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{{short description|Form of garden of Old Iranian origin}}
{{For|the Japanese-Buddhist "paradise garden"|Japanese garden#The Paradise Garden}}

The '''paradise garden''' is a form of [[garden]] of [[History of Iran|Old Iranian]] origin, specifically [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] which is formal, symmetrical and most often, enclosed. The most traditional form is a rectangular garden split into four quarters with a pond in the center, a four-fold design called [[Charbagh|''chahar bagh'']] (“four gardens”).<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Episode 1 |series=Monty Don's Paradise Gardens |network=BBC}}</ref> One of the most important elements of paradise gardens is water, with ponds, canals, rills, and fountains all being common features. Scent is an essential element with fruit-bearing trees and flowers selected for their fragrance.

It is also often referred to as an [[Islamic garden]]. The form of garden spread throughout [[Egypt]] and the [[Mediterranean]] during the [[Early Muslim conquests|Muslim Arabic conquests]], reaching as far as [[Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent|India]] and [[Umayyad conquest of Hispania|Spain]].

==Etymology==
Originally denominated by a single noun denoting "a walled-in compound or [[garden]]", from "''pairi''" ("around") and "''daeza''" or "''diz''" ("wall", "brick", or "shape"), philosopher and historian [[Xenophon|Xenophon of Athens]] [[Loanword|borrowed]] the [[Iranian languages#Old Iranian|Old Iranian]] ''*paridaiza(h)'', Late Old Iranian ''*pardēz'' ([[Avestan]] ''pairidaēza'', [[Old Persian]] ''*paridaida'', Late Old Persian ''pardēd'') into Greek as ''paradeisos''.<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|8}}  This term is used for the [[Garden of Eden]] in Greek translations of the [[Old Testament]].<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|8}}

In [[Hebrew]] the word ''pardes'' ([[:he:פרדס|פרדס]]) means 'orchard', likely borrowed from Old Iranian. The word appears in the [[Bible]] several times, including in the [[Song of Songs]], chapter 4, verse 13: "Your orchard is a pomegranate with its fruit, acacias with nard," as well as in [[Ecclesiastes]] , chapter 2, verse 5, and [[Nehemiah]] , chapter 2, verse 8.

In [[Persian language|Persian]], the word ''pardis'' means both paradise and garden.<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|8}}

==History==
The oldest [[Persian gardens|Persian garden]] of which there are records belonged to [[Cyrus the Great]], in his capital at [[Pasargadae]] in the province of Fars to the north of [[Shiraz]]. It is the oldest intact layout that suggests elements of the paradise garden.<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|7}} Likely planted with [[cypress]], [[pomegranate]] and [[cherry]], the garden had a geometrical plan and stone watercourses. These watercourses formed the principal axis and secondary axes of the main garden at Pasargadae, prefiguring the four-fold design of the [[Charbagh|''chahar bagh'']].<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|8}} In the [[Achaemenid Empire]], gardens contained fruit trees and flowers, including the [[lily]] and [[rose]]. In 330 BC [[Alexander the Great]] saw the tomb of Cyrus the Great and recorded that it stood in an [[grove (nature)|irrigated grove of trees]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gardenvisit.com/gardens/pasargadae |title=Pasargadae |author=<!--Not stated--> |access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref>
[[File:Persepolis T Chipiez.jpg|thumb|left|Gardens outside of the Palace of [[Darius I of Persia]] in [[Persepolis]], an example of Achaemenid paradise gardens]]
It is believed that the [[Achaemenid]] kings built paradise gardens within enclosed royal hunting parks, a tradition inherited from the [[Assyria]]ns, for whom the ritual lion hunt was a rite that authenticated kingship.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} The Assyrians in turn had inherited their landscaping techniques from the [[Babylonians]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

