LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE August 2016

GLOB A L H ISTORY
History and Ideas
The history of humankind is written in
the landscape.
Every civilisation, every empire has left
i t s m a r k i n s o m e s i g n i f i c a n t w a y.

Landscape Architecture, as it is practised

today, is quite distinct from its historical
roots in landscape gardening.
At its most basic level, it is still about
building landscape for inhabitation and
sustaining the human species.
People have always left their mark on the
landscape, from the earliest cave paintings
to the great feats of engineering such as
Stone henge
In an urbanised world, we are more and more
the product of city landscapes.
As with rural landscapes, no two cities are
alike. A forest dweller is as different from
adesert nomad as a Parisian is from an
Athenian.
Landscape architecture is growing to meet
this challenge- it is building upon its past to
create a better future for all.
Before the Ancient world

The dawn of civilisation

urbanised world, we are more and more the

product of city landscapes.
- Hunting gathering
- Marks they made on landscape fotprints, discarded
bones and shells
- Skara Brae north of Scotland is the complete Stone Age
settlement in Europe, built roughly 5000 years ago.
Skara Brae north of Scotland is the complete Stone Age
settlement in Europe, built roughly 5000 years ago.
Western Civilisations
The cradle of civilisation was much more central than
western.
Mesopotamia, the rich but vast and featureless valleys of
Tigris and Euphrates ( now present day Iraq) were farmed by
Sumerians, the culture that preceded the Babylonians.
The Ancient World
Gods and Monarch gave shape to the landscapes of the
ancient world, which were often built on a scale that is still
i m p r e s s i v e t o d a y.

The society of ancient Greece brought us the philosophy that

still provide the foundation of western culture, as well as
great landscapes such as the Acropolis at Athens.
Roman culture spread across Europe and Africa by dint of
force and introduced new technique of building.
New patterns of city development and impressive
infrastructure from road to aqueducts.

East amazing structues such as stupas at Borobudur in

Indonesia and sanchi stupa.
Iran - ruined city of Persopolis marks the heart of the
mighty Persian empire
Cultures of Precolumbian America culture manifested itself
i n s p a c e - s u n t e m p l e s a t Te t i c u h u a n , p a l a c e s a n d c i t i e s o f
Mayan city of Palenque, to the Incas city ofMachu Pichu.
It is not just the temples and cities that defined the
landscape of the ancient world. Agriculture and the
infrastructure required to move food from the countryside to
the city also had a profound impact on the land.
 Here! Humanizing the Natural World

Wet rice farming was introduced around 400 B.C. and agricultural
 The Western Ancients: Ordering with Procession
and Pyramids
Civilization lasted from around 5000 BC to 332 BC
Long history - 31 dynasties Longer than from 332 to present
We can distinguish four main categories of Egyptian garden
which, logic suggests, developed in the following sequence:------- 1. Fruit and Vegetable Gardens
2. Domestic Gardens
The Nile 3. Palace Gardens
Natural boundaries: 4. Temple and Tomb Gardens
Religion
Highly ordered society
 Throughout ancient
Egypt, gardens were
prized.
For pleasure and
medicine
For food and worship
For shade and coolness

Multipurpose spaces
Thought to have the first
botanical garden Gardens
would contain:
Trees
Container gardens
Water...pools and canals
Grapevines on pergolas
Pavilions or kiosks near
water
Very formal and
symmetrical
Enclosure
Avenues of tress on
approach to temple
gardens
Sacred groves of trees
Growing of trees in
temples difficult (holes
dug out of solid rock)
THE GARDEN OF THE HIGH
OFFICIAL OF AMENHO TEP
(AMENOPHIS) III., THEBES [Ed.
also known as Sennefer's Garden]

Birds-eye view.
Strict symmetry
Flower-beds at the side, and
shady avenues around
The whole upper garden is
intersected in symmetrical
lines by avenues of
sycomores, and different
palm trees (date and
doum).
The garden is carved out by
walls into eight separate
similar parts, only differing in
their size.
two rectangular ponds,
whose banks appear to be
bordered with green grass

1) a square of land surrounded by

lofty walls,
2) the dwelling-house, carefully
hidden away, shaded by trees,
enlivened by the pond and its
water-fowl and green border,
3) the vineyard in the middle with
all the trees of different kinds
grouped about it in avenues.
Western Civilisation.
 Genius Loci :The landscapes of Ancient Greece
Geography

The concept of landscape

Space - Place (Topos) Landscape
The landscape of the Greek antiquity consisted of both the city and its surroundings.

