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Persian gardens began to be built around 4000 BC, but the most beautiful gardens belonged to the period of the Achaemenid dynasty (also known as the Persian Empire, approximately 550-330 BC), as evidenced by the decorative drawings on pottery from that era.
Persian gardens were typically enclosed, walled gardens called charbagh, meaning "reflection of the garden of paradise." In Islamic texts from the Mughal period, paradise was depicted as a garden with four rivers originating from a central spring or mountain, divided into four sections: north, west, south, and east. Therefore, the common design of Persian gardens was a rectangular plot, symmetrical along the garden's main axes, and elaborately divided by waterways, often canals, streams, lakes, and sometimes fountains and waterfalls. Water features typically occupied a quarter of the garden's area.
Beginning in the 12th and 13th centuries, the tombs of royal family members or important figures were also placed within the gardens. When the Mongol Ilkhanates conquered Persia in the 13th century, Persian gardens were enhanced with elaborate decorative structures such as peony and chrysanthemum decorations. Under the Safavid dynasty (1501-1736), Persian gardens were built on a larger and more magnificent scale, becoming an integral part of royal palaces. In 2011, UNESCO recognized 14 ancient Persian gardens as World Heritage sites, including:
1. Pasargad Garden in the ancient capital of Pasargadae in Shiraz city, Fars province, Iran
The Pasargad Garden is one of the earliest known examples of a Persian garden. The garden was laid out in a quadrilateral shape, divided into four smaller sections by pathways or small water channels. Today, only a fraction of the original garden remains in Pasargad.
2. Eram Garden in Shiraz city, Fars province, Iran
Both the building and the garden were constructed by the Izhan Khan or a high chieftain of the Qashqai tribe of Pars in the mid-13th century. However, the original layout of the garden, with its four-tiered Persian celestial garden structure, was most likely built by the Seljuks in the 11th century and later known as Bāgh-e Shāh ("Emperor's Garden" in Persian). Over more than 150 years, the garden structure was modified or restored in various styles by numerous figures.
3. Chehel Sotun Garden in Isfahan city, Isfahan province, Iran
Chehel Sotun was built by Shah Abbas II for entertainment and entertaining guests. The garden's name means "forty columns" in Persian, inspired by the twenty slender wooden columns that support the pavilion. When the house's reflection is shown in the water of the fountain, it appears to be forty columns.
4. Fin Garden in Kashan City, Isfahan Province, Iran
The Fin Garden, spanning 2.3 hectares, features a central courtyard surrounded by ramparts with four circular towers. In keeping with the many Persian gardens of this era, the garden makes extensive use of water features. Water is channeled from a stream on the hillside behind, creating numerous pools and fountains without the need for mechanical pumps. The garden is planted with cypress trees and incorporates architectural features from the Safavid, Zandiyeh, and Qajar periods. Completed in 1590, it is the oldest surviving garden in Iran. The garden subsequently fell into disrepair and neglect until 1935, when it was listed as a National Property, and then in 2012, it was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site alongside many other ancient Iranian gardens.
5. Abbasabad Gardens in Abbasabad city, Mazandaran province, Iran
The Abbasabad Gardens, built around 1613 during the reign of Abbas I, are a collection of Safavid architectural elements and a superb example of a Persian garden with its pools, fountains, rivers, and trees. It is one of the most beautiful and important Persian gardens, and also a favorite residence of Safavid rulers during their stay at Mazandaran. The garden was abandoned and gradually fell into oblivion in the late 17th century under Soltan Hosein and Suleiman I following the Turkmen uprisings in Golestan. Remnants were rediscovered and protected from 1967 onwards. It has been an archaeological site and part of the Persian Gardens World Heritage Site since 2011.
6. Shazdeh Garden in Mahan city, Kerman province, Iran
The rectangular garden, covering 5.5 hectares, is surrounded by a wall. It comprises an entrance structure and gate at the lower end of the area and a two-story private house in the upper section. Between the lower and higher sections are fountains, complementing the natural slope of the land. The garden is a prime example of a Persian garden that takes advantage of the suitable natural climate.
