User:Tarikislam64/sandboxforgardens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An Islamic garden is generally an expressive estate of land that includes themes of water and shade. Traditionally used to provide respite from a hot and arid environment, Islamic gardens also served several other purposes. Furthermore, the region of Islam expands into a variety of other climates, in addition to the more common hot and arid areas. Unlike English gardens, which are often designed for walking, Islamic gardens are intended for rest, reflection, and contemplation. The most identifiable architectural designs of Islamic gardens reflect the Chahār Bāgh design. However, the Chahār Bāgh was not the most common, as many gardens encompassed a wide variety of forms and purposes which no longer exist. A major focus of the Islamic gardens was to provide a sensory experience, which was accomplished through the use of water and sensory plants, often leading to the effect of dematerialization. The Qur'an has many references to gardens and states that gardens are used as an earthly analogue for the life in paradise which is promised to believers:
- Allah has promised to the believing men and the believing women gardens, beneath which rivers flow, to abide in them, and goodly dwellings in gardens of perpetual abode; and best of all is Allah's goodly pleasure; that is the grand achievement (Qur'an 9.72)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/India_-_Srinagar_-_023_-_Nishat_Bagh_Mughal_Gardens.jpg/640px-India_-_Srinagar_-_023_-_Nishat_Bagh_Mughal_Gardens.jpg)
Along with the popular paradisiacal interpretation of gardens, there are several other non-pious associations with Islamic gardens including wealth, power, territory, pleasure, hunting, leisure, love, and time and space. These other associations provide more symbolism in the manner of serene thoughts and reflection and are associated with a scholarly sense.
While many Islamic gardens no longer exist, there are still many surviving formal Islamic gardens in a wide zone extending from Spain and Morocco in the west to India in the east.