The basic unit of the ancient Greek world, the city (polis), integrated the urban centre (asty) and its
surrounding landscape (chora), as well as additional smaller cities and villages, acting thus, as a unity.
The mountains of Greece divide the agricultural lands into discrete geographical units, limited at all sides by sea
and mountains.
This topographical arrangement favors not only a sense of regionalism from a purely spatial point of view but
also, an organizational pattern based on the idea that any small geographical unit is controlled/managed by the
city.
three interrelated landscapes:
1. the agricultural (the private - for farmers),
2. the urban (the common) and
3. the sacred (reserved for gods)
 City Planning
Under the new urbanization trend of the Hellenistic world, the need of merging smaller settlements into larger ones,
led to the creation of urban centers (new cities), whose planning followed a Hippodamian structure.
The Hippodamian system was an urban planning concept that organized the layout of cities into an orthogonal grid
system, forming building blocks in relation 2:1 (insulae). This plan was pre-determined, strictly geometric in nature,
and based on the virtues of the democratic constitution. The common characteristic of all Hellenistic cities with a
Hippodamian planning system was the creation of public space of human scale, resulting in planned cities which were
easily perceived by their inhabitants.

Where did they excel?

Villa Gardens
City Planning
Site Planning
Houses: marriage of indoors and outdoors.

Gardens
All kind of gardens that existed in the Classical era continued to be present in the Hellenistic as well: vegetable
gardens, vineyards, flower gardens, orchards, sacred gardens. The only vegetated spaces within the Hellenistic city's
walls were the sanctuaries and the public spaces such as the agora. In any case, spaces associated with vegetation
were always concentrated, in order for citizens to conserve water and land area. Private gardens could be maintained
only after their irrigation system had been properly designed for and this was made possible only after the 2nd
century A.D.
The Ancient Messene,
The Agora in Athens
Market place
Central to Athenian Public & democratic life
Market for goods, place to generate ideas.
Philosophers, Socrates - ideas with a public audience in the agora
Greek culture agora blossomed
Mediterranean
Heart of western civilisation Greece
Foundations for science, mathematics, philosophy and politics.
Genius Loci the genius or spirit of a place.
Concept appeared in Rome essence of landscape character and
to the practice of observing place to understand.
Public life in ancient Greece and Rome was of huge importance.
There were places allocated for sporting events, theatre, markets
and exchange of ideas - central cities were planned.
Agora or Greek market place contemporary public squares
culture & politics.
Forum in Rome Roman culture centre of political and civic life.
Lacked underpinnings of democracy that were so crucial to the
Greek state and society.
 Empire and Villa: The landscapes of Ancient
Rome
(Latin: horti) and ornamental horticulture
became highly developed during the history
of Roman civilization.
As Roman culture developed and became
increasingly influenced by foreign civilizations
through trade, the use of gardens expanded
and gardens ultimately thrived in Ancient
Rome
Private Roman gardens were generally
separated into three parts.
1. The first, the xystus, was a terrace that
served as an open air drawing room and
connected to the home via a covered portico.
The xystus overlooked the lower garden, or
ambulation.
2. The ambulation consisted of a variety of
flowers, trees, and other foliage and served as
an ideal milieu for a leisurely stroll after a
meal, some mild conversation, or other
Roman recreation activities.
3. The gestation was a shaded avenue where the
master of a home could ride horseback or be
carried by his slaves. It generally encircled the
ambulation, or was constructed as a separate
oval shaped space.
 Sacred groves - are connected with religion. As in Greece their territory was occupied with
small temples, water sources, chapels and altars;
Urban public gardens - the emperor built these gardens around public buildings like theatres
and thermaes. They were arranged over the areas and they were different sizes.
Urban private gardens - were insignificant and were added after the planning of the house.
The atrium-peristyle type house was formed in ancient Rome, in volume of which were
found courtyards which were surrounded by colonnades, decorated by sculptures, shrubs
and flowers, and decorated with pools and ponds. Gardens in villas and palaces - had
different purposes - from the purely economic to entertainment. These gardens were
arranged on the stepped terraces were decorated with flowers, fountains, sculptures and
other architectural structures. The terraces were connected together by stairs, however, as in
Greece, stairs did not have composition value yet.
Hippodrome gardens - Hippodrome gardens had a lawn with flowers, framed by alleys and
trimmed shrubs. Shrub and tree compositions, flower gardens, fountains and gazebos were
also placed on the edges. The empty space in the center gave an opportunity for
observation.

