The Secrets behind the Gardens in Iran | A Glimpse of Paradise EP 1 | Luxury Living

[Music] the Iranian desert a high Plateau surrounded by mountain peaks dry and Barren yet for thousands of years a sophisticated irrigation technology has defied the desert here and made it possible for world famous gardens to flourish they are the example and the pattern for the Garden Culture of the Islamic world we would like to trace their origins in the desert and set out on a journey through the hot steps to these refreshingly green oases [Music] we journey through the east of the Iranian High Plateau empty step and bare rock formations are all that can be seen for hour after hour anyone who travels here soon begins to yearn for the sight of a little shade and [Music] Greenery our destination is is the desert city of yasd it is said that an altogether extraordinary Garden can be found in this quite unexpected [Music] location the Desert Wind in Yas provides us with a highly intensive reception sand is everywhere biting the eyes grating between our teeth [Music] it is no wonder that everything here is the color of sand and apparently this is the way things have been for 5,000 years Yas is considered to be one of the most ancient cities in the [Music] world but where can the gardens be found here we need only follow the people of Yas to get an immediate answer the gate to dlat Abad Garden is the entrance to another [Music] world shade water and fragrances are our reception here this then is the place where the local people most enjoy spending their time many of the plants that flourish here are something of a surprise for guests from Europe however since they are not exactly what we would expect or imagine from a garden with World cultural heritage status numerous fruit trees above all pomegranates and wheat as the ground as a cover plant in a Persian Garden utility is clearly a Criterion of beauty the single word inasi for the other side of the wall is pyroa and this is the root origin of our word Paradise the concept is readily understood a garden behind a high wall is indeed a [Music] paradise water flows here in abundance where on Earth can it come from here in the middle of the desert the water whales in the garden lead us back out into the desert to the water supply channels known here as canat these are the underground tunnels that bring the water down from the mountains into the city it is here that we meet hosen K alamad who has been passionately interested in this irrigation system since his childhood doad is irrigated by the doad can it was built 274 years ago a number of vertical shafts were excavated in earlier times starting from the mother spring at the foot of the mountain these shafts were then linked from beneath by a channel and that is how a canat developed canat take the water to where it is needed they do not require any energy to do this there have been canak in yast for 3,000 years we used to have about 275 canat chains in Yas during the long dry periods almost all the canat dried up and there are now only four or five canat chains in Yas an access guidance system is frequently all that can be seen of the traditional infrastructure since intensive maintenance work is needed to preserve the volted underground channels the method for the process is still the same as it was 3,000 years ago only the instruments and tools used are different today in earlier times water bowls or water levels were used to adjust the gradient today modern measurement instruments are used for calculating the gradient of the working surfaces but otherwise everything is still the same we return to the Garden following the water flow of the canaps and to another shining example of ecology at work doat Abad has the highest traditional wind cooling tower Rising 34 M from the ground this historic air conditioner is extraordinarily simple in functionality Wind Blows into the opening at the top of the tower while a reservoir below provided with a constant supply of cool water from The canat Cools the hot air as it drops downwards the shafts for this are constructed so that only air can enter but no sunlight cool air now wafts through the building and the giant doed roof ensures that the indoor air is never close and sticky in the past it was possible to open the colorful glass windows by pushing them upwards opening the room out into the garden the colors not only have the effect of muting the fierce sunlight but they are also said to repel insects this would certainly seem to be true Since There Were None around to bother us in the midst of all this Greenery it is easy to forget that we are also in the center of the desert at the end of each day dolat Abad is alive with young people who come here to enjoy the cool of the [Music] evening public gardens in Iran are open until late in the evening and they frequently also offer opportunities to drink a glass of tea or eat a small snack in the green surroundings [Music] Iran is in Central Asia where it extends through several climactic zones from the Caspian Sea in the North to the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the south in the center of the country lies a city which commands a great Supply of water and as a consequence also boasts numerous Gardens away then to Isfahan the river and Oasis [Music] City the river zande is the lifeline of Isfahan the siose pole bridge is one of its landmarks water is in fact omnipresent in the city Supply channels flow through every part of it and create green oases [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] broad treelined Avenues provide shade for this city of 2 million people the main Act ACC through the city today is the shahab Avenue which forms a right angle to the river at its lower end this Garden is a Showcase of the Green City of Isfahan its name CH helun 400 years ago only a king of great wealth was able to afford such a garden water and shade from the Sun represent a true luxury here and sheel suun flaunts a wealth of them [Music] both in the center stands