Islamic Garden |
“ Over
the centuries, Islamic civilisation has shown a marked interest in
nature, based on Koranic premises where by the contemplation of nature
can be a fount of knowledge.
According
to Islamic tradition, nature was created as a source of spiritual
inspiration and also as sustenance. But this does not give human beings
the right to exploit it and dominate it indiscriminately. They are just
its managers, its beneficiaries.
This
love of nature led Moslems to create beautiful gardens for
contemplation and enjoyment, as can still be seen in the Alhambra in
Granada, in Syria, Turkey, Iran and the Maghreb. They also developed
agrarian, experimental and acclimatisation schemes, particularly in
al-Andalus, which were the precursors of the botanic gardens of the
Renaissance.
These
examples present a style of gardening that was characterised by the use
of both native and exotic species, many of them having been transferred
from eastern regions of the Mediterranean, or from North Africa and the
Near East.
These botanical
species had a marked ornamental value but were also appreciated for
their fruit, wood, resin and medicinal properties. Aesthetic values
were thus combined with the utility of plants that were acclimatised
for agricultural or therapeutic purposes. They were generally grown in
orchards in which production was complemented by a design created to
please the senses. These gardens and orchards were sometimes associated
with the power and nobility of their rulers and over time achieved
great beauty and complexity, providing one of the most exciting
chapters in the history of gardening.

The
gardens of al-Andalus were the result of great cultural wealth and high
levels of technical and scientific know-how not only regarding
cultivation but also and especially water management,
biological pest and disease control and the balanced use of soil and natural fertilisers.
Today
this management method would be called organic. It also fits in
perfectly with today’s commitment to the correct use and conservation
of biodiversity and the sustainability criteria that characterise the
modern paradigm for relations between human beings and natural
resources.”
Islamic Culture Foundation, Spain-MEDOMED Project
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To learn more about Islam in Spain visit the following links
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"Any
attempt to understand the history and culture of the Iberian Peninsula
must take account of that “incredible Islamic legacy”
Richard Fletcher, Islamic Spain |
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More than one thousand years ago, Europe experienced one of its greatest periods of cultural enlightenment.
For
more than three centuries in Medieval Spain, Muslims, Jews and
Christians lived together and prospered in a thriving multicultural
civilization.
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Here,
remarkable individuals of different faiths made lasting contributions
in such areas as poetry, art, architecture, music, dining etiquette,
science, agriculture, medicine, engineering, navigation, textiles,
hydraulic technology and even gardening.
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