Western admirers have long seen the Islamic garden as an earthly reflection of the paradise said to await the faithful. However, such simplification, Ruggles contends, denies the sophistication and diversity of the art form. Islamic Gardens and Landscapes immerses the reader in the world of the architects of the great gardens of the Islamic world, from medieval Morocco to contemporary India.
Just as Islamic culture is historically dense, sophisticated, and complex, so too is the history of its built landscapes. Islamic gardens began from the practical need to organize the surrounding space of human civilization, tame nature, enhance the earth's yield, and create a legible map on which to distribute natural resources. Ruggles follows the evolution of these early farming efforts to their aristocratic apex in famous formal gardens of the Alhambra in Spain and the Taj Mahal in Agra.
Whether in a humble city home or a royal courtyard, the garden has several defining characteristics, which Ruggles discusses. Most notable is an enclosed space divided into four equal parts surrounding a central design element. The traditional Islamic garden is inwardly focused, usually surrounded by buildings or in the form of a courtyard. Water provides a counterpoint to the portioned green sections.
Ranging across poetry, court documents, agronomy manuals, and early garden representations, and richly illustrated with pictures and site plans, Islamic Gardens and Landscapes is a book of impressive scope sure to interest scholars and enthusiasts alike.
By:
D. Fairchild Ruggles
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 254mm,
Width: 191mm,
ISBN: 9780812225143
ISBN 10: 0812225147
Series: Penn Studies in Landscape Architecture
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 01 March 2022
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Preface Chapter 1: The Islamic Landscape Place and Memory Chapter 2: Making the Desert Bloom Transforming an Inhospitable Earth Chapter 3: The Science of Gardening Agricultural and Botanical Manuals Chapter 4: Organizing the Earth Cross-axial Gardens and the Chahar Bagh Chapter 5: Trees and Plants Botanical Evidence from Texts and Archaeology Chapter 6: Representations of Gardens and Landscape Imagery in Manuscript Paintings, Textiles, and Other Media Chapter 7: Imaginary Gardens Gardens in Fantasy and Literature Chapter 8: The Garden as Paradise The Historical Beginnings of Paradisiac Iconography Chapter 9: The Here and Hereafter Mausolea and Tomb Gardens Chapter 10: A Garden in Landscape The Taj Mahal and Its Precursors Chapter 11: Religion and Culture The Adoption of Islamic Garden Culture by Non-Muslims List of Gardens and SitesSpain Sicily Morocco Algeria Tunisia Egypt Turkey Syria and Region Oman Iraq Iran Central Asia Pakistan India United States Glossary Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments
D. Fairchild Ruggles is Professor and the Debra L. Mitchell Chair in Landscape History at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the author of Gardens, Landscape, and Vision in the Palaces of Islamic Spain.
- Winner of Awarded the 2009 J. B. Jackson Book Prize from the Foundation for Landscape Studies 2021
- Winner of Awarded the 2009 J. B. Jackson Book Prize from the Foundation for Landscape Studies.