As a whole the landscape design of ancient Rome the following features are characteristic:
1. the improvement of the methods of ancient Greece and the creation of their own.
Specifically, in the landscape design of Ancient Rome appeared arbors, alleys, topiaries -
neatly figured trimmed.
2. the creation of new types of gardens (public gardens, peristyle gardens, gardens in the
villas, hippodrome gardens);
3. the absence of composition unity in the gardens.
 The garden plan is laid out on a central axis with subsidiary cross-axes,
refreshed by some five hundred jets in fountains, pools and water troughs.
The Villa's uppermost terrace ends in a balustraded balcony at the left end, with a sweeping view
over the plain below.
Symmetrical double flights of stairs flanking the central axis lead to the next garden terrace, with the
Grotto of Diana, richly decorated with frescoes and pebble mosaic to one side and the central
Fontana del Bicchierone ("Fountain of the Great Cup"), planned by Bernini in 1660, where water
issues from a seemingly natural rock into a scrolling shell-like cup.
To descend to the next level, there are stairs at either end the elaborate fountain complex called
the Rometta ("the little Rome") is at the far left to view the full length of the Hundred Fountains
on the next level, where the water jets fill the long rustic trough, and Pirro Ligorio's Fontana
dell'Ovato ends the cross-vista.
This terrace is united to the next by the central Fountain of the Dragons, dominating the central
perspective of the gardens, erected for a visit in 1572 of Pope Gregory XIII whose coat-of-arms
features a dragon. The sound of this fountain was in contrast to a nearby Uccellario with artificial
birds.
Central stairs lead down a wooded slope to three rectangular fishponds set on the cross-axis at the
lowest point of the gardens, terminated at the right by the water organ and Fountain of Neptune
The Rometta fountain
The Fontana dell'Ovato ("Oval Fountain") cascades from its egg-shaped basin into a pool set
against a rustic nymphaeum
Le Cento Fontane (The Hundred Fountains)
The Middle Ages
supersitious religion, warring factions and authoritarian power slowed the pace of
progress.
Mont Saint michel in France
The Alambra in Spain
The Forbidden city in Beijing and the
Moss garden at Saiho-ji in kyoto
Were constructed in a short space of 200 years 1200 to1400 years.
The concentration of power and money in the hands of religions, warlords and monarchs
led to the construction of incredible monuments - high power and individual vanity.
Defensive structures like walls and castles were built everywhere new defining
characteristics to a landscape.
In west Herbaria or physic gardens were built herbs for cooking, perfumes and
potpourris- medicinal purposes.

