Scientific Quarterly Journal

Gardens through the Lens of History and Archaeology

Volume 17, Issue 73
Winter 2026
Pages 6-11

Document Type : Review

Author

Department of Science and Art History, Nazar Research Center, Tehran, Iran

Abstract
Garden design has its roots in the art and beliefs of ancient Iran. Over time, it has continued in the Islamic era of Iran and started being exported to the Islamic world. Many gardens of the Safavid era were built on the remnants of Sassanid gardens, and the Iranian garden tradition, with the three sacred elements of water, plants, and places of worship, was shaped based on the worship of the elements of nature. Gradually, the gardens of tombs and sacred places emerged in the Islamic era. The remnant of the Iranian-Islamic gardens from the past to the present includes water in the form of fountains, ponds, and springs, fruit and shade trees, and beautiful, fragrant, and healing flowers. Also, the four-arched pavilion building, which is known as ‘Shahneshin’ in the government gardens. Therefore, the garden has religious roots in the beliefs of the people who prayed in the heart of nature and at the foot of mountains, springs, and old trees, to the extent that they also made sacrifices for these symbolic sacred elements. The prayer to Anahita, the goddess of fertility, blessing, and pure waters, is mixed with the symbols of the sacred tree and spring. The transformation of ancient rituals and beliefs is evident in the Iranian-Islamic Garden.

Keywords

Subjects
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