Ancient Egypt as an independent state was founded in the 4th millennium BC. The development of the state is closely connected with the Nile Valley, which carries its waters from south to north to the Mediterranean Sea. Tamarix and date palms, and along the banks of the Nile there are reeds, papyruses, and lotuses. The hot and arid climate with hot winds and almost complete absence of precipitation excluded the possibility of the existence of tree and shrub vegetation on any significant areas. The ancient Egyptians created a developed irrigation system with canals providing water to fields, and hydraulic devices protecting cities and settlements from floods during river floods. From valuable building material, which Ancient Egypt was rich in - granite, limestone, sandstone, etc., magnificent palaces, durable temple complexes and pyramids were erected, partially preserved to this day.

Over the three millennia of the existence of the Egyptian state, along with the development of urban planning, architecture and plant growing, the garden art. Gardens were created at temples, palaces and residential buildings of the wealthy part of the population. Together with sacred groves and green streets, they made up the green design of cities that had a rectilinear grid plan. The streets, oriented towards palaces and temples, played the role of parade roads for processions and had a significant width (up to 40 m), designed for the movement of a large number of people. On both sides there were rows of palm trees. When approaching the temple, the roads were often decorated with figures of sphinxes, sometimes in combination with palm trees. The use of this technique resulted in a rhythmic alternation of trunks, shaded sections of the road, and sculptural images.

On the territory of the temple complex, this road became a longitudinal compositional axis, which was also the axis of symmetry of the architectural composition. It was as if spaces and volumes were strung on it, which, as we progressed, successively changed in size towards increasing or decreasing. In the complex itself, a constant change of impressions was achieved through the rhythmic alternation of open, sunlit internal palaces with the dark spaces of the temple interiors, its columned halls and the consistent change in their sizes during movement.

The geometric grid of city plans, the axial construction of temple complexes, and the canonized use of the principle of symmetry determined the character of the Egyptian garden, which was formed as a regular one with a clearly defined main axis. As an example, a plan for the construction of an Egyptian garden with an area of ​​1 hectare is given. The garden has a square shape and is surrounded by a wall. The entrance is marked by pylons and is the beginning of an axis that closes with the house located in the depths of the garden. The compositional axis is a covered alley, or so-called pergola, entwined with grapes and forming a shady vault. Four rectangular pools and two gazebos are located symmetrically to the axial road. There are row plantings along the perimeter. The considered garden is an example of a regular style direction. Its specific feature is the presence of enclosing and interior walls, surrounding individual areas: entrance platform, pergola, ponds, plantings. The garden provided shade and coolness, provided fruits and flowers, there were also sacred plants - lotus, papyrus, etc. In the plant range, in addition local species introduced plants were widely used - figs, pomegranates, roses, jasmine. Trees that produced fragrant oils were highly valued. Among the herbaceous plants, carnations, cornflowers, and poppies were common.

The ancient Egyptian garden was characterized by an organic fusion of religious, utilitarian and aesthetic functions. In general, garden art with clear compositional and planning canons was formed in Ancient Egypt:

A regular plan, including the axial construction of the composition and the use of symmetry;
- formation of closed compositions;
- the presence of ponds as an integral, and often the main part of the garden;
- use of rhythm as a compositional device;
- use of alley and row plantings;
- use of exotics in the assortment of woody plants.

Parks and gardens of ancient civilizations

The development of landscape gardening and landscape art is closely related to the development of civilizations. Since ancient times, people not only settled in favorable natural landscape conditions, but also sought to create corners of ennobled nature - gardens and parks.

Gardens in ancient Egypt . In the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC, the ancient Egyptian civilization was the leading civilization of the world. Here the swamps began to be drained, grandiose necropolises with pyramids and tombs were erected in Saqqara and Giza; grandiose temple ensembles in Karnak and Luxor; mortuary temples and necropolises of the pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings near Thebes, etc. At the temples, terraced gardens were created, the centers of landscape design compositions of which were ponds. Palm alleys led to the temples. The rectangular pools were compositional centers and in landscape gardens of wealthy residential buildings. Planted in the gardens various plants and flowers, including those brought from other countries.

