Egyptian Style of Garden: A Timeless Legacy of Green Spaces

The Egyptian style of garden is one of the earliest known landscape designs, reflecting the grandeur and wisdom of ancient Egyptian civilization. These gardens were not merely aesthetic but served practical, religious, and recreational purposes. The ancient Egyptians designed their gardens with symmetrical layouts, incorporating lush greenery, water elements, and shaded areas to combat the arid climate.

A key feature of Egyptian gardens was the use of rectangular pools, often lined with lotus and papyrus, symbolizing the Nile’s life-giving essence. These pools provided cooling effects and were central to both royal palace gardens and temple courtyards. Rows of date palms, fig trees, and sycamores offered shade and fruits, while neatly arranged flower beds displayed vibrant blue lotuses, jasmine, and mandrakes.

Egyptian gardens also had strong ties to spirituality and mythology, often dedicated to deities like Osiris, the god of fertility. The design emphasized axial planning, where pathways led directly to a focal point, typically a shrine, statue, or a grand pavilion. Walls or high hedges enclosed these gardens, providing privacy and protection from desert winds.

Over time, the influence of Egyptian garden design spread to Persian and Roman civilizations, contributing significantly to the evolution of global landscape architecture. Today, this style inspires contemporary garden designs with its structured layout, use of water features, and symbolic planting choices.

Whether for relaxation, ritualistic practices, or agricultural benefits, the Egyptian garden style remains a testament to the ingenuity and sustainability of ancient civilizations, harmonizing nature with human needs.

1. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE EGYPTIAN STYLE OF GARDEN SUBMITTED BY: DEVESH TRIPATHI B.ARCH ANSAL SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

2. GARDENS OF ANCIENT EGYPT The  gardens of ancient Egypt  probably began as simple fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, irrigated with water from the Nile. Gradually as the country became richer, they evolved into pleasure gardens, with flowers, ponds and alleys of fruit and shade trees. Temples, palaces, and private residences had their own gardens, and models of gardens were sometimes placed in tombs so their owners could enjoy them in their afterlife. Rectangular fishpond with ducks and lotus planted round with date palms and fruits trees, in a fresco from the Tomb of Nebamun Thebes, 18 th Dynasty A funerary model