The Persian Garden: Echoes of Paradise [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

~ (Author, Photographer), M. Reza Moghtader (Author), Minouch Yavari (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For more than three thousand years, the Persian garden has been a focus of Iran's national imagination, influencing its art, literature, and even religion. The Persian garden's inspirational role has, however, extended far beyond the land of its origin; its precepts have exerted a profound influence on garden design around the world. The Persian Garden: Echoes of Paradise chronicles the history of the Persian garden, from the magnificent sanctuaries and hunting parks of fifth-century b.c. Persepolis to the magical nightingale gardens of nineteenth-century Tehran. All were seen as a kind of earthly paradise (the English word paradise has its roots in the old Persian word pairi-daeza meaning a walled space). To an astonishing extent, that vision seems justified.

This book was meticulously researched and created over a period of six years in, Paris, Tehran and Washington by photographer, Mehdi Khansari and architect Minouch Yavari, together with the renowned Persian architect and architectural historian Reza Moghtader. It explains the philosophy behind Persian garden design and offers an authoritative account of its developmentintroducing new historical material in the process. This extraordinary story is enhanced by vivid descriptions of Persian gardens as seen through the eyes of travelers to Iran during the past five hundred years. Over 240 illustrations in full color, complement the text. They include magnificent color photographs, old plates and engravings, as well as exquisite architectural renderings and plans of the sites and the gardens. A selection of the finest Persian garden-carpets, textiles, miniature paintings, stone reliefs, painted tiles, pottery, and poetry, augment the reader's experience of an ancient art form that for centuries has sought to meld the physical and the spiritual.

About the Author

Mehdi Khansari was born in Tehran and studied photography at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He has coauthored with his wife, Minouch Yavari, Espace Persan (Pierre Mardaga, 1986), a book on traditional architecture in Iran, and The Persian Bazaar: Veiled Space of Desire (Mage, 1994).

M. R. Moghtader was born in Tehran in 1931 and received his architecture degree in Paris in 1956. From 1958 to 1981 he practiced as an architect in Iran where his designs include the master plan for the city of Tabriz, the Shiraz University complex, and the Tehran University Faculties of Theology and Economic Science. Since 1981 he has been living in Paris, where he researches and practices architecture.

Minouch Yavari was born in Tehran and received her architecture degree in Paris. She has worked since 1984 as an architect in Tehran and in France. She has coauthored with her husband, Mehdi Khansari, Espace Persan (Pierre Mardaga, 1986), a book on traditional architecture in Iran, and The Persian Bazaar: Veiled Space of Desire (Mage, 1994).

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 172 pages
• Publisher: Mage Publishers; 1 edition (March 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0934211469
• ISBN-13: 978-0934211468
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #173,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A place to reminice, May 23, 2000

By A Customer

I loved this book. And it's not because I've been to some of the places that are studied in the book. The pictures take you to the gardens that were at the heart of the great residences of kings and leaders...In a time when few get the chance to see the beauty of Iran and the culture that arose from it, this book shows a world of culture, history and color. Look, read and with your mind's eye see an old world that gave much to this new one.

5.0 out of 5 stars persian garden, June 24, 2009

By	F. Buehler (Canyon Creek OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Persian Garden: Ecohoes of Paradise (Paperback)

The history and descriptions are very informative. The drawn diagrams of the garden layouts are also very helpful, as are the historical images from books and sculptures. My only complaint is that some of the contemporary photos are of poor quality - grainy, soft, flat, full frontal sun on buildings. Given the subject matter, it seems that spectacular photos could have been the rule.

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book, October 7, 2007

By	trustTreview "trustTreview" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Persian Garden: Ecohoes of Paradise (Paperback)

The pictures, the stories, it is all one great inspiring read, and so much more awesome than i had expected.