Parks and gardens in the Tigris and Euphrates Mesopotamia . On the fertile lands of the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (the territory of modern Iraq), one of the most ancient civilizations was formed, which gave the world a number of important discoveries: the wheel, the oxcart, pack donkeys, a sailing ship, and an irrigation system. The priests studied the stars, contemplated the beauty of nature, thought about the causes of phenomena, and were engaged in gardening.

In the development of the civilization of Mesopotamia, three periods are distinguished: Sumerian-Akkadian (IV - II millennia BC), Assyrian (I millennium BC), and Neo-Babylonian (VII-VI centuries BC). Little evidence survives of the Sumerian-Akkadian period. The Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian periods are better studied.

The gardens and parks of Assyria and Babylon were different large sizes and the luxury that the rich rulers of the countries of Mesopotamia could afford. Natural green spaces were turned into hunting and pleasure parks. Given the general regularity of the landscape design of the parks, which was determined by the irrigation system, the plantings were located freely. The parks used a rich assortment of rare trees, shrubs, and flowers. There is evidence of large parks with varied vegetation in Dur-Sharukin during the reign of Sargon II (711-707 BC), in Nineveh during the reign of Sennacherib, the son of Sargon II. Artificial hills and lakes were created in parks, gazebos and pavilions were built.

Widely known Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Babylon (IX-VII centuries BC) - one of the 7 wonders of the Ancient World. It was a grandiose four-tiered structure located on the banks of the Euphrates, which had terraces rising in ledges to a height of about 25 m. Powerful pillars supported the arches and formed through passages. The terraces were connected by marble stairs. Ornamental trees, shrubs, flowers were planted on the terraces as they grew in natural conditions: lowland plants - on lower terraces, alpine - on the upper. The garden was irrigated using a water-lifting wheel with a system of fountains, cascades and streams. The terraces offered views of the city and the Euphrates River.

Parks and gardens in Persia . The ancient Persian civilization arose at the end of the 2nd millennium BC. It was like a bridge between Asia and Europe. The territory of Persia (modern Iran) was the birthplace of agriculture. The art of sculpture came to India from Persia. The mosques and mausoleums built by the Islamic rulers of India were also influenced by the religious architecture of Iran. The formation of the Mughal school of painting in India became possible thanks to Persian artists who brought their idea of ​​beauty, pure mineral paints, thin brushes, manufactured manually paper used by the Persians.

Persian was the language of court in India and Afghanistan for centuries. Many new plants were brought from Persia to Ancient Greece and Rome, which changed the economies of these countries. And the very idea of ​​landscape design of gardens and parks came to Europe from Persia.

Aryan tribes migrated from the eastern and northern regions of the Caspian region to the Iranian Plateau around 1700 BC. During the Bronze Age they were engaged in cattle breeding and bred horses. The word “Iran” itself means “land of the Aryans”. The population of modern Iran comes from the same nomadic tribes from which the Greeks, Romans, Teutons, Slavs, the peoples of Northern India and East Pakistan descended.

The rulers of Persia built huge parks with rare decorative and fruit trees, flowers, which were called paradise. The parks were divided into several areas and were intended for hunting wild animals and included richly decorated pavilions and grottoes.

At the turn of the XVI-XVII centuries. Shah Abbas I the Great rebuilt Isfahan, giving it the character of a majestic residence. The center of the city was the large (510 × 165 m) rectangular Meydan Shah Square with richly decorated buildings with irrigated decoration. On the western side of the square is the extensive palace complex of Ali Kapu (“High Gate”, 15th century, expanded in the 17th century), behind which stretched gardens (partially preserved), which were surrounded by a wall about 6 km long. Gardens with shady alleys, fruit trees and flowers, ponds, marble pools, fountains and flowing water, ornamental animals and birds symbolized heaven on earth.

Most famous garden Iran - Chor Bagh in Isfahan (street of four gardens). Its length is more than 3 km, width - 32 m. The garden descended in low terraces along the slope. Along the axis there was a canal with pools and fountains on the terraces. Water fell from terrace to terrace in small cascades. Subsequently, “chor-bagh” began to be called the type of garden, distinctive features which is the division of its territory into four parts by canals.

Parks and gardens in India . Ancient Indian civilization is one of the oldest. Seals dating back to the 3rd millennium BC have been found in India. Mathematics, astronomy, literature, and painting were born in India, the role of which in the development of world science and art can hardly be overestimated.

