Garden in the culture of Islam

This work deals with gardens which were created in the Islamic territory and played an important role in the Islamic culture. Since the Islamic garden art is often being connected with the paradisiacal conception of gardens in the Koran, the first chapter concentrates on this theme. The description of the Koranic paradise is based on analysis of individua! verses which are thematically divided into particular subchapters. Traditional exegesis is also mentioned, as well as the comparison between gardens in the Koran and the Bible. The next chapter deals with the image of gardens in the literature. The examples of poems which come from various Islamic centers and various historical periods, attest considerable popularity of the garden poetry. A part of this chapter is also devoted to the agronomical manuals and botanical treatises which contained contemporary knowledge ofhusbandry and botany. Gardens represented an important theme in the Islamic art. They appeared in mosaics, miniatures, textiles and ceramics. In spíte of certain schematization some of these items are considered to be a useful source for study of the real gardens. The longest chapter describes development of the gardens and the garden architecture in the individua! areas of the Islamic world. Some of the examples are illustrated by images..