What to look for in Abbas Abad pool? A lake in middle of the forest on the mountain heights with an encircled building with waters and a garden ashore? Why are the trees cut and used to build a garden? And what is the purpose of placing a lake on a dominant and deep valley over the Khazar Sea. Today, green trees are grown in Abbas Abad Garden and no sign of Landscaping or water features can be found. There exist two pressure reducing facilities for transferring waters to fountains at both sides of the pool within two brick towers. The weeds are all over the Cheshme-Emarat which used to look like an island. The most enchanting attraction is the seats, fireplaces and boats which provide recreation and nature promenade regardless of its forgotten history. Why to build a garden within the forest? What does this building do among the waters? Why is there a built dam? Why and to what cost did the designers try to transfer water from upstream to this point? What is the second garden on the other side of the lake? These questions are not queried in tourism plans of Abbas Abad. Abbas Abad landscape tale praises the selective nature. Unlike naturalism of Far East, where nature and everything in it is blessed, Persian naturalism belongs to the selected landscape. Selected elements of nature, water and special herbs make the essence of landscape. Sense of space, sacredness and beauty is achieved with the presence of these elements. Therefore, building a garden is justified in a forest. The conditional beauty of this place owing to the waters is brought here with difficulties. As a result of the natural earth dam and Cheshme-Emarat with a bridge across it, presence in the sacred space and a view of landscape, the connection is achieved visually. The architectural concept of Abbas Abad landscape is thereby shaped. 74 3 شماره ۲۹ زمستان ۱۳۹۳ Selective Nature Behshahr’s Abbas Abad is a landscape, a life with its remnants. There existed a connection between the physics and spirits of this life which created identity and landscape. Today, the spirit of the place is forgotten despite the remnant body which may become ruins if it is not conserved and it can become alive in case the spirit is recovered. A significant aim of tourism is achievement of past experiences and perceiving their destiny. Therefore, managers and planners should have an integral recognition from the issue to provide and revive the identifying elements of place. This goal will be achieved through understanding of the fact that every general phenomenon had a specific time of its own which is the memory of people who used to be in complete interaction with history and environment. This memory is the landscape and experiencing from history and nature can be grasped and studied through landscape. Today’s tourism requires this approach to enhance its quality. The wide image of Abbas Abad pool and Cheshme- Emarat and the boats is a clever election of “Noura Vahidian” from an unread landscape where people are engaged in oaring unaware of the genuine landscape which has not been recognized or introduced by managers. Editor- in- chief
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