The cities of the ancient Hindus were well planned. Before the arrival of the Aryans in Punjab, Sindh, and Rajasthan, cities developed on the basis of thriving agriculture. Around 1600 B.C. Aryans appeared in India - nomadic tribes who came from the lower reaches of the Caspian Sea. The newcomers represented Bronze Age culture. They kept large herds of livestock. The Aryans already knew copper and gold, but did not know iron. The second wave of Aryans came to India around 1000 BC. The discovery of iron dates back to this time.

IX-VII centuries BC. were an era of bright spiritual flowering of the Indian people, their literature and art. The sacred books “Vedas” and “Upanishads” reflect the religious views, ethical and spiritual values ​​of the people. The first example of classical literature of this period is considered to be the “Brahmanas” - books that explained and interpreted the teachings of the Veda.

Ancient Indian civilization gave birth to Buddhism, a religion that arose in the 6th century. BC. and spread to India, China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and other Eastern countries. Named after its founder, Buddha. The ultimate goal of life In Buddhism, a person is considered nirvana - a state of supreme bliss, renunciation of all worldly worries and aspirations, renunciation of everything personal and merging with the “divine fundamental principle” and the universe.

WITH early XVI V. India was ruled by the Mughal dynasty, who came from Central Asia. In various regions of India, many magnificent historical and cultural values ​​and architectural ensembles of this period have been preserved. The flourishing of landscape design and landscape art in India is also associated with the Mughal dynasty. There are two main types of gardens. This period was characterized by two main types of gardens: pleasure gardens and burial gardens.

Entertainment gardens had a square or rectangular shape in plan and were surrounded by a high wall. The garden was divided into two (sometimes more) terraces, along which a stone-lined irrigation canal with ponds and fountains. From terrace to terrace, water flowed along ledges carved out of stone, called chadars(white plume of water). Chadars were most often wavy or shell-shaped. As in Persia, in India the beds of small canals were lined with blue tiles, which created the illusion of depth. In hot climates, water is the life and soul of the garden, so lands with mountain springs were chosen for gardens. There were many in the gardens flowering trees, flowers, singing birds. Flowering plants symbolized life, youth, hope.

Tomb Gardens were created so that the souls of the dead would rest in peace and fragrance. The most famous garden-tomb is located two kilometers from the city of Agra, near the Taj Mahal mausoleum. The mausoleum was built in the middle of the 17th century. at the direction of Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Many years later the Sultan himself was buried in it. Mausoleum standing on a platform 7 m high on the banks of the Dzhamna River, it is distinguished by the perfection of proportions of architectural volumes. In plan it is a square measuring 104 × 104 m with cut corners. The structure, with a total height of 81 m, is lined with snow-white polished marble and covered with five domes, of which the central bulbous one rises significantly above the rest.

Adjacent to the mausoleum regular garden measuring 300 × 300 m with ponds, canals and fountains. The canals divide the garden into four squares (as in the Iranian chor-bagh gardens), each of which is divided by paths into squares with sides of about 35 m. The mausoleum and the garden together create a magnificent ensemble.

Parks and gardens of the ancient world. Ancient Greek and Roman civilization laid the foundations of modern Western civilization. The Greeks created city-states, of which Athens was the largest. Motto ancient greek culture there was a search for truth, beauty, harmony between man and nature. The ancient Roman civilization left behind not only architectural monuments and works of art, which are displayed in numerous museums, but also construction technologies, legislation, fundamentals of government.

Landscape gardening art in ancient Greece . One of the first types of public gardens in ancient (Ancient) Greece were sacred groves adjacent to the temples of the gods or planted in honor outstanding people, revered as gods.

The most famous gardens Ancient Greece - Academy- a park with shady alleys, where Plato (427-347 BC) held conversations with his students under the canopy of trees and Lyceum Grove (Lyceum, Lyceum), in which Aristotle (384-322 BC), a student of Plato, taught and wrote philosophical works.

Landscape gardening art in ancient Rome . In Ancient Rome, gardens were developed in atrium-peristyle residential buildings, in country villas, as well as urban public gardens. When laying out gardens and placing buildings, terracing of slopes was used. Thermal baths, baths, fish tanks, arranged in country villas, needed large quantities water. To provide water at the highest point of the villa, an underground reservoir was created, surrounded by trees, so that the water did not heat up in the heat. Pipes provided water supply throughout the garden.

