The Persian paradise garden and the charbagh

What it is

A high wall keeps out wind, dust and animals. Inside, water runs in a narrow stone channel down the centre, drops over small steps and fills still pools that mirror the sky. Paths follow the channels. Tall cypresses and plane trees line them for shade, and the sunken beds between are planted with fruit trees, roses and spring bulbs. A pavilion at the crossing or the upper end gives a place to sit in the breeze and look down the length of the water.

Where it comes from

The remains of stone water channels at Pasargadae, the capital of Cyrus the Great in the sixth century BCE, are often cited as the earliest known garden of this kind. Water came from distant hills through qanats, gently sloping underground tunnels. After the coming of Islam the four-part garden was read as an image of the paradise described in the Quran, with its four rivers. Nine historic gardens in Iran are listed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The flowers

Persian poetry names the garden's flowers again and again: the rose above all, with narcissus, tulip, violet, iris, jasmine and the blossom of almond, pomegranate and bitter orange. Planting was for scent and fruit as much as for show. In spring the beds under the trees are thick with bulbs. In the heat of summer the garden is green and shaded, and the sound and sight of running water do the work that flowers do elsewhere.

Where to see it

The Fin Garden at Kashan keeps its channels, pools and old cypresses. The Eram Garden in Shiraz is known for its roses and tall cypresses. The Shazdeh Garden at Mahan climbs a slope in the middle of desert, a line of green fed by a single stream. Dowlatabad in Yazd has a tall wind tower that cools its pavilion. The same pattern continues in the Mughal gardens of India and Pakistan and the courts of the Alhambra.

How to take part

1. Visit in April or early May, when the roses, bulbs and orange blossom are out.
2. Walk the long axis first, from the gate to the pavilion, as the design intends.
3. Sit by the water for a while. The garden is meant for staying in, not for passing through.

Good manners

• Do not step into the water channels or pools.
• Dress modestly in gardens attached to shrines and tombs.

The flowers

Damask roseA fragrant pink rose grown for oil, water, and sweets in West and South AsiaNarcissusSpring-flowering bulbs with trumpet-shaped blooms in white, yellow, and orangeTulipSpring-blooming bulbs with showy, cup-shaped flowers in many coloursIrisA large group of perennial flowers with striking, six-lobed bloomsCommon jasmineA climbing plant with white, fragrant flowers grown in gardens and for perfumePomegranateA shrub with bright red flowers and a fruit full of edible seedsBitter orangeThe citrus tree behind Seville orange marmalade and Neroli oil

Sources and further reading

• Persian gardens on Wikipedia