Geopolitics of Tabula Rasa: Persian Garden and the Idea of City

Abstract

Historically Persian Garden symbolizes a well-ordered landscape, which is mostly associated with the leisure and enjoyment of the kings. However here it is read as inevitable form of built environment within the Iranian plateau. Garden (bāgh) not only creates a minimum condition for a life, but it is the spatial device through which the power of the sovereign dominates the territory. In the harsh landscape of Iran gardens were micro-cosmos; camps that protected life and let it flourish within the tabula rasa. In such a condition any distinction between various forms of life ceases to exist and life becomes the ‘ideal life’, kings represent God and city becomes paradise.

Forgotten edible heritage: the case study of the UNESCO Site of Akbarieh Garden in Iran

“…In particular, historic Persian gardens are the first examples of Iranian green spaces that have established a complex relationship with the cities and become part of public spaces from the eleventh century onwards and are still being used actively by urban dwellers (Khosravi, 2014). Persian gardens as Iranian urban green spaces are still actively used by urban residents and their importance for the inhabitants' health, status, and wellbeing has been addressed.…”

Special Issue 3 : 2017

“…Conversion to Islam followed the Arab conquest in the 7th century, and the country was subsequently ruled by Abbasids, Seljuks, Mongols and Timurids (Kohi, 2012). Its major area is located in the eastern Mediterranean with desert-like climate (English, 1968;Khosravi, 2014) that hinders tree planting, thus gardens were regarded as a supreme value (Turner, 2005). Though Persia was dominated by various foreign rulers, its garden survived and was adopted by successive invaders, hence the tradition became diffused throughout the world (Mahdizadeh, 2015).…”

A Discourse on the Persian Chahar-Bagh as an Islamic Garden

“…Third, the flow of water in qanats is balanced to the available supply in the aquifer, and, if properly maintained, these infiltration channels yield a dependable supply of water for centuries (Dickie, 1976;Koshravi, 2014). Most of the times, these underground networks were constructed before building the actual physical structure of the cities and gardens and are widely used even in modern gardening styles (Khademi, Kabiri & Khan 2013;Khosravi, 2014).…”

“…Conversion to Islam followed the Arab conquest in the 7th century, and the country was subsequently ruled by Abbasids, Seljuks, Mongols and Timurids (Kohi, 2012). Its major area is located in the eastern Mediterranean with desert-like climate (English, 1968;Khosravi, 2014) that hinders tree planting, thus gardens were regarded as a supreme value (Turner, 2005). Though Persia was dominated by various foreign rulers, its garden survived and was adopted by successive invaders, hence the tradition became diffused throughout the world (Mahdizadeh, 2015).…”