Flower parterres were arranged in the gardens - xistos, sculpture was placed. The terraces were surrounded by balustrades. Has become widespread topiary art- topiary trimming of trees and shrubs.

The composition of the landscape design of the gardens emphasized the main axis of the main building, taking into account the opening views. The beautiful landscape was of decisive importance when choosing a place to build a villa.

garden park revival

Gardens Ancient Egypt

Historical reference

Gardens in Ancient Egypt became widespread. Presumably originating from vegetable gardens irrigated by the Nile, with the growing prosperity of Egypt they grew into luxurious complexes with ponds, flowers, statues, shady alleys of fruit trees. Gardens were laid out around temples, palaces and mansions of wealthy Egyptians. In addition, so-called grave gardens were laid out around the tombs.

Vast gardens were laid out around the temples. The Temple of Amun at Karnak had twenty-six vegetable gardens, as well as an ancient botanical garden containing, according to inscriptions, “all kinds of beautiful flowers and fancy plants, found on the blessed land conquered by His Majesty."

There were two main types of Egyptian gardens: at temples and at residential buildings. The glorification of the unlimited power of the pharaohs was the ideological goal of garden-temple construction. The composition is based on the regularity and straightness of the layout, determined by the irrigation system. In the gardening construction of Ancient Egypt, a large number of overseas plants and flowers were used, which indicates high development agricultural technology.

Peculiarities:

• 1. The composition of Egyptian gardens was mainly based on the principle of geometric structures
• 2. gardens were laid out on level ground and only in rare cases on terraces
• 3. The gardens were rectangular and symmetrically laid out
• 4. Characteristic feature Egyptian gardens is a pond, most often located in the middle
• 5. Pavilions, gazebos and chapels for household gods were built near the ponds

Architects:

• 1. Imhotep
• 2. Hemiun
• 3. Ineni
• 4. Senmut

Gardens of Amun at Karnak Temple

Gardens of Amun at the Temple of Karnak, early 14th century BC

Temple at Karnak with its gates, patios and halls, countless columns, sculptures and obelisks - the most significant temple complex Ancient Egypt. It was called Ipet-Sut and for a long time was the main sanctuary of the country. All pharaohs of the New Kingdom era considered it their duty and primary concern to equip and decorate it, attracting the best architects, sculptors and artists of Egypt for this. The temple in Karnak is dedicated to the god Amun - during the New Kingdom he was recognized as a hypostasis of the sun god Ra. In honor of Amun-Ra, the “king of all gods,” hymns were composed, and buildings were built in his honor. majestic temples.

Alley of Sphinxes with Ram's Heads

On the southern side of the temple is the Sacred Lake. There was a pier on it, to which sacred boats made of cedar moored with statues of the great triad of gods - the sun god Amun-Ra, his wife the sky goddess Mut (Nut) and their son Khonsu, the moon god. From here began the solemn procession associated with the ritual of meeting and transporting the sacred boat to the sanctuary. This ceremony took place in the temple every year and attracted crowds of pilgrims.

Karnak Temple, beginning 14th century BC

The temples of the goddess Mut and the god Khonsu are adjacent to the southern part of the temple ensemble. In ancient times they were surrounded by vast “sacred gardens”. The temple of the goddess Mut began to be laid by Senmut, the architect of Queen Hatshepsut. The Temple of Khonsu was built under Pharaoh Amenhotep III. An alley of sphinxes with ram's heads leads from it to another great temple of Egypt - the Temple of Amun-Ra in Luxor.

Gardens of Babylon

Historical reference

Vavilomn - ancient city in Mesopotamia on the banks of the Euphrates River, an important economic, political and cultural center of the Ancient World. Capital of the Babylonian Kingdom (Babylonia) (II-I millennium BC). In the VI-IV centuries. BC. - the largest city in the world with a population of about 150 thousand inhabitants. Babylon is sometimes called the first metropolis in human history. The city occupies important place in Christian eschatology, and is also a well-known symbol of modern culture.