Land & Feudalism

Control of land in Middle ages highly centralised in Europe, feudalism defined
the way landscape was subdivided and used.
Bulk of land control of kings or nobles labour or peasants was used
Common land grazing of animals
The enclosure of lands for private ownership made a permanent change in the
character of the landscape, particularly in England walls and hedges have come
to form a patchwork and hedges have come to forma patchwork that is symbolic
of the country side and emblematic of the national temperament.
The Renaissance and the Baroque
Middle Ages superstitious religion

Renaissance
Intellectual movement of the time, focussed on people.
Universities instead of monasteries, quest for excellence in the arts and
sciences inspiration from Classical Greece and Rome.
Human perfection reflected in landscape imposed a grand geometric order
upon land.
Cities, Gardens and Buildings reflected the ideals of perfect proportion, order
and geometry

Baroque Period
Brought Romance and fantasy to the rigidity of spaces created grottos, follies.
Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore in Italy was an island pleasure palace designed to
appear like a giant ship sailing across the lake
An awakening of Creativity
Average person was in poverty while life of priviledge became
very refined with plenty of time for indulgence and a new spirit
of playfulness.
Formal gardens became places of entertainment rather than
utility and immense skill was put in to their creation.
Water jokes common feature Renaissance and Baroque
gardens fountains damp surprise.
Elaborate hydraulic systems jokes and fountains gravity.
Ostentatious materialism and display urban design
Berninis Piazza del Popolo in Rome and Venice Baroque
Masterpieces

The Royal table at Hellbrunn

The palace at Hellbrunn, near
Salzburg in Austria formal garden
theatre and entertainment.
France and Italy
The landscapes of Renaissance reached its height in Italy & France
Gardens at the Chateau de Chenonceau and Andre Le Notre display of
wealth and power at Vaux-le-Vicomte and Loius XIV Versailles
Relationship between land, water, sky and geometry to create pleasure
grounds
France water and geometry strong framework for the gardens
Regions of Italy around Rome, Florence and Tuscany dramatic
topography
Italian Baroque gardens composed of series of terraces stepping down
allowing water to be animated in fountain at each step.
Ingenious and beautiful devices for transporting water were emloyed
Water Organ at Villa dEstate at Tivoli

Andre Le Notre grew in family of gardeners, studied architecture

He designed Garden at Versallies and Vaux-le-Vicomte.
English Gardens
Italy and France gardens in 16th & 17th Cent.
England influence of France during this period
Rolling hills of English landscape
18th cent interest in natural environment and a romanticism of
countryside including the forbidding mountains and deep forest
which were avoided previously as wastelands
Creation of landscape included exquiste views, rolling lawns, pools
and grouping of trees
Architects William Kent, Charles Bridgeman, Capability Brown
their style had global influence and foundation for modern
landscape architecture.
 The French Gardens
Think of French Garden Design and you immediately think of beautiful, intricate knot gardens or
long avenues of trees interspaced with large ponds and fountains. French Garden Design, also called
Jardin la Franaise, is a very formal, very ordered gardening style with lots of straight lines and
symmetry. It is above all a style created to impress.

Key Features of a French Garden Design

The focus of the garden tends to be the house, usually a palace or chateau and paths radiate out
of this creating long axial views.
A geometric plan is used and symmetry is very important.
A central axis leads away from the house - perpendicular to the house.
Paths tend to be gravel and edged with clipped hedges and topiary laid out in symmetrical
patterns.
Water is often a key feature of French garden design and lots of round pools and long rectangles
of water will be incorporated, the reflection of the water adding to the symmetry and tranquility
of the scene. Fountains and cascades are also very common features.
Close to the house planting is kept low (no trees) and tends to consist of parterres. Parterres
close to the house can be quite intricately patterned and will tend to become more simple
further from the house.
Further from the house paths are often edged with trees. Trees are always planted in straight
lines adding perspective and reinforcing the symmetry of the garden.
Statuary is often used in French Garden Design. Pavilions and 'follies' are often incorporated too.
In the great French formal gardens there is almost always a terrace from where the garden and
its symmetry can be seen from above
Plants and Trees to use in French Formal Design

Trees
Trees are planted in straight lines and clipped to keep a perfect shape and size. They may be formed into
shapes to form topiary.
The trees used in the Gardens of Versailles were: hornbeam, beech, chestnut, elm and linden for the
most part. Hornbeam and Beech are easy to prune and shape making them particularly good trees for
formal gardens.