a Kos a large and magnificent Palace building entry was formerly prohibited to Ordinary People such as us in this building where sha abas II received his guests fashid ibraim a historian from the University of isan told me how this all took place the guests came here in their coaches together with their servants up to the K where they were received by the minister of the king or sometimes by the king himself everyone took their place arranged by rank with the royal family the ministers and the guests seated with the King followed by the people the guests had brought with them then the executive [Music] officers and finally the people who provided the entertainment who were then a long way from the King [Music] one can well imagine how sha abas held Court here how the glittering jewelry was reflected immeasurably in the many mirrors while the magnificence of the spread carpets created a fairy tale [Music] setting Shel suun is still a showcase today for us it is one of the finest and best maintained Gardens in all Iran it offers surprises such as this newly planted Avenue of mulbury [Music] trees it is a rewarding experience here to let your eyes wander upwards on the columnlike trunks of the old trees [Music] we had expected to encounter more visitors in this Garden but at this time of year the isah Hanes have another favorite place that draws them all away there River the banks of the river Zane are something like the city park of Isfahan thousands of people spend their Leisure Time here and make use of every fine day this is because an event occurs every June which the isah hanis do not like in the least the River dries up completely because the water is diverted to the desert city of yasd hi they relish every moment because they know it is a pleasure that will soon be brought to an end the famous bridges of Isfahan are favorite meeting places for young people who enjoy themselves here they make music and flirt like young people everywhere else in the world the young people people in particular are very self-confident curious and open and we Europeans notice none of the subtle rules of behavior that are a matter of course to Iranians apart from the mandatory headscarf there are no limitations to our freedom of [Music] movement in in the evening many Isfahan go for a glass of tea in the garden of the Abasi hotel for 300 years this was a trade route stopping place a caravan Sarai until shaza palavi ordered its reconstruction as a modern hotel in the middle of the last century the garden is a small remainder of what was once a giant facility measuring a thousand by a thousand M these Dimensions were once common in isv ban the Garden today is filled with guests until late in the night Leisure and Gardens are intimately intertwined in Iran [Music] [Music] how did this Garden Culture begin water is Origins We Begin our journey once more and it is now a journey through time we travel to Pasa gardi the oldest Garden in the world and once again our route takes us through the [Music] desert we have all become silent and almost reverential in this magical location the light green color of this High Plateau that is still remote today helps us to understand at once why Cyrus the Great ruler of the aeonid empire chose this site as his seat of government 2,500 years ago and built the first Royal City of Persia the inscription reads I am Cyrus the Great king of the [Music] AIDS these water channels were discovered a few years ago directly adjacent to the Royal Palace where archaeologists have now secured what is left of the ruins Ali Twi is in charge of the archaeological site Herodotus wrote of how he had seen the tomb of Cyrus surrounded by a great many trees this shows that the Pasad Garden must have consisted not only of the Royal Palace Gardens there must have been many other Gardens in the surroundings and the entire 249 hectare area was covered with trees and plants this is the surprise that Persia Springs on us the geometry of the water channels which we understand as the Islamic Garden principle was in fact invented 1,000 years before Muhammad and it had its Origins here in pasag gadii [Music] as far as we have been able to establish the irrigation channels were 1100 M long and made from Stone this very cleanly cut stone is from the SE van mine a small shaft is placed every 9 to 13 M and this configuration is repeated continuously and rhythmically as Channel and shaft channnel and [Music] we set off to a water garden destination with the passardi water channels in our heads but the longer the journey lasts the more absurd the whole idea appears to us [Music] someone who had not first seen the dusty gray of the locality would scarcely be able to either enjoy or to understand Bay travel through the desert was the reason why this Garden was established since the site is on an old trade route the King used the garden as a stopping place whenever he was traveling the origins of the garden date back over 400 years and today as then the main element here is water the entire area is traversed by a network of pools and small channels two main channels divide the garden vertically and each one leads to a pavilion one channel runs parallel to the surrounding Garden Wall it must have been exactly like this in the beginning [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] 400 years ago the King Alone had access to the Pavilion water pools where the tourist Splash [Music] today the Islamic World adopted its handling of water from the Persians using the techniques for its Gardens the descriptions of gardens in the Quran refer back to The pre-islamic Gardens of Persia water has a powerful symbolic and spiritual significance in Persian culture in a Persian Garden water is never permitted to stand still it must create sounds of various kinds and these are as varied as life itself [Music] Hamida Jani has been busy in the garden for a great many years he has spent thousands of hours here and he has summarized the personal experience he acquired for us the European garden