THE ISLAMIC GARDEN

This course is offered as an option on the M.A. Garden History Course at the History of Art Department, Bristol University, UK.

Tutor: Gillian Barker. B.Ed. (Hons.Cantab) M.A. Ph.D. Candidate. E-mail: gillhook@aol.com

The course comprises five modules, each lasting one and a half hours. It includes visual illustration, summary notes, discussion topics and a bibliography. It is intended as a wide ranging and investigative approach to the study of The Islamic Garden.

The course aims to:

• encourage informed discussion about the nature of and ideas about the Islamic Garden
• introduce traditional definitions of the Islamic Garden, its various types and general features
• place specific garden sites in a cultural and historical context
• indicate the problems inherent in the study and classification of garden sites
• provide analysis and discussion of existing scholarship
• relate the Islamic Garden to specific areas of Islamic art and architecture; structural and decorative features
• consider the Islamic Garden in relation to aspects of Islamic culture, e.g. literature, science, philosophy and spirituality
• explore the influence of the Islamic Garden on European garden history, twentieth century and contemporary garden art and design
• provide students with guidance for further investigation and research

OUTLINE

WEEK ONE: INTRODUCTION

The pre-Islamic mythology of the garden in the Fertile Crescent
Architectural and natural features of The Islamic Garden
Introductory ideas: definitions, scholarship, areas of investigation

WEEK TWO:
PERSIA/IRAN AND THE EARLY ISLAMIC DYNASTIES

The Persian garden as prototype
The Umayyad Dynasty
The Abbasid Dynasty
The Fatimid Dynasty

WEEK THREE:
SPAIN AND SICILY

Madinat-al- Zahra and Cordoba
The Alcazar at Seville
The Alhambra at Granada
La Zisa and Cuba at Palermo

WEEK FOUR:
THE SPREAD AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ISLAMIC GARDEN

Central Asia, The Timurid Garden
Influences in Medieval Europe
India, The Moghul Garden

WEEK FIVE:
SAFAVID IRAN
EXAMPLES AND INFLUENCES IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

The Safavid Dynasty: Isfahan City, Caspian Gardens
Twentieth Century: Examples of Islamic garden influences, contemporary garden art and design