Travelling Gardens

Palace Gardens and Cultural Interactions between Khorasan and Lower Mesopotamia, 8th–12th C.

PI: Dr. Safa Mahmoudian
HI: University of Vienna, Department of Near Eastern Studies; Duration: 05.2024-05.2027 

How and which decisions in garden design were dictated by specific environmental, topographical, and geographical concerns, and which derived from cultural exchanges with other regions?

To illuminate this question, Travelling Gardens will utilise a wide range of textual sources and archaeological evidence to investigate palace gardens constructed during the eighth to twelfth centuries in the historical entity of Khorasan, examining the topographical and geographical characteristics of their location and comparing them with those built during the same period in Lower Mesopotamia. This analysis includes examining how these highly representational gardens reflect broader environmental, political, religious, economic, and transregional trends as well as identifying the individuals and groups involved in their creation and use.