are some landscape to see them watch them but the Persian Garden are some space to live into to live inside them it's the the the major difference between Persian Garden and European garden this Garden it's an element of a system the water line or the water AIS connected this system Mountain garden farms other Gardens and the [Music] deserts cypresses were originally planted along the paths the areas between the paths and the channels were kept free for tents pitched to house the followers of the king some of the trees here still date back to the time when the garden was first established and today they are all inspiring Giants 370 to 450 years old the layout of the garden has remained original but with a lot of Destruction for example in in recent decades the garden destructed because of a lot of trees dried and F and new trees have been planted out of the system the planting system of the garden [Music] one learns quickly in Iran that there is a Pavilion in every Persian Garden but very few are like this one fully open to the garden and so richly adorned with paintings every child in Iran knows these ornaments and patterns they decorate enamel plates and porcelin cloth and the walls of rooms the obsession Persians have with decoration extends to everything in life including their Gardens [Music] [Music] [Music] Bay Finn is also in the center of a dry and Dusty region the water comes from the mountains which are visible from afar on fine days once again it is Kats that bring the water here wood beds covered with carpets are provided for us Garden visitors beside the cool water it is easy to forget when sipping tea here that the desert is only a Stones throw away once again it is the Adobe walls that turn the garden into a fortress against sand storms and wild animals into a paradise in fact beautiful gardens cost money where does this come from the city of kashan is close by and we are very curious about it because it was once a hub intersection on the Silk Road will we find anything left that recalls this period of Splendor a walk through the bizaar is a sobering [Music] experience it has certainly seen better times the Caravan Sarai was once in the center here this was where the merchants would store their valuable carpets now robbed of its former significance the Caravan Sarai today is a place that makes one a little [Music] Melancholy the merchants were once rich and powerful people and they could afford to build not only the vaed ceilings in the bazaar but also beautiful private homes it is said that a few of these also have truly beautiful Courtyard Gardens facades in Iran are always simple in style and this increases the surprise about what is hidden [Music] within the proprietor Mahin rahb enjoys this pool pool every day my nephews nieces and cousins and I all grew up here I learned to swim in this [Music] pool all the pools open up into the inner Courtyard [Music] mahen rahb lived here formerly with her family she had the Fresco on the walls restored for love of her delightful childhood memories my grandfather tied a rope around us there were no rubber rings available then and he said swim my grandmother scolded when we swam you will kill the fish we didn't listen to her and carried on [Music] [Music] the bazares are important people in Iran but it is the poets who are the true heroes in Persia Gardens and poetry Belong Together We Now travel South to the city of Gardens and Poets to shurz the 14th century poet haiz is considered to be a national Saint it is said that the garden was his favorite place and that is where he has remained his tomb is in the center of the musala gardens the alabaster sarcophagus has the following inscription when you guide your steps to my tomb be sure to bring wine and a loot with you so that I may rise again dancing the joy in life the poet hes took and expressed for eternity in his verses over 600 years ago is now a welcome Retreat from the strict regime of The mulas Who currently have a say in the running of the country they prohibit women from singing or dancing in public but they are allowed to work hard over 70% of Iranian graduates are women Mara atin is a lawyer and she regularly visits her her as she puts it to read his poems [Music] it was about uh the whole beauty of the world and actually uh H said that uh we must pray go pray God because of these be because of creating these Beauties it is a very good place to gather together and uh read out loud the poems and um and have a very good time with each other this is a place that also has a function of an oracle young people come here with a question in mind and open the book at random the page and the poem found by chance provide the answer they are looking for [Music] the mood is both relaxed and celebratory and the later it gets the more cheerful Things become the musala gardens a poetry slam in Persian [Music] [Music] an entry charge is made for the public gardens in Iran and they are evidently well worth the money for the inhabitants of sherz people come to the arum Garden not only for pleasure but also to learn something it belongs to the university as a Botanical Garden conifers from all parts of the world Tall Pines palms and orange trees are gathered together on this well cared for terrain this is a mixture that can only flourish in this especially mild climate here [Music] there is no clear historical evidence for the exact origins of the gardens but it is known that they were renovated and reestablished in the 18th century it is thought however that the geometrical division provided by the water channels dates back a few centuries earlier young people like to use the green background here for posing after all Facebook is also used in Iran the the clothing regulations in Iran do not allow much bare skin to be shown everything must be covered apart from the hands the feet and the face girls must wear a head scarf at the latest by the age of 12 women's hair should yes should disappear under a headscarf in a run orange trees an accurately trimmed head