Peculiarities:

• 1. Cult of water. Water was considered a source of goodwill - a cult of fertility. Water is like this: it is a powerful and unkind element, the cause of destruction and troubles.
• 2. Babylonian ziggurats served as a monumental crown to the entire surrounding architectural ensemble and landscape
• (A ziggurat is a tall tower surrounded by projecting terraces and giving the impression of several towers, decreasing in volume ledge by ledge. A ledge painted black was followed by another of a natural brick color, and after that a whitewashed one.)
• 3. magical image Beast
• 4. cult of heavenly bodies

Architects:

Nebuchadnezzar, Aradahhesh

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 6 in toAD

The hanging gardens of Semiramimda are one of the Seven Wonders of the World. A more correct name for this structure is the Hanging Gardens Amitis (according to other sources - Amanis): this was the name of the wife of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, for whose sake the gardens were created. . Presumably they were located in the ancient state of Babylon, near the modern city of Hilla.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. 6th century BC

The gardens were arranged in the form of a pyramid with four tiers of platforms supported by 20-meter columns. The lowest tier had the shape of an irregular quadrangle, the length of which was different parts varied from 30 to 40 meters

From a distance, the pyramid looked like an evergreen and flowering hill, bathed in the coolness of fountains and streams. Pipes were located in the cavities of the columns, and hundreds of slaves constantly rotated a special wheel that supplied water to each of the platforms of the hanging gardens.

The heyday of the Gardens of Babylon lasted about 200 years, after which, during the hegemony of the Persians, the palace fell into disrepair. The kings of Persia only occasionally stayed there during their rare trips around the empire. In the 4th century, the palace was chosen by Alexander the Great as a residence, becoming his last place on earth. After his death, the 172 luxuriously furnished rooms of the palace finally fell into disrepair - the garden was finally no longer looked after, and strong floods damaged the foundation, and the structure collapsed. This miracle was located 80 kilometers southwest of modern Baghdad, in Iraq

Gardens of Ancient Greece

Historical reference

In Ancient Greece, garden art is associated with the conquests of Alexander the Great. Asian garden art was incorporated into ancient Greek landscape design.

The most common types of landscaping, characteristic exclusively of Ancient Greece, were herrons, the more popular divine groves, private gardens and philosophical gardens. Moreover, in most cases, herrons were exclusively of a memorial nature; they were used in the process of creating various architectural structures, sculptures, as well as forests with springs.

The main principles of urban planning by Aristotle (IV century BC), who believed that design and settlement, and the park should be considered not only as a complex of technical issues, but also from an artistic point of view: “The city should be built in such a way as to provide people with safety and at the same time make them happy.”

Peculiarities:

• 1. combination of natural compositions with small architectural forms.
• 2. The gardens were arranged with straight paths and alleys, decorated with vases, columns, and sculptures.
• 3. Artificial ponds, fountains and springs were created in gardens and parks.
• 4. Balance and symmetry
• 5. used terracing

Architects:

Lysicrates, Scopas, Phidias

Athens Acropolis. 2nd century BC

The Acropolis of Athens is an acropolis in the city of Athens, which is a 156-meter rocky hill with a flat top (approx. 300 m long and 170 m wide).

Already in archaic times, majestic temples, sculptures, and various religious objects were located here. The Acropolis is also called “Kekrops” - in honor of Kekrops, who, according to legend, was the first king of Athens and the founder of the Acropolis.

Plan of the Athens Acropolis

There was a lot of construction going on at the Acropolis. Under the tyrant, a temple to the goddess Athena was built on the site of the royal palace. In 480 BC. During the Greco-Persian wars, the temples of the Acropolis were destroyed by the Persians.

In 447 BC. on the initiative, new construction began on the Acropolis; the management of all the work was entrusted to the famous sculptor, who, apparently, was the author of the project that formed the basis of the entire complex, its architectural and sculptural appearance.

Athens acropolis

After the declaration of independence of Greece, during restoration work (mainly in late XIX century), as far as possible, the ancient appearance of the Acropolis was restored: all late buildings on its territory were eliminated, the temple was rebuilt. Reliefs and sculptures of the Acropolis temples are in the British Museum (London), the Louvre (Paris) and the Acropolis Museum. The sculptures that remained in the open air have now been replaced by copies.

Gardens Ancient Rome

Historical reference

They were created under the influence of ancient Egyptian, Persian and ancient Greek gardening techniques.

Private Roman gardens were usually divided into three parts. First - open terrace, which was connected to the house by a portico. The second part was a garden with flowers, trees and served for walks and contemplation. The third part was an alley.

Ancient Roman gardens used complex hydraulic structures - artificial ponds and fountains.

