Ancient Gardens
Ancient Gardens
Ancient Gardens
The gardens of ancient Egypt probably began as simple fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, irrigated with water from the Nile. The earliest gardens were composed of planting beds divided into squares by earthen walls, so the water could soak into the soil rather than run off. Gardens belonged to temples or the residences. Secular gardens were located near the river or canals, and were used mainly for growing vegetables. Beginning with the New Kingdom, gardens were attached to more luxurious residences, and were sometimes enclosed by walls. Temple gardens were used to raise certain vegetables for ceremonies, gradually as the country became richer; they evolved into pleasure gardens, with flowers, ponds and alleys of fruit and shade trees. Temples, palaces, and private residences had their own gardens, and models of gardens were sometimes placed in tombs so their owners could enjoy them in their afterlife. Ancient Egyptian gardens often consisted of both trees and other plants. There were about eighteen varieties of trees grown by the Egyptians. Popular trees included the sycamore fig, pomegranate, nut trees and jujube. The Pink flowered tamarisk, acacia and willow trees were common in gardens.
and horticulture, while offering living places and practical functions. They feature a natural landscape in order to give the onlooker a feeling of perfect harmony between man-made and natural beauty. Chinese gardens generally consist of halls, towers, pavilions, kiosks, terraces, waterside gazebos, covered corridors, hills, and ponds or lakes. A variety of garden-building techniques, accumulated by ancient Chinese designers, have made the scenery of the gardens look changeable, thus adding artistic appeal to the gardens. A Chinese garden was not meant to be seen all at once; the plan of a classical Chinese garden presented the visitor with a series of perfectly composed and framed glimpses of scenery; a view of a pond, or of a rock, or a grove of bamboo, a blossoming tree, or a view of a distant mountain peak or a pagoda.
MOORISH GARDENS
In Spain in VIII - XIV c. A.D., after its conquest by the Arabs (the Moors), appears the special form of garden called the patio. This is a closed type of garden, in which the ancient traditions and Persian gardens merged during its development. The oldest of the still existing, preserved Moorish gardens is the patio of the palace ensemble in Grenada. The garden is isolated on the terraces, it is limited by the colonnades of towers, palaces and walls. The patio's purpose is to provide a place for relaxation, meditation and contemplation; therefore the presence of ponds, fountains, tile mosaics and concise gardening is characteristic of it. The nature of the Moorish garden - is the simplicity of planning and the uniqueness of the solution. Water is the primary motif of the garden. In the regular planning style a courtyard - patio is always present. Specific points are arranged and arcades take shape. The plants are exotic and correspond to the climatic conditions: mandarins, cypresses, oranges and oleanders. They are planted freely and trimming, for the most part, did not adapt. Lawns were not used because of the hot climate and the territory took shape through decorative paving - this is one of the key elements of Moorish garden.
Cultural bloom at this time was observed, many cities from India to Spain were proud of their gardens. In order to give the gardens a certain charm irrigation systems built by Romans were used. Fountains never contained the imprint of the human essence, the artists ideas were never combined with man or his humanly form since the Koran forbids the depiction of the exposed body. Furthermore, designers were more restrained in the estimation of a quantity of utilized water (if we do not consider some Turkish gardens), although this restraint was always found in balance with a feeling of aesthetical "completeness", self-sufficiency of a garden.