along a water course useful and the Beautiful belong together in a Persian [Music] Garden on a richly adorned facade we find a metaphor that is encountered everywhere in Iran it concerns nefr the Iranian New Year the old year is pushed out of the way by the new one [Music] poetry and the Art of gardening are twins here in this city and the walls are decorated with poems by huiz the celebrated poet of sharz in elegant calligraphy now as the garden air wafts about me like a hint of paradise I rejoice in the wine that the dearest of eyes is again smiling upon me [Music] unfortunately there is no wine to Rejoice with in shz any longer alcohol is strictly prohibited but there are careful tended green areas instead any self-respecting Persian City presents itself with its Gardens [Music] for e [Music] in the sharz Grand Bazaar one item is available in total abundance the carpet they are produced here in this area and every family owns dozens of them Persians not only walk on their carpets they also live with and on them we are interested in finding out if there are any carpets with garden designs and also where these are produced with this in mind we set out on our travels once [Music] again a journey in the direction of the zarros mountains is also a journey to the Zagros sheep their wool is ideal for carpet making because it is robust and resistant while also soft and supple Nomads have lived here with their herds on this High Plateau at 2,200 M since time immemorial and they still knot their carpets different ones than they used to but still using the same [Music] wool they make Garden carpets and do so in a landscape in which no Gardens are to be found far and wide they all have their origins in the minds and imaginations of the [Music] makers Notting carpets is good work as the nomadic women see it because they can keep their children with them as they do it the kashai have now settled permanently the tents are only used for knotting their carpets they are descendants of the nomadic turkman people and speak both kashai and [Music] Persian some 15,000 women carpet makers work on the high Plateau for the Iranian Distribution Company that has branches around the globe the technique and the devices they use are identical to those employed centuries ago the greater the carpet density the higher the [Music] quality the waiting time for an ordered carpet is several months because this is the time the kashai women need to finish a single carpet [Music] [Music] la [Music] we will walk on carpets with a great deal more respect in future and always think as we do so about the wide empty spaces of this High plateau [Music] [Music] we traveled to Isfahan once again the city after which a famous Rose variety is also named a real rose garden this is what we still want to find back in Isfahan on Imam Square One of the the largest public squares in the world with its sides measuring 500 and 165 M the great mosque holds every gaze at first but it is in fact only one element of a harmonious whole religion business and secular government these are the three factors that together and in harmony make a flourishing City possible this at all events was the opinion of sha abas who had this Square laid out and constructed at the end of the 16th century it comprises a mosque the Royal Palace and that Lifeline of the city the bizaar the bazares were powerful people in earlier times political decisions could not be reached without their blessing Isfahan is famous for its Crafts People the pictures produced by the tinsmiths with their flower ornamentation are popular decorative items for [Music] walls this green Oasis can be found directly behind IM M Square dealers in Antiques and jewelry are arrayed around the cooling pool and beneath the Shady Tree trees finding printed Fabrics in Isfahan with designs and also the flowers that can be found in all the gardens here appeared to us to be a simple matter of course following our garden Journey around [Music] Iran the way Iranians create a new public garden today can be seen in B Eola the name simply means flower garden water is of course also important in this modern Garden together with the symmetrical axis in the center Gardens and joy in life are one and the same thing they are the places where people have always gone to celebrate to drink or to make music even the religious police are powerless in the face of this [Music] tradition all historic styles are gathered together in a garden there are no historic specifications on which to hold fast everything of beauty is permitted the proximity to the river allows intensive irri ation even for the flower borders which are unusual in [Music] Iran roses at long last we had searched for them in vain in a great many Gardens [Music] B [Music] we want to return to the river at the conclusion of our journey [Music] Persians love to be out of doors in a green garden setting and to eat and drink there this is where they meet their friends arranging in advance who will bring what dishes and who will supply the tea it is generally drunk very sweet and in glasses so its fine color can be seen and admired paria tavakoli will sing for us although she is not really allowed to do this in [Music] public for [Music] [Music] we take our leave from Persia and its Gardens to the sound of a love song sung by peria we take with us the experience that paradise is not in heaven but it is rather a green Retreat for recreation and conviviality in the middle of the desert I [Music]

Channel: Luxury Living

Views: 337,604

Keywords: Gardening, Gardens, Iran, Gardens in Iran, Iranian Gardens, best gardens in the world, glimpse of paradise, garden paradise, dream gardens, persian gardens, gardens in the world, world gardens, best flowers to put in a garden, gardening, best gardening tips, gardening tips, best plants for a garden, iranian gardens, gardens in iran, Gardens of Iran, Why Persian Gardens are Better, why these gardens are better

Id: 0qKcXI7qGlo

Length: 50min 29sec (3029 seconds)

Published: Sat May 04 2024