Gardens of Paradise

Fülszöveg

'The oriental garden, recalled in a thousand legends, glimpsed in miniatures and portrayed in Hollywood epics, was voluptuous, a total sensual experience plucking the heart-strings and titillating the senses This seemingly exaggerated vision nevertheless contains elements which lie at the heart of Islamic thought, since the garden is the very image of paradise in the Quran. As such it occupies a central place in Islamic culture, for it not only provides the much needed qualities of shade, relaxation and abundance of water in a harsh desert climate but is also endowed with symbolic and spiritual qualities of great significance.
A garden designer of international repute, John Brookes introduces Gardens of Paradise with a vivid evocation of his own experience of the Persian landscape as the setting for the garden idylls of the past. He then examines the idea of the garden as a symbol of paradise, expressed not only in the Quran but in all the Islamic arts. He also traces... Tovább

Fülszöveg

'The oriental garden, recalled in a thousand legends, glimpsed in miniatures and portrayed in Hollywood epics, was voluptuous, a total sensual experience plucking the heart-strings and titillating the senses This seemingly exaggerated vision nevertheless contains elements which lie at the heart of Islamic thought, since the garden is the very image of paradise in the Quran. As such it occupies a central place in Islamic culture, for it not only provides the much needed qualities of shade, relaxation and abundance of water in a harsh desert climate but is also endowed with symbolic and spiritual qualities of great significance.
A garden designer of international repute, John Brookes introduces Gardens of Paradise with a vivid evocation of his own experience of the Persian landscape as the setting for the garden idylls of the past. He then examines the idea of the garden as a symbol of paradise, expressed not only in the Quran but in all the Islamic arts. He also traces the garden's historical origins, showing how its form evolved from both traditional irrigation systems and from pre-Islamic Persian palaces, where such characteristic features as the close integration of garden and pavilion or palace first emerged. Next the beauties of the great Islamic gardens are explored in regional chapters: Muslim Spain, with the gardens of the Moorish kings of Seville and the sultans' gardens of Granada; Persia, with the imperial gardens of Samarkand, Safavid Isfahan, Shiraz and other centres; Mughal India, with the palace and shrine gardens of the Mughal emperors at Agra and Delhi and their lakeside gardens in Kashmir; and on through North Africa, Egypt, Sicily and Turkey. Each is fully described and illustrated, using photographs, miniatures, engravings and plans.
But the Islamic tradition is not solely a historical phenomenon - it is continuing. After examining two major themes of the Islamic garden - water and plants -John Brookes considers the garden in the modern world. He also offers practical information and advice to the would-be designer of an Eastern garden, pointing out the limitations of the desert climate and suggesting a way of tackling the garden's layout and composition. Finally a chronology and a map of garden locations complete this picture of the history and design of the Islamic paradise garden. Vissza