7. Dolatabad Garden in Yazd City, Yazd Province, Iran
The Dolatabad Garden in Yazd city dates back to the 18th century. The unique feature of this architectural structure is its wind tower, which acts as a natural air regulator and cooler. Hot air is drawn down to the base of the tower, then cooled by the cool earth and water before escaping, providing relief from the heat of the building.
8. Pahlevanpour Garden in Mehriz City, Yazd Province, Iran
Pahlavanpur Garden is one of Iran's most famous Persian gardens, covering approximately 5 hectares and creating a unique blend of nature and architectural art. The garden includes a summer retreat, a winter retreat, a public bath, a watchtower, and a kitchen. Although built during the Qajar period, the influence of the Zand dynasty's architectural style is quite evident in many of the various structures within the garden.
9. Akbarieh Garden in Birjand city, South Khorasan province, Iran
Like other Persian gardens, Akbarieh Garden exemplifies the perfect blend of architecture with the natural environment and landscape. Built in a striking mountainous location, the garden features two villas with beautiful arched windows and tall oak trees lining the entrance. From the Zandiyeh and Qajar periods, the garden served as a residence, reception area, and workplace for governors.
10. Taj Mahal in Agra, India
The Taj Mahal complex is situated within and outside a large Persian garden. Measuring 320 m x 300 m, the garden features raised walkways that divide each section into 16 low flowerbeds or flowerbeds. A tall marble pool sits in the center of the garden, approximately midway between the tomb and the main gate, and a north-south reflecting pool reflects the image of the Taj Mahal. Throughout the garden, tree-lined paths and fountains are strategically placed. The garden's layout, and its architectural features such as fountains, brickwork, marble walkways, flowerbeds of varying shapes, and other characteristics, are similar to those of the Shalimar Gardens. Early descriptions of the garden speak of its abundance of plant life, including roses, daffodils, and fruit trees. As the Mughal Empire declined, so did the garden. When the British took control of the Taj Mahal, they altered the landscape to make it resemble the lawns of London.
11. Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi, India
The Humayun's Tomb, belonging to the Mughal emperor Humayun, is the first garden tomb in the Indian subcontinent, discovered in 1533. It was the first large-scale structure using red sandstone. The tomb was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and has since undergone extensive restoration. Alongside the main tomb, several smaller structures line the path leading to it from the west, including a tomb predating the main tomb by about 20 years. The structure represents a leap forward in Mughal architecture, and together with the garden, featuring a typical Persian garden design unprecedented in India, forms a landmark architectural complex for subsequent Mughal architecture.
12. Shalimar Garden in Lahore, Punjab Province, Pakistan
Shalimar is a rectangular structure covering 16 hectares, surrounded by a high brick wall. Its length is 658 meters from north to south and 258 meters from east to west, arranged in three tiers descending from south to north. In 1981, Shalimar Gardens became part of a UNESCO World Heritage site along with Lahore Fort. Shalimar includes a variety of plants, primarily almonds, apples, apricots, strawberries, mangoes, peaches, grapes, birch, cypress, etc., all creating a lush green space within the garden.
13. Babur Gardens in Kabul, Kabul Province, Afghanistan
Babur, the founder of the Mughal Empire, sought to create a significant architectural legacy for his reign, and he was deeply passionate about gardens. Babur's gardens were meticulously maintained, incorporating three aspects of Islamic architecture—rigidity, balance, and symmetry—as well as features of Persian gardens in their use of water, a luxury for those living in the Central Asian deserts. In the spirit of "water conservation," water flowing through Babur's gardens was reused and kept in constant circulation through simply designed fountains and narrow channels.
14. Generalife Gardens in Granada, Granada province, Spain
This is the garden of the Generalife Palace, the summer palace and national property of the Nasrid Emir kings of the Granada Empire in Al-Andalus. The palace and gardens were built during the reign of Muhammed III, King of Granada (1302-1309) and redecorated shortly thereafter by Ismail I, King of Granada (1313-1324).
