Travelling Gardens: Khorasan and Mesopotamia, 8th-12th c.

Wider Research Context: Due to a scarcity of archaeological evidence, garden architecture of the early Islamic period in Western Asia has been an overlooked area in the fields of garden studies and Islamic architecture; what little is known has been hampered by outdated notions of diffusionism and static continuity. Yet gardens strongly depend on
their unique physical, cultural, and human geography. Building on previous work on palace gardens in Lower Mesopotamia, this project focuses on gardens of the powerful region Khorasan as a novel lens for gaining insights into cultural and material exchanges within the Abbasid Caliphate.
Objectives: This project aims to examine the extent to which historical, cultural, political, and commercial connections between Khorasan (now in Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan) and the Lower Mesopotamian seat of the Abbasid Caliphate led to an exchange or modification of palace garden concepts. This entails three main objectives: 1) to examine the geopolitical configuration of the Abbasid caliphate, its dense networks of exchange, and encounters between the two regions; 2) to investigate formal and functional features of Khorasan’s palace gardens in their environmental, architectural, and transregional contexts; 3) to conduct comparative and anthropological analyses of these garden’s features versus those in Lower Mesopotamia, focussing on their geographical characteristics and cultural interactions.
Approach: Travelling Garden’s interdisciplinary approach draws on a wide range of previously under-utilised source materials: contemporary Arabic and Persian textual sources (from histories and poetry to technical manuals), archaeological findings, aerial photographs, and archival sources. It triangulates these to examine palace gardens in both Khorasan and Lower Mesopotamia, assessing their topographical and geographical features, and their cultural context. The study also involves comparative and anthropological analyses to understand exchanges and interactions within the Abbasid caliphate.
Level of Originality: This project stands out for its interdisciplinary, transregional nature and innovative approach. By taking on a period and region with little physical evidence, it pioneers a new path in the history of garden architecture. It challenges established notions, like the ‘Islamic garden’ typology and aims for a more nuanced understanding of these gardens’ functions and forms. It enhances our comprehension of historical interconnections, cultural dynamics, material culture, and built environments in pre-modern Western Asia – regions recently touched by dramatic climatic and man-made change.
Researchers Involved: The PI Dr. Safa Mahmoudian, an architectural historian of the early Islamic period, will undertake this project under the mentorship of Prof. Elvira Wakelnig, a specialist in medieval Arabic texts and translation, and the guidance of an international advisory board of archaeologists and art historians.