| Mankind's advance has depended on pivotal discoveries: fire, the wheel, movable type. When it was gleaned that water could not only be contained but compelled to move, man stopped wandering to forage and began to cultivate. In Central Asia, specifically Persia, tribes deciding to say awhile set up camp on the great, barren Persian plateau and used fences to stop blowing winds and biting sands. Making water available where it didn't naturally occur gave man a power he had lacked. He began to control his environment. The celebration of this transition led to the year-round garden. Persians developed the form by starting with a quadrangle and introducing water through openings on each side. By intersecting the water channels at right angles, four sections of gardens could be flooded, or irrigated, and allow constant crop production. What are generally accepted as the oldest remains of a garden of this design are located on the Iranian plateau and date to the second millennium B.C. As man developed his environment, he similarly developed his thinking about his place in the universe. Hence, four approaches to deliver water to the garden reflect ancient mythology holding four rivers of creation. A terrestrial garden was first the celestial garden that pleased the gods then a paradise garden that bore the promise of reward after death by one god. Pools of standing water reflected the sky; trees reached for the sky; flowers bloomed in a constant reminder of the mystery and magic of life.;More than output from fruit trees or blossoms of flowers, the garden became a spot for architecture to provide a nice place to observe the contrived arrangement of nature. Small buildings, pavilions or open-fronted kiosks were placed at pivotal points. The entire scheme was surrounded by a wall, one that might contain elaborately designed gates or watchtowers. Water could stand or move, its stillness providing a sense of quiet to encourage meditation, its movement offering pleasing sounds that could rouse convivial cheer at social events or keep conversation from being overheard by other garden visitors. A slightly sloping site kept the elements in play. The design lent itself to modest or lavish creations and served as model to palace designs from the Iberian Peninsula across northern Africa and east to the mountains of India. Europeans would embrace the garden culture by the 19th century. Beyond garden influence, the geometric layout influenced urban planning throughout Asia, Europe and North America. |
