CHAHARBAGH & LONGING FOR THE PARADISE

The Humayun's Mausoleum, Delhi, India, 1564 -72
A quadrangle garden, geometrically partitioned into four quarters
by straight paths with waterways, is called a 'Chaharbagh' (four quartered garden) .


Baghwan: "The Vafa Garden near Kabr" 16th century, watercolor on paper
A miniature for the first Mughal emperor Babur's memoir "Babur-Nama."
Babur brought 'Islamic Gardens' to India;
his favorite garden was a Chaharbagh he had made in his Kabul period.


The Alhambra, Granada, Spain, 13th-15th century
The 'Court of Lions' (Patio de los Leones) as a Chaharbagh.
Sculptures of 12 lions support the water basin of the central fountain, hence the name.


The Alhambra, Granada, Spain, 13th-15th century
The 'Court of the Myrtles' (Patio de los Arrayanes).
These two courtyards representing Paradise are the focal points of this palace complex.