Palaces and Gardens of Persia (Hardcover)

~ Yves Porter (Author), Arthur Thevenart (Author)
Key Phrases: forty columns, royal square, palaces and gardens, Shah Abbas, Pierre Loti, Friday Mosque (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In both decoration and design, the grand buildings and gardens of traditional Persia consistently refer to "paradise." The very word itself refers to a sense of heavenly perfection, derived from an early Iranian term for "the Shah's royal hunting grounds."

The fine touches of heaven that lie behind the colorful tiled façades of palace pavilions and mosques still shine in this richly illustrated and scholarly work. Enter gardens with intricate fountains and majestic ponds fed by water that is sourced from underground aqueducts dating to the 6th century. From ancient mirrored shrines of Shiraz and geometric gardens of Kashan to the ornate domes of Ispahan, here is a glorious photographic timeline drawn in water, brick, and ceramic ornamentation along the 3,000 years of the region's architecture.

About the Author

Yves Porter is a professor of Islamic art history at the University of Aix-en-Provence and at the Institute of Art and Archeology in Paris. He is the author of The Art of the Islamic Tile
(Flammarion, 2002).

Arthur Thévenart's work as a photographer has lead him to travel extensively across the Middle East.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Flammarion (January 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2080112570
• ISBN-13: 978-2080112576
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #881,844 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good surprise, August 19, 2005

By	David R. Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

When I bought this book I expected only to see a book with nice pictures of Persian palaces and gardens. But for my surprise, this book contained a series of interesting information about the origins and reasons for the construction of gardens and other buildings since ancient times. It was interesting to know how Persians combined a tower to capture air that, after passing a small lake, became fresh and cool air. This is the predecessor of air conditioning. Other types of amazing buildings, such as the early freezer, are also explained in the book. An excellent purchase for those who - like me - like to understand how people in ancient times lived.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the name of Iran, May 10, 2007

By	Peyman ADLDOUSTI (England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book contains colorfull images of castles, gardens, public baths, mosques and pictures from ancitent time of Iran to present time. Also, there were some pictures which they showed Iranian people are walking in parks because Iranian people ejnoy a lot walking in park, and spend time some where close by tree and enjoy shade and away from hot sun.

This is a good book to have.