Various versions of the design of Roman gardens were used in Roman settlements in Africa and Britain.

The design principles of Roman gardens were later used in the landscape gardening art of the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassicism.

Peculiarities:

• 1. Gardens such as sacred groves, public gardens, villa gardens, hippodrome gardens, and perestilium gardens are formed here.
• 2. The volume of the residential building included courtyards surrounded by a colonnade. They were decorated with flowers, shrubs, sculpture, and supplied with water.
• 3. Most gardens were built on terraced slopes and were decorated with flowers, sculptures, various architectural structures and fountains.
• 4. It is in landscape design Pergolas, alleys, and topiary art (curly haircut) appeared in ancient Rome.
• 5. Regular layout

Architects:

Julia Domna, Gnaeus Pompey

Fruit gardening in Rome

Ancient Rome garden plan

Except decorative garden, in Roman villas, like the Greeks, there were fruit trees, vineyards and vegetable garden. But Roman gardeners also gave these plantings decorative look. Straight alleys lined with iris, carnations, gladioli, poppy, separated Orchard and a vegetable garden in the right areas.

Fruit gardening in Rome was then at such a high level that gardeners made complex grafts of one plant onto another.

Gardens for festivities

Trimming trees in ancient Rome

The walking garden started from the terrace and its stairs. Straight symmetrical paths and alleys were lined with stone slabs and lined with small trees, groups of bushes (roses, myrtle, oleander, jasmine, pomegranate) and bordered by hedges of box, laurel, rosemary.

Villa Adriana

The largest and richest villa "Tiburtina" belonged to Emperor Hadrian, created already in silver age Rome (121 - 131). It was located 25 kilometers east of Rome, near Tivoli. For this villa, mountains were destroyed, gorges were cut out, hills were filled in, artificial lakes were created - in a word, slaves remade nature, decorating the gardens according to the worked out plan with beautiful landscapes.

Villa Adriana. Temple of Venus

Along with beautiful copies, Adrian also collected genuine works of Greek art in his villa. It really was a villamuseum. The villa, or rather a whole city of magnificent buildings, occupied an area of ​​about 5 square meters. kilometers and was surrounded by a wall 9 meters high.

The ancient buildings of Hadrian's Villa are grandiose and majestic, just as the Colosseum, the Temple of Venus and the Baths of Caracalla are grandiose in Rome.

Among the ruins of the villa, magnificent corners have been preserved: either a circular pond in the middle of the building, surrounded by columns, or a mosaic floor, or a high wall - and behind it a narrow alley of dark pointed cypress trees.

In the distance, pinnias stood like dark green umbrellas - Italian pines, tall cypresses, Lebanese cedars with flat crowns and groves of silver olives with their cracked trunks. The only thing missing are flowers, of which there were probably once a lot here.

Every schoolchild already in the fifth grade learns that Egypt is located in Africa, on the banks of the Nile. Egypt - ancient state, existing for five thousand years. Ancient Egypt left behind grandiose cultural monuments. These are majestic pyramids, sphinxes, bizarre sarcophagi with mummies of pharaohs that have survived to this day.

Papyri, drawings with inscriptions on the walls of temples and tombs brought to us information about wonderful works of garden art.

The streets of Egyptian cities were straight, with closely spaced houses, on the roofs of which palm trees and other plants were often planted. At the back of the houses there were square gardens. The gardens grown near temples and houses of the rich were especially luxurious.

The Egyptians loved straight lines and gave their gardens a square shape, planting plants in orderly rows according to height. Bolits large trees were placed closer to the walls of the fence, then - medium in height, and the lowest - in the middle of the garden, around a square pond. In these pondsdili papyrus, blue and white water lilies and sacred lotus.

These ponds laid the foundation for what are now called “water gardens.”

Palm trees, pomegranates, fig trees, lemons, and roses filled the gardens. Palm trees, according to the Egyptians, provided joy to the owner; fig trees - wealth and knowledge of the hidden; ebony - wealth and happiness. These trees were sacred to the Egyptians.

In Egyptian gardens there grew mignonette, poppy, myrtle, and castor oil, exported from Persia, from the seeds of which oil was obtained for lighting temples.

Fragrance oil "suzinon" was prepared from lilies. For the Egyptians, the lily served as a symbol of hope and the brevity of life. The Louvre Museum (Paris) houses the mummy of an Egyptian youthgirls with a white lily on their chest.

