks for pleasure, the Islamic garden was also influenced by Byzantine horticulture, particularly the gardens of Nestorian monasteries in Iraq. (Meri,

The first factor is the culture of early Middle Eastern civilizations. Agriculturally and horticulturally, the spread and development of Islamic culture also saw the blending of the Persian gardens’ structural layout with the agricultural skills of the Egyptians, and the experience of the North Africans and Arabs with dry arid farming and irrigation adaptations. The second factor is the desert environment and geographical location. Climate and ecology influence the design and techniques used to achieve the most efficient gardening methods. The main element of Islamic gardens is a water feature, which served in ancient times and continues to serve in many gardens today as a functional irrigation system, as well as garden art designed to create a sense of serenity. It is also believed that the cypress plant represents death or eternity, and flowering fruit trees represent life or fertility. These two components, like other Islamic garden elements, are derived from the Quran. The third factor influencing Islamic garden design is found in the religious teachings and beliefs of Prophet Mohammad PBUH. What Mohammad PBUH said, how he behaved, and the customs and practices that he accepted determine the cultural landscape of the garden for the people of Islamic nations, and the common element between them is the passion for the outdoors and serenity (Benfield,