From the garden of Heaven a western breeze/Blows through the leaves of my garden of earth – Hafez, 14th C. Iranian Poet

Every year when I come to Iran, my cousin Tous, who is the oldest of my maternal cousins, comes over for a visit right away (we are a total of 19 cousins from mom's side of the family-she had four brothers and two sisters). Keeping up with the tradition, he visited yesterday with a lovely bouquet of flowers, freshly purchased from the local flower shop. 

Cousin Tous with his usual Bouquet. Photos: S. Ardalan

Most flowers in Iran are locally grown within the country, with a nice variety, such as the tulip and the rose, having their origins in Iran.

A Florist in Tehran. Photo: Armin Hage

Tulip Field in Iran. Photo: http://www.irantour.org/Iran/flowers_iran.html

The tulip is not a Dutch flower, contrary to what most people believe. The tulip, or Laleh as it is called in Persian, is a flower indigenous to Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia. Cultivation of the tulip began in Iran around the 10^th Century and was introduced into Anatolia (Turkey) with the advance of the Seljuks from Iran (1037-1194). Poets Omar Khayam and Rumi often mentioned the tulip in their poems.

A Rose Farm in Shiraz.

Women in Traditional Clothing Working at a Rose Farm in Shiraz.
Photo: http://www.iranreview.org/content/Documents/Festival_of_Rose_and_Rose_Water.htm

The earliest known cultivation of roses dates from 500 BC in Mediterranean countries, Iran, and China. The production of rose perfumes and rose water originated in Iran, spread through Arabia and India and then into Europe. The rose gets its name from French rose, which is from Latin and Oscan (southern Italy) rosa, which is from Greek rhodon, which in turn is from Old Persian wrd (wurdi). Phew! How can one word be pronounced in so many different ways?!

A Daffodil Farm in Shiraz Province.
Photo: http://img7.irna.ir/1394/13941109/3024810/3024810-4776392.jpg

Farm Cultivating the Upside Down Tulips (Laleh Vajgoon), Shiraz Province.

http://www.mehremihan.ir/iranian-territories/3180-%D8%AF%D8%B4%

D8%AA-%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8

C-%D9%88%D8%A7%DA%98%DA%AF%D9%88%D9%86.html

Now that we know that flowers not only grow, but are cultivated in an arid country like Iran, let's figure out where they are used - what kind of gardens, if any, they are used in. Persian gardens are credited with originating aesthetic and diverse planting designs and by the sixth century BC, parks and gardens were well established in the culture of ancient Iran. For further information on Chahar Baghs/Persian Gardens, check out this good site: http://kavehfarrokh.com/iranica/achaemenid-era/pasargardae-the-persian-gardens/

The House and Garden of Fin, Kashan. Origianly built in the
16th Century and added to over time.
Photo: http://irandoostan.com/Iran-tour/tours-to-iran-ancient-iran/

Greek historians did write history through the Greek lens, but at times they did document some helpful information about ancient Iran. For example, Greek historian Herodotus wrote that the Persian kings liked gardening. These gardens, which were usually walled, contained a great variety of plants and flowers, irrigated by running water through the use of qanats (see the post: Nuts and More Nuts). In the center of the gardens, two streams crossed each other at a right angle, creating four equal sections for growing plants and flowers. Water held not only importance for irrigation, but also aesthetics. This traditional art of garden design is called a Chahar Bagh, literary meaning Four Gardens in Persian. The Chahar Bagh model of garden design was later exported to many parts of the world, notably Agra (Taj Mahal) in India and Andalusia (Alhambra) in Spain.

Eram Garden and Building, Shiraz, 13th Century.
Photo: http://www.untoldiran.com/shiraz/attractions/historical%20sites/eram%20garden.shtml 

Fin Garden and Building in Kashan, 16th Century.
Photo: http://howtoiran.com/index.php/2016/06/01/fin-garden/

Chahar Bagh plan, Isfahan.

Photo: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/29/f7/cc/29f7cc
176647b7c303ffe396b9bd0f98.jpg

Chahar Bagh at Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris, France, 2002;
Glass Mosaics Were Used in Place of Water, Which Was Not Allowed.
Installation by S. Ardalan. Photo: S. Ardalan

The Persian Chahar Bagh garden can be found in large cities such as Shiraz and Tehran or in the middle of the desert, such as in the flat, arid lands of Kerman.

Baghe Shazdeh, Aerial View,  Kerman.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/0d

/9a/4c/0d9a4cd3232f762abffed733142efa36.jpg

Origins of the word: In Old Persian the word for garden is Paradaida. The Greeks took the word and changed it to Paradisos. By the time the Bible came around, the word had become Paradise, describing a heavenly place.  Iran became known as a land of gardens with many Iranian poets such as Hafez, Rumi, Sa’adi, Nezami, and Omar Khayam writing poetry about them.

An Antique Persian Carpet with Chahar Bagh Design.
Photo: http://kavehfarrokh.com/iranica/achaemenid-era/pasargardae-the-persian-gardens/    

A Carpet Store in Tehran. Photo: S. Ardalan

Most Iranian (Persian) carpets contain the design of the Chahar Bagh garden. In this way, the garden is brought indoors into the home. More on carpets later. That's it for now, folks. Till next blog.