The inhabitants of Egypt especially revered lotus flowers, the “bride of the Nile,” as they called it.stetion. It was dedicated to the sun god Osiris and the fertility goddess Isis. The priests of Osiris and noble Egyptian women decorated their heads with lotus flowers. Garlands were made from its petals. Dried lotto flowerssa, decorateThe mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II (XIV century BC) is kept in the herbarium of the Leningrad Botanical Garden. Lotus leaves were used as vessels anddishes.

During the reign of Cleopatra (1st century BC), a variety of roses began to be grown in especially large quantities in Egypt. The gardens of the Egyptian queen served as a model for the creation of gardens in Rome. The magnificent feasts of Queen Cleopatra are known from history. The floor of the banquet hall is one third of a metercovered with rose petals covered with a thin silk mesh. The heads of the feasters, reclining on pillows also filled with rose petals, were crowned with wreaths of roses or garlands of petals. The cups were entwined with roses, and garlands of roses hung from the walls and columns. Pink water flowed from the fountains, and pink petals rained down from the ceiling. Rose pudding was served on the tables, accompanied by sugared roses, jam and aromatic rose wine.

Cleopatra's pink feasts were imitated by Roman emperors and rich patricians with even greater enthusiasm and luxury. Egyptian gardeners, whose specialty was especially valued in those days, bred roses, lilies of the valley and gillyflowers during all year round. Roman emperors and rich people paid Egypt barrels of gold for the flowers they exported for

their feasts, loading entire ships with flowers. In large gardens and groves, each type of plant - palm trees, fig trees, ornamental plants - was given separate, strictly symmetrical square areas with ponds in the middle. In such groves there were also sacred pools lined with granite and porphyry. Sacred ibises, crocodiles, snakes - nayas and lizards - monitor lizards were bred in them.

Square gardens with slender rows of trees were in great harmony with the strict rectangular shapes of Egyptian buildings. Rows of palm trees were beautifully combined with stone columns decorated with capitals depicting crowns of palm leaves. Also beautiful were the columns in the form of a bunch of long papyrus stems, covered on top and bottom with lotus leaves and buds, skillfully carved from stone.

Was it not the contemplation of slender palm trees that gave ancient architects the idea of ​​​​creating stone columns?

Many believe that the uniqueness of the palm forest also influenced the emergence of
centuries, gothic style buildings with pointed arches reminiscent of the crowns of palm trees, just as the tall straight trunks of towering pines were reflected in the buildings of Hellas.

They were especially splendid under Pharaoh Ramses II and Cleopatra. The gardens in Alexandria occupied about a quarter of this huge city of antiquity.

After each campaign, the Egyptians brought new plants to their gardens. One of the frescoes of the tomb of the pharaohs in Thebes depicts the return of an Egyptian ship from a campaign in the country of Punt, dating back to 4500 years BC. Slaves load incense, myrtle and other plants planted in tubs onto the ship. With each tree they loaded leather fur with fresh water for watering it during the journey.

The Egyptians widely used plants to obtain medicines, fragrant oils and resins used for embalming corpses (mummification), to decorate homes and temples.

In sultry Egypt, gardens that provided shade acquired particular importance. And Pharaoh Ramses III praising his deeds in the Harris Papyrusbehold, in the very first lines he notes:

“I planted the whole land with trees and bushes; I gave the residents the opportunity to sit under their shade.”

The luxurious growth of plants in the gardens was facilitated by an irrigation system that connected the pools with pipes and canals,
as well as fertilization with fertile silt of the Nile River.

The Egyptians eagerly awaited the rise of the Nile waters and their flooding. They joyfully greeted the appearance of young crocodiles in the river, harbingers of the approaching flood. Behind them, second messengers appeared - flowers of blue water lilies, carried by waters green from shore plants. Finally, the waters of the Nile turned red with silt and clay carried over from Ethiopia. When the water level in the Nile reached the upper edge of the dams, the Egyptians removed the locks - and silt-saturated waters filled the irrigation canals.

The Egyptians celebrated the wide flood of the Nile as a holiday.

Geographical position. Ancient Egypt is one of the oldest civilizations that arose in the northeast of the African continent along the lower reaches of the Nile River, which flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Climate. The climate of Ancient Egypt was difficult to live in. Hot and dry, with hot winds and almost complete absence of precipitation. The heat was unbearable all the time.

