Bagh

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Persian gardens. (Discuss) Proposed since April 2010.

Bāgh which usually translates to garden, refers to an enclosed area with permanent cultures (many types of trees and shrubs) as well as flowers. It is common to near-, middle- and south-eastern countries. It usually has Irano-Islamic architectural elements.

360° panoramic view of the Charbagh at the Taj Mahal, India

Etymology

Lal Bagh, India

Bāgh (Persian: باغ‎) is a word common to Persian,^[1] Kurdish, Lurish, Urdu and Azarbaijani and means garden and orchard, specifically one containing fruit- and flower-bearing trees.^[2] In Persian, the plural of Bāgh is Bāgh-hā (باغ‌ها or باغها) and in kurdish, Baxan (بيغان).

In Armenian the word Bagh, pronounced Bakhg, means Garden or field. The Old Persian word Baga, or Bag, as in such word as Baghdād, means God ^[3][4] and should not be confused with Bāgh. Similarly for the Avestan word Bagh (note the difference between a and ā) and the Vedic Sanskrit word Bhag, both of which also mean God.^[5]

The word Bāgh is encountered in both Pahlavi and Sogdian.^[5] In Farizandi, Gilaki, Shahmirzadi and Sorkhei Bāk, and in Natanzi Bāg stand for Bāgh ^[5] (see Dialects of Central Iran).

The word Bāgh is often met in place-names in conjunction with a word in which the notion of garden is already implicit, such as Bāgh-e Ferdows, Bāgh-e Jannat and Bāgh-e Rezvān.^[6]

Bāgh is also a constituent part of the place-name Karabagh (or Kārā-bāgh), which means Black Garden.

The Russian language utilizes the words bakhcha (бахча) and bakhchevye kultury (бахчевые культуры) from Tajiki Persian word Boghcha/Bāghche (Tajik:боғча and Persian: باغچه‎ meaning small garden) to designate melons and gourds.

Use of Baag or Bageecha, signifying garden or yard [back yard or front yard], is very common in some Indian languages.

In Turkic, Bāgh also is the word for cord, string or rope, used in tying or bundling objects together.^[5]

In Today's Turkish word BAĞ spelt and pronounced the same way as the instrument cord but relates to a garden/farm of grapes and grape trees. It also carries the same meaning in other Turkic Languages but may be pronounced slightly different.

Elements of a Bāgh

The elements of a Bāgh consist of the following:^{[citation needed]}

Natural conditions and materials:

• Soil
• Rocks
• Light conditions
• Wind
• Rain
• Air quality
• Plant materials
• Genius loci

Man-made elements:

• Paths
• Lighting
• Raised beds
• Pool, Pond

Important Bāghs

• Bāgh-e Ferdows
• Bāgh-e-Jinnah
• Bāgh-e-Fin
• Jallianwala Bagh
• Chahar Bagh
• Sikandar Bagh
• Hazuri Bagh
• Bagh-e Melli
• Khusro Bagh
• Ram Bagh
• Lal Bagh

Notes and references

See also

• Persian Gardens and caravansarai
• Paradise Garden

External links

• Farnoush Tehrāni, The meaning of the Persian garden, in Persian, Jadid Online, 12 Novembre 2009, [1].
  • Audio slideshow: [2] (5 min 58 sec).
• Farnoush Tehrāni, The face of the Persian garden, in Persian, 13 November 2009, [3].
  • Audio slideshow: [4] (6 min 16 sec).

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