Hedges
The clipped hedges are usually box, lavender, rosemary and occasionally santoline. Regular trimming to
stop them going 'leggy' and 'woody' is important.

Plants
If you want to recreate a very traditional design then the colours should be limited to white, pink, blue
and mauve as these were the only colours available in the 17th century when many of the great French
Formal gardens were created. Red, yellow and orange plants weren't brought to Europe until 1730.
Bedding plants and bulbs are popular choices for parterres with for example, parterres filled with bulbs
in formal patterns for spring flowering and then taken out and replaced with bedding plants for the late-
spring and summer.

Vegetables
Many French Chateaux have wonderful vegetable gardens with the vegetables laid out in patterns and
parterres in the style of the ornamental formal gardens. The results are superb. The best and most
famous is at the Chateau de Villandry which also has some stunning ornamental formal gardens.
Gardens of Versailles
The Gardens of Versailles, created by Andr Le Ntre between 1662 and 1700, were the greatest
achievement of the Garden la francaise. They were the largest gardens in Europe - with an area
of 15000 hectares, and were laid out on an east-west axis followed the course of the sun: the sun
rose over the Court of Honor, lit the Marble Court, crossed the Chateau and lit the bedroom of the
King, and set at the end of the Grand Canal, reflected in the mirrors of the Hall of Mirrors. In
contrast with the grand perspectives, reaching to the horizon, the garden was full of surprises -
fountains, small gardens fill with statuary, which provided a more human scale and intimate
spaces.
The central symbol of the Garden was the sun; the emblem of Louis XIV, illustrated by the statue
of Apollo in the central fountain of the garden. "The views and perspectives, to and from the
palace, continued to infinity. The king ruled over nature, recreating in the garden not only his
domination of his territories, but over the court and his subjects.
 The Long Springtime: Landscapes of China
Chinese gardens historically pre-date Japanese gardens which
derived from them, via Korea.
the essential differences are those caused by their being
based on different religions: Chinese gardens were rooted
in Confucianism and Taoism, whereas Japanese gardens were
more strongly influenced by Buddism. In addition to this,
Japanese gardens are thought to have had a stronger religious
basis than had Chinese gardens.
The Chinese house and garden were seen as unlike in
character and were meant to be used differently by their
occupants. Not only were they of dissimilar characters, but
this difference was consolidated by the physical link between
them being structured and strongly defined by doors.
But Chinese gardens were meant to be enjoyed and lived in,
perhaps more as a functional element of the households
pattern of living. Nor was there the same degree of religious
spirit to the Chinese garden compared with its later Japanese
cousin.
There was, however, a very strong link between painting and
the garden brought about through the Taoist influence with its
awe of nature.
 The Chinese house tended to be rectangular in form reflecting the materials of its construction,
and was usually built around an internal courtyard. The garden was an adjunct of it and had a
character dependent upon the owner and its designer. Many were considered to be scholar
gardens, so-called because they were intended for the pursuit of intellectual, moral or scholarly
development.

Increasing wealth saw the expansion of gardens and, with it, the introduction of pavilions,
covered walkways and the introduction of a visual design vocabulary intended to bring a range of
feelings to the user of the garden, but what particularly characterized the Chinese garden was an
insistence on non-geometric planning to replicate nature, its use of three design depths, each
parallel to the picture plane, and requiring the eye to move from one to another to create the
illusion of great depth, the manipulation of scale to increase the above illusion, and the
incorporation of four specific elements:
rocks,
water,
buildings
plants.
 Wandering Paths of Perception and Imagination:
Landscapes of Japan
Japanese gardens developed to a large extent on the concepts noted above. The philosophical or
religious basis of Chinese gardens were adapted and developed in a manner suited both to the
smaller sites available in Japan, the colder climate and, of course, the different socio-religious
circumstances.

