Different Ways Of Making A ‘Chahar Bagh’ Garden

A famous feature of many Islamic gardens, though not all of them, is a lay-out called ‘Chahar Bagh’. This means ‘Four Gardens’ in Farsi, the main language in Iran, which is the source of many garden ideas. (In Urdu, ‘Char Bagh’ means the same thing.)

Chahar Bagh plan 1

Complete, ideal Chahar Bagh with four channels of water flowing out from fountain in the centre to channels round edge of garden. The garden is divided into four parts, linked by bridges over the water channels.

Diagram of the ideal Chahar Bagh layout

Chahar Bagh plan 2

Diagram of a simpler Chahar Bagh layout

Only one arm of this Chahar Bagh is a water channel. The other three arms are tree-lined paths, plus little pools on the edge of the central pool. But the garden is still divided into four parts.

Chahar Bagh plan 3

Diagram of a Chahar Bagh layout based on a medresse in Iran

Another Chahar Bagh plan which does not have the full four water channels. This plan is from a famous medresse in Isfahan, Iran.

Chahar Bagh plan 4

Diagram of a Chahar Bagh layout without water channels

This garden is divided into four parts entirely by paths, not by water channels. There is a fountain pool in the centre.

More Information About the ‘Chahar Bagh’ Garden Plan