The Persians practiced the construction of hanging gardens, such as the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, to create lush green spaces in urban areas and symbolize mastery of hydraulic engineering, showcasing their technological and architectural expertise.
The climate in ancient Persia was generally arid and dry, which significantly complicated agriculture and irrigation. By creating hanging gardens, they adapted to these hostile conditions by better managing water and creating a cooler and more humid microclimate. These elevated gardens also allowed water to flow efficiently from one level to another, thus maximizing the management of available water resources, which were often limited. These arrangements provided the Persians with the opportunity to cultivate diverse plants, making agriculture possible even in areas that were rather hostile to vegetation.
The Persian hanging gardens, like those famed in Babylon, were primarily a way to display the success and power of a king or ruler. They were expensive, required a tremendous amount of work, and having trees, lush plants, and fresh water flowing above really made an impression on visitors. Essentially, possessing these lush spaces in regions where water was scarce clearly demonstrated to the world: "I am powerful, I master what others cannot." It also allowed the ruler to showcase their control over resources and their ability to manage them. Welcoming foreign visitors or ambassadors in these spectacular gardens sent a clear message: the wealth and technical expertise of the sovereign were undeniable.
These famous hanging gardens were not just there for aesthetics. For the Persians, vegetation and water represented strong symbols, closely linked to spirituality. They saw water as a sign of divine purity and fertility, so by creating lush spaces in the air, they recreated a little piece of earthly paradise. These gardens reflected their idea of heavenly paradise, called in their tradition the "pairidaeza", an ideal enclosed place, cool and green. They represented the prosperity granted by the gods, thus offering kings a privileged contact with the divine, while celebrating the spiritual power of their culture.
The Persians had figured it out: they were really good at channeling water and bringing it up where it seemed improbable. They created qanats, those famous networks of underground galleries capable of bringing water from very distant places to their elevated gardens. Thanks to a pretty impressive mastery of irrigation, they managed to keep greenery and freshness even in very dry areas. It also allowed them to cultivate rare and delicate species. In short, these hanging gardens were a kind of technical feat that showcased their great horticultural expertise.
The Persians created their hanging gardens by drawing inspiration from various cultural influences from neighboring regions such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and even Greece. These exchanges are reflected in the use of columns, terraces, and water channels. Later, these gardens would have a lasting influence on architecture and landscape design worldwide, especially in Eastern and Mediterranean countries. Even today, when we design terraces or multi-level gardens filled with lush vegetation and connected by hydraulic systems, we are somewhat perpetuating this Persian legacy that is thousands of years old.
The term "paradise" has its origins in the Old Persian word "pairidaeza," meaning "enclosed garden" or "walled enclosure," referring to the luxurious gardens created by the ancient Persians.
The most famous hanging gardens attributed to Babylon by the Greeks may actually have been located in Nineveh, in Assyria, during the reign of King Sennacherib, according to some modern historians.
Persian engineers developed complex irrigation infrastructures, including underground tunnels called qanats, allowing the distribution of water in desert regions or areas with challenging terrain.
In ancient Persia, the creation of a magnificent garden was seen as a spiritual act reflecting the divine order on Earth, symbolizing harmony between man and the natural elements.
The Persians had developed remarkable hydraulic expertise, notably through qanats (underground water galleries), waterwheel systems, and sophisticated gravity irrigation techniques that effectively transported water across multiple successive levels.
Persian gardens symbolically represented cosmic order and evoked the earthly paradise (pairidaeza). They embodied a harmonious worldview connecting nature, spirituality, and royalty, while also playing a role in Zoroastrian rites of respect and exaltation of natural elements.
Yes, some archaeological remains still bear witness today to the techniques and landscape art of Persia. For example, the sites of Pasargadae and the historic gardens in modern Iran, such as Eram in Shiraz, preserve certain traces of this ancestral tradition.
Absolutely, the Persian landscape style, including the complex technique of hanging gardens, has greatly influenced Arab, Islamic, and later European gardens. Its straight, geometric structure and terraced organization with advanced irrigation were highly valued and adapted by various civilizations.
Although often historically associated with or confused for one another, the Persian hanging gardens represent a style and techniques specific to ancient Persia. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, described by Greek travelers, were a famous example of this type of Mesopotamian landscape architecture, but their actual historical existence remains a topic of debate.
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