In the 5th century, at the time of the invasion of [[Persia]] by [[Cyrus the Younger]], [[Xenophon]] described a complex of palaces and pavilions belonging to [[Artaxerxes II of Persia|Artaxerxes]]. This included gardens watered by an [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]] – the earliest known record of gravity-fed water rills and basins arranged in a geometric system.<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|8}}  The Spartan General [[Lysander]] who joined Cyrus as a mercenary reported to Xenophon how Persian kings "excelled in not only in war but also in gardening, creating ''paradeisos''" where they collected plants, especially fruit-bearing trees and animals encountered during foreign campaigns.<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|8}}

The four-fold layout was later reinterpreted in Islamic terms by [[Muslim Arabs]] after the [[Muslim conquest of Persia|7th-century conquest of Persia]], becoming associated with the [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic]] concept of [[paradise]] and the [[Garden of Eden]]. [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 2:10 reads, "And a river went out of [[The Garden of Eden|Eden]] to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://biblehub.com/genesis/2-10.htm |title=Genesis 2:10 |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Bible Hub |access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref> and [[Muhammad]] spoke of four rivers: of water, milk, wine and honey.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.islamweb.net/en/article/184423/the-description-of-paradise-iii/ |title=The Description of Paradise  |author=<!--Not stated--> |access-date=2019-10-23}}</ref>

By the 13th century the gardens had spread with Islam throughout [[Egypt]], [[North Africa|Mediterranean north Africa]] and into [[Spain]]. This style of garden came into India during the 16th century in the reign of [[Babur|Prince Babur]], the first Emperor of the [[Mughal Empire]].<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|9}} Most [[Mughal gardens]] came to have a tomb or pavilion in the centre, the most famous of which is the [[Taj Mahal]] although with the decline of the Mughal Empire and [[Colonial India|British colonial rule]], the original garden has been substantially changed.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Episode 2 |series=Monty Don's Paradise Gardens |network=BBC}}</ref>

==Features==
The essential plan of a paradise garden is a [[charbagh|four-fold layout]] (''charbagh'') with a pond or fountain in the centre. Later designs incorporated a pavilion or mausoleum when they began to develop into elaborate status symbols. The rectangular or rectilinear design is typically quartered by water channels made using the ancient [[qanat]] system.
[[File:View from atop the left minaret 008.jpg|thumb|Layout of the Charbagh at the [[Tomb of Jahangir]] in [[Lahore]]]]
An important and common feature is the elaborate use of water, often in [[canal]]s, [[pond]]s, or [[rill]]s, sometimes in [[fountain]]s, and less often in [[waterfall]]s. This created the soothing sound of running water and also had the practical purpose of cooling the air.

Aromatic flowers and fruit-bearing trees are quintessential elements. The ground where the [[flora]] were planted was sunken or the walkways raised so that passers-by would be able to easily pluck fresh fruit as they walked throughout the garden. [[Olive]], [[Common fig|fig]], [[date (fruit)|date]] and [[pomegranate]] were ubiquitous and symbolically important. [[Orange (fruit)|Orange trees]] arrived from [[India]] via the [[Silk Road]] by the 11th century and were incorporated for their fragrance and the [[Orange blossom|beauty of their flowers]].<ref name="Persian"/>
[[File:Srinagar - Nishat Gardens 12.jpg|thumb|[[Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar]], Kashmir depicting a water way]]
They are typically enclosed by high walls providing shade and protection, especially desirable in the harsh, arid climate where this type of garden flourished.

==Interpretation==
Much of the use and symbolism of the paradise garden is thought to have derived from the [[Garden of Eden]], despite most elements of the design [[Achaemenid Empire#Religion|predating]] the [[Abrahamic religions]]. In the [[Book of Genesis]], the Garden of Eden is described as having a design similar to the [[Charbagh|four-fold design]], with a [[Salsabil (fountain)|central spring]] that feeds four rivers, each flowing out into the world beyond. In the [[Quran]], the [[Jannah]] is described as being abundant with material delights including delicious foods and constantly flowing water.

