080099 SE Gardens of Islamic Princes in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period (2025S)

The view of historical gardens and horticulture in the countries of Western Asia and the Mediterranean in modern times and the Middle Ages is easily obscured by simplifications. The concept of an 'Islamic garden' is easily just as misleading as the cliché of the 'garden as an image of paradise' or the idea that there is 'the' Arab (Persian, Andalusian, Indian, ...) garden.

In this seminar we will examine the visual, material and functional characteristics of garden architecture and horticulture in these regions from a historical perspective. The aim is to introduce to the themes and problems of historical garden studies , and to the different types, designs and functions of gardens and their historical development in Islamic cultures. The focus is primarily on the representative garden, usually as part of a royal residence or palace.

It is in the nature of gardens that they are more ephemeral than works of architecture and other artistic genres. The planting is transient and subject to fashions, as is the layout. With very few exceptions, pre-modern gardens can only be identified through descriptions in source texts or archaeology, although special archaeobotanical excavations are rare. Some gardens from the 17th-19th centuries have survived, especially in Iran and India, but even these rarely show the original appearance. Methodological considerations therefore play an important role. Which sources can be used to answer which questions?

Two questions shall be foregrounded. The display of water is - alongside the planting and the layout - an essential aesthetic element of the artificial nature of a garden in these regions. One difference to Central and Western European horticultural traditions is that they make do with rainwater or water from the ground for most of the year. In the arid and semi-arid landscapes of western Asia and the Mediterranean, this is less or not at all the case. Here, water is not only a practical but also a visual backbone of the garden. It can be seen in central watercourses, basins, artificial lakes with islands and water features. Water can have a representative function, as access to water and its lavish use can be associated with power and wealth. Secondly, the role of architecture in gardens is examined. To what extent do pavilions and paths divide the garden and create visual axes, what function did these buildings and thus the garden have?