Japanese gardens were, like Chinese gardens, an attempt to create a utopian space suited to
relaxation and contemplation, a space that could be used and enjoyed, particularly by those
living in troubled times.

Although they were an artificial creation, they were a setting for those who had a need to
reflect. But more than that, as an adjunct to a living area, they were a means of introducing calm
and order into the lives of those using and enjoying those living areas.

In considering Oriental gardens it has to be borne in mind that the vocabulary we in the West
use in their design such as form, texture, sound, motion and colour are not as important in
design and enjoyment as aesthetic philosophical and religious and symbolic elements. These
are key concepts used in the overall composition of the garden and might not be looked for by a
Western observer. In this there is some similarity with Islamic design.

Almost every Japanese garden incorporates elements relating to water, islands of stone, plants
and garden accessories, elements that relate to Japan and the development there of Zen
Buddhism introduced in the thirteenth century.
 Symbolism
Water and islands are features symbolising the islands of Japan and the surrounding sea fed by its
rivers, though it is not important for water to be actually in the garden: water features may be created
with dry materials. In fact, although Japanese gardens might be divided into those that are dry and
those that are wet, the former almost always have a small amount of water in them.
Symbols of auspiciousness and longevity are often incorporated into gardens. Cranes, tortoises and
pine trees are three such symbols of longevity, and the pine and bamboo are symbols of
auspiciousness.

Aesthetic
Much of the aesthetics we understand in the West can be read in Japanese gardens, particularly those
informed by Zen Buddism which forms the basis of most Japanese gardens. These include:
kanso simplicity,
shizen lack of artifice,
fukinsei asymmetry,
koko austerity, maturity, bare essentials,
datsuzoku lack of worldliness, transcendence of the conventional,
yugen subtlety, and
seijaku tranquility,
all of which are key elements in Zen philosophy and are at the root of Japanese garden design. In
particular, and in contradistinction to Islamic design, there is a preference for asymmetry, an aspect of
garden aesthetics associated with a lack of perfection in form and shape as well as in a preference for
odd rather than even numbers.
 Design
You will see from the foregoing that the concepts behind Japanese gardens are completely
dissimilar from those generally employed in the West or in the Middle East. The essential design
requirement is to ensure that the viewer or user of the garden is drawn into the garden, to have
empathy with it to the extent that his imagination extends its physical boundaries.
These different concepts are not a vocabulary from which a selection may be made for a
particular garden; they have all to be employed in the design of any garden.
The elements of design set out above will give much of the design character required of the
Japanese garden, but different features should not appear to be manufactured or man-made, but
should seem natural and evolved over time. In this regard the markers of the passage of time such
as weathering, moss and discoloration should also be employed.
Some of the above are repeated, but here are described in a little more detail:
mu is a state of emptiness or nothingness,
koko relates to the importance of age brought about by quality and time and accompanied by
mellowness and maturity,
shizen is created by the lack of artifice,
yugen is the achievement of profundity with mystery, the use of darkness to create stillness and
tranquility and the utilization of the technique of
miegakure or avoidance of full expression which requires the hiding of a part of the whole, in
addition to which
wabi, austerity,
sabi, elegant simplicity, and
shibui, tastefulness should be added to
seijaku or the attainment of stillness, quiet, and tranquility.
So, with these the Japanese garden strives to create a particular feeling or character in the observer,
one that is specific to that particular location, one that reflects the seasons and variations of nature,
and one that reflects the variety of philosophical and cultural characteristics of the Japanese.
 Earthly Paradise
Islamic gardens

Islam swept outward from Arabia, establishing itself over a large geographical area in
which a variety of societies and traditions pre-existed. As a consequence, the
architecture and landscaping which then became known as Islamic, demonstrate a
wide diversity of styles responding to those geographies, climates and societies, while
overlain by a number of ideals specific to Islam.