Having emerged in the desert, the thirst and gratitude for water are abundant in Islamic traditions. In the Quran, rivers are the primary constituents of the paradise, and references to rain and fountains abound. In the Quran 21:30: "Did the disbelievers not observe that the heavens and the earth were closed, then We opened them? And We created from water every living thing. Would they still not believe?'." Water is associated with the virtues of [[Ritual purification|purity]] and [[obedience (human behavior)|obedience]]: "Then the water was told, 'Be still'. And it was still, awaiting [[God in Abrahamic religions|God]]'s command. This is implied water, which contains neither impurity nor foam" (Tales of the Prophets, al-Kisa').

Although the concept of [[Charbagh|''chahar bagh'']] gardens representing 'paradise on earth' predates the Islamic adoption of the style, the paradisical retreats of the [[Zoroastrianism|Persians]] became known as "the embodiment of the celestial paradise promised to a practicing Muslim".<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|11}} Gardens representing paradise on earth or [[Islamic garden|paradise gardens]] spread throughout the [[Spread of Islam|Muslim-conquered world]] and developed into different, grander and more elaborate styles.

==Influence==
The paradise garden is one of the few original and fundamental kinds of garden from which all gardens in history derive, sometimes in combinations.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}} In its simplest form, the paradise garden consists of a formal, rectangular pool, having a flow just sufficient to give it movement, and a dais from which to observe it. However, a pavilion provides more permanent shelter than the original tent. Strictly aligned, formally arranged trees, especially the ''chenar'' or ''[[Platanus]]'', provide shade.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

An example of this style are the [[Terraces (Bahá'í)|Bahá'í Terraces]] and [[Mansion of Bahjí]] on [[Mount Carmel]] in [[Israel]], both of which have extensive gardens of intricate design.<ref>[http://www.ganbahai.org.il/en/learn-more/design-management/ Yael Hammerman: Distinctive Design of the Bahá’í Gardens]. {{Archive url|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721143415/http://www.ganbahai.org.il/en/learn-more/design-management/|date=2011-07-21}}</ref>

==Examples==
* [[Pasargadae]]
* Bagh-e Doulatabad in [[Yazd]], created in the 18th century by the governor Mohammad Taqi Khan<ref name="Hobhouse"/>{{Rp|26}}
* Cheshmeh-e'Ali
* Gardens of the [[Taj Mahal]]
* [[Al-Azhar Park]], a modern interpretation located in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]]

==See also==
{{portal|Gardening}}
* [[History of gardening]]
* [[List of garden types]]
* [[Hanging Gardens of Babylon]]
* [[Spanish garden]]
* [[Sensory garden]]
* [[Peri|Pari]]
* ''[[A Village Romeo and Juliet]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="Hobhouse">{{cite book |last=Hobhouse |first=Penelope |title=The Gardens of Persia |year=2004 |publisher=Kale House |isbn=9780967007663 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AMFRyiAxZ6YC}}</ref>
<ref name="Persian">{{cite book |last=Don |first=Monty |title=Paradise Gardens: the world's most beautiful Islamic gardens |date=22 March 2018 |publisher=John Murray Press |isbn=9781473666504 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TtpVDwAAQBAJ&q=paradise+gardens+citrus}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* Lehrman, Jonas Benzion (1980). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=WwH5L6u6tu0C Earthly paradise: garden and courtyard in Islam]''. University of California Press. {{ISBN|0520043634}}.
* [[Constance Villiers-Stuart|Villiers-Stuart, C. M.]] (1913). ''[https://archive.org/details/gardensofgreatmu00villiala The Gardens of the Great Mughals]''. Adam and Charles Black, London. Online text of history of Indian gardens.

==External links==
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09p5qd8 Monty Don's Paradise Gardens] (BBC documentary)

{{Horticulture and gardening}}
{{Islamic architecture}}

[[Category:Islamic architectural elements|gardens]]
[[Category:Paradise gardens| ]]
[[Category:Persian gardens]]
[[Category:Types of garden]]
[[Category:Iranian architectural elements]]