Vegetation. There was no possibility of the existence of trees and shrubs on large areas. Naturally grew: tamarix (French comb, God's tree, beaded bead), date palms,

And along the banks of the Nile: reeds, papyrus, lotuses.

Historical sketch. Building materials: granite, limestone, sandstone, which were characterized by high strength and durability.

Over the three millennia of the existence of the Egyptian state, along with the development of urban planning, architecture and plant growing, garden art was also formed. The streets of Egyptian cities were straight, with closely spaced houses, on the roofs of which palm trees and other plants were often planted. At the back of the houses there were square or rectangular gardens, symmetrically laid out. Gardens were created at temples, palaces and residential buildings of the wealthy part of the population. Temple buildings, consisting of several courtyards, alleys and colonnades, were skillfully combined into one whole. This suggests that architecturally designed gardens already existed in Egypt. Rows of palm trees blended beautifully with stone columns. The geometric grid of city plans, the axial construction of temple complexes, and the canonized use of the principle of symmetry determined the character of the Egyptian garden, which was formed as a regular one with a clearly defined main axis.

Types of gardens: gardens at temples, gardens at palaces, gardens at residential buildings of wealthy owners,

As an example, consider the construction plan of an Egyptian garden with an area of ​​1 hectare. (belongs to the era of the Middle Kingdom - 21-18 centuries BC) The garden has a square shape, surrounded by a wall (which protected the garden from sandstorms and the Nile flood). The entrance is marked by pylons (towers in the shape of a truncated pyramid in front of the house temple) and is the beginning of an axis that closes with the house located in the depths of the garden. The compositional axis is a covered alley, or so-called pergola, entwined with grapes and forming a shady vault. Four rectangular pools and two gazebos are located symmetrically to the axial road. There are row plantings along the perimeter. Larger trees were placed closer to the walls of the fence, then medium-height ones, and the shortest trees were placed in the middle of the garden, around a square (rectangular) pond. Papyrus, blue and white water lilies and sacred lotus were grown in these ponds. The inhabitants of Egypt especially revered lotus flowers, the “bride of the Nile,” as they called this plant. It was dedicated to the sun god Osiris and the fertility goddess Isis. The priests of Osiris and noble Egyptian women decorated their heads with lotus flowers. Garlands were made from its petals. Lotus leaves were used as vessels and plates. These ponds laid the foundation for what are now called “water gardens.”

The considered garden is an example of a regular style direction. Its specific feature is the presence of enclosing and internal walls surrounding individual areas: entrance platform, pergola, ponds, plantings. The garden provided shade and coolness, provided fruits and flowers, and there were also sacred plants - lotus, papyrus, etc.

In the plant assortment, in addition to local species, introduced plants (plants grown in soil outside their range) were widely used natural distribution) - figs, pomegranate, roses, jasmine. In large gardens, each type of plant - palm trees, fig trees, ornamental plants - was given separate, strictly symmetrical square areas. Trees that produced fragrant oils were highly valued. Palm trees, pomegranates, fig trees, lemons, and roses filled the gardens. Palm trees, according to the Egyptians, provided joy to the owner; fig trees - wealth and knowledge of the hidden; black (ebony) wood - wealth and happiness. These trees were sacred to the Egyptians. Among the herbaceous plants, carnations, cornflowers, and poppies were common. Egyptian gardeners, whose specialty was especially valued in those days, grew roses, lilies of the valley and gillyflowers throughout the year. Mignonette, poppy, myrtle grew here, and castor oil was exported from Persia, from the seeds of which oil was obtained for lighting temples. Susinon incense oil was made from lilies. For the Egyptians, the lily served as a symbol of hope and the brevity of life.

Garden functions. The ancient Egyptian garden was characterized by an organic fusion of religious, utilitarian and aesthetic functions.

Style features. In general, garden art with clear compositional and planning canons was formed in Ancient Egypt:

A regular plan, including the axial construction of the composition and the use of symmetry;
- formation of closed compositions;

The center of the ensemble has always been the main building;

The presence of ponds as an integral, and often the main part of the garden;
- use of rhythm as a compositional device;
- use of alley and row plantings;
- use of exotics in the assortment of woody plants.