The Dream of Paradise – Islamic Gardens

Some of the world’s most beautiful gardens are found in the Islamic world. Islamic gardens are laid out on the basis of religious images, as earthly reflections of Paradise. Architecture, decoration, and plantings are part of a religious whole. They embody a number of key values that Muslims in fact share with Christians and Jews.

The geographic spread of these gardens follows that of Islam. This is why we find Islamic gardens in a swath from India in the east to Morocco and Spain in the west.

In this documentary, the architect Steen Estvad Petersen takes us to some of the world’s most beautiful Islamic gardens.

Produced by Rasmus Hundsbæk and Steen Estvad Petersen. 2007.
In Danish. Running time: 33 minutes.