Paradise
There is a strong association between the concept of Islamic gardens and paradise. The
Persian word, pairidaeeza, is a combination of two words that mean surrounding wall,
thus the concept of paradise is of a garden or gardens, surrounded by a wall, isolating
those within and enabling them to enjoy the features established within the wall.
The word paradise is derived from the Persian, pairidaeeza, arriving in English via
Greek and Latin. In Arabic the name for a heavenly garden is jannah, of which the
highest level of garden is firdaws, most commonly used in the phrase jannaatal-
firdaws gardens of paradise.
 Basis of Islamic garden design

the Holy Quran, where there are a number of verses dealing with the Islamic concept of Heaven,
the hadith, the traditions, teachings and sayings of the Prophet, and
the arid geography of much of the area in which Islam developed and gained supremacy.

there are seven basic considerations for an Islamic garden:

1. Diversity, is considered to be more satisfying when achieved through an element of unity. There is
interplay between the real and ideal, practicality and fantasy, tangible and symbolic, physical and
metaphysical, and urban and natural;

2. Beauty, and aesthetic qualities are seen as important in Islam. Traditionally, artistic endeavors have
developed but have always been seen to be an integral part of life. Beauty is not a luxury in Islam, but a
goal, which is why it is not wrong to decorate the interior of a building while keeping the faade plain:
this is a direct expression of the richness of the soul and the humble appearance of the body;

3. Conservation, especially as an element of environmental concern, is a basic tenet of Islam. The use of
water, particularly, is carefully controlled and, when used, there are likely to be three factors in
operation: the need to humidify the area in which it is located; its function as an element of a design
bringing reflection or mobility and sparkle to that design; and its aural quality, capable of producing a
range of sounds into a relatively quiet environment;

4. Contextually, or the requirement to have a garden designed in response to other elements of

architecture or planning. There must be an orderly spatial plan in Islamic cities, even if this is not
apparent from a Western perspective;
5. Individualism, is considered central to Islam, where each person is responsible directly to
God. It follows that, within the common objectives of a particular society, individual
responses to design are the rule, bearing in mind that individuals also have a duty not to harm
their neighbors' enjoyment;

6. Multiple-use, is a concept that is central to the Islamic garden. A garden should provide food
and water not only for the inhabitants but also animals and birds; its trees and shrubs will
produce fruit and herbs as well as shade, movement and scent and, where possible, a range
of active and passive activities should be accommodated within it;

7. Moderation, relates to the need to maintain a balance of man with nature, and neither to
impose a form of rational will on nature as occured in France, nor to submit to a concept of
nature as happened in England.
 Necessary requirements of gardens

1. Quadripartite layout The traditional design of an Islamic garden with which we are familiar was
developed in Persia and, later, is likely to have been based on both the Holy Quran as well as the need
to irrigate the garden. Its two-dimensional characteristic lies in its quadripartite design, by which it is
divided by four water courses which are said to represent the rivers to be found in paradise. These
four rivers tend to be brought together at a central fountain or pool, a feature and focus of the
garden.

2. Water Water is a central element of Islamic garden design where it has both a physical and
metaphysical importance. Islam was established and grew in a part of the world which has a hot,
harsh climate and where water brings life to the desert and those who live in it.

3. Vegetation and shade In hot, arid climates the promise of water is a design imperative, but so too is
the concomitant requirement for shade.

The Holy Quran contains many references and allusions to the features of the gardens that await the
faithful. But it is not just shade that it promised. Coolness, lush greenery, fruit and beauty are also
features of the garden. These help to create a setting for rest and enjoyment, providing fruits and
shade, colour and movement.

4. Pavilions Within the garden the Holy Quran promises that there will be pavilions from which the
faithful will be able to enjoy the garden. These pavilions are specified as being elevated and
constructed over running water and from which good views of the gardens are to be enjoyed as are,
of course, the pavilions themselves and the life lived within them.

5. Walls and gates Paradise, however large or small it may be, is surrounded by gated walls
 The traditional Islamic garden

The key elements of water, greenery and paths arranged within a quadripartite geometry can be seen
here in a very formal disposition. This formality is one of the characteristics of Islamic gardens.
The incorporation of water and its display was also a function of wealth. Although its use in arid
climates was beneficial in practical terms, not everybody could afford to have fountains and
watercourses along with the attendant practical difficulties associated with the necessary pipework,
mechanisms and maintenance.
There was always a small amount of water incorporated within the garden, either through the use of
watercourses or from a small fountain. The introduction of trees and shrubs is also an important factor
in the design of Islamic gardens bringing, as they do, not only movement but shade into the garden.
Within arid climates shade is an imperative in moderating the micro-climate, but also in allowing use of
the garden during hot weather.
 The Alhambra, Granada, Spain

This first photograph was taken of El Partal in the upper Alhambra, Granada and illustrates the
relationship between shaded area and a large water resource. Here, water channeled down from the hills
surrounding Granada, was used to create a cooling feature that was designed to reflect the building
behind it and to be associated with the views into the surrounding hills. Here the symmetry of the
buildings faade and the topiary of the hedge contrast with the irregular natural setting. This is a place
designed for reflection, both literally and mentally, as well as for enjoyment, though the upper Alhambra
was originally occupied by courtiers and government officials.
 Court of the Lions - long axis.
Islamic garden.
integration of the surrounding building
with the garden, effected by the use of an
open verandah. This provides shade from the
hot sun and protection from the rain and is
both a circulation system as well as a living
space.
Connected to it are a number of rooms
that have multiple uses, some of which have
small fountains connected by narrow channels
to the courtyards central feature, the marble
basin with its fountain and associated carved
lions.
The scale of fountains and channels is more
suited to the character of this urban and
urbane space. The quadripartite divisioning has
been created with the water channels and
there is only a small amount of planting.
- small shrubs are sufficient to have an
impact within the courtyard, though, from the
other end of it, the tops of cypress trees can be
seen, which also adds to the effect of softening
the hard roof lines while contrasting in colour
and texture to the carved masonry.
 The Taj Mahal, Agra, India

While it is only the Court of the Lions that has the classic organization of an Islamic garden.
There are five constructed elements of the development, six if you include the Yamuna river which
separates the better known elements on the right, or south side from the Mahtab bagh garden on the
north bank of the river. Studies suggest that the complex was laid out in a complex manner relating to
geometries found in octagons and right angled triangles, where the numbers 7, 12, 17 and 24 become
important measures.
 Four of the developments have a quadripartite structure to them, the mausoleum, Rauza-i munauwara,
being an exception. The Mahtab bagh garden on the north bank of the Yamuna has a square plan with
axial paths crossing at a pond, but at its southern side there is an octagonal pool which, speculation
suggests, was located there to reflect the mausoleum on the southern back of the river.
The mausoleum is one of the most famous images of Islamic architecture and forms the focus of the
Charbagh when approached from the south. Leading the eye to the mausoleum is a long pool flanked by
paths and trees set in patterned ground cover and paving. The Charbagh is symmetrically divided into
four quadrants, each of which is again divided into four. There is a suggestion that earlier versions of the
garden subdivided each quadrant again by four and then, again by four, bringing the scale down to a
very personal level.
The Jilaukhana, or forecourt, is also divided into four while being rectangular in plan. It was designed as
the setting down area for guests where they might be organised before proceeding into the Charbagh
and hence to the Rauza-i manauwara.

To the south of the Jilaukhana is the Taj Ganji. Originally housing for the workforce needed to construct
the Taj Mahal development, the Taj Ganji was converted to be used as a bazaar and caravanserai on the
completion of construction work in order to provide a place where travellers and their goods might
come and stay while carrying out business. As you will be able to see from this aerial photograph, the
mixture of uses was so successful that its continuing development changed completely the design and
layout of this part of the overall Taj Mahal.
Continues..