Like any piece of design, it all begins with the research. Bearing in mind just how forcibly and traumatically these people have been separated from their homeland I have been keen throughout this process to produce a design which provides the residents with an emotional link to their native land. To that end I have decided to base it on the concept of the Damascus Courtyard Garden.
Paintings in Egyptian tombs depict walled gardens criss-crossed with irrigation channels and planted with fruit trees and vines. In Persia, these same elements formed the basis of the classical chaharbagh or fourfold garden, so called because of its formal quadripartite structure centred on a central pool or fountain. Heaven has been precisely pictured as an enclosed garden “underneath which rivers flow”, where there shall be “repose and peace” in shaded groves of abundant fruit trees. It is not surprising therefore that the gardens based on the chaharbagh design were quickly adopted and developed in the Middle East and soon cities such as Damascus were endowed with many beautiful examples. These gardens assumed a special spiritual space and became prime examples of inward looking sacred art as well as being living spaces where families and friends relaxed and socialised.
The traditional courtyard gardens of Damascus are some of the most beautiful of their type in the world. Damascus was built in a lush oasis fed by clear streams flowing down from the surrounding mountains and it became an early centre of the Islamic world. Ranging in size from a compact 5m x 5m in humble dwellings to a grand 20m x 25m in palaces, these courtyard gardens exemplify the outside room concept with which we are so familiar today.
Two crucial elements in a Damascus courtyard garden are shade and water. In keeping with the classical chaharbagh form, a still pool or gurgling fountain is always found at the centre of the courtyard. Not only does the presence of moving water cool the air it also imbues the garden with profound spiritual symbolism. Water symbolises life, purity and spiritual rebirth. It is easy to understand how this association developed when we consider how arid most of the middle east is and how oases literally represent survival in the desert. For this reason even the most humble fountain will invite spiritual introspection.
Indeed the very structure of the chaharbagh form is designed to promote reflection and it is no co-incidence that the fourfold garden is based on a number which is of profound spiritual significance; four is the number of directions in space, the number of seasons and the number of elements in creation. The extensive use of geometric , repetitive and interlacing forms in shape and patterning further emphasise the formal significance of the fourfold garden. The use of these abstract patterns intimate the profound mysteries underlying the surface of creation.
In the Damascus courtyard garden plants often play second fiddle to the hard geometric elements. They are used to soften the space and provide a degree of informality. Preferred plants are usually edible or fragrant but there is also always space for the visually arresting. Besides being practical and feeding the soul, these are also gardens that feed the senses even in the most subtle of ways. The soft gurgle of the central fountain calms the spirit with ‘white sound’, the touch of cool water refreshes it, the fragrance of roses and jasmine lifts it, the taste of sweet fruit nourishes it and the sight of exquisite flowers lifts it to a higher plane.
So those are the conventions within which we will be working to provide the residents with a much needed reflective space and the link to their home that we have talked about. In one sense it narrows the focus of the design and in another creates a lot of room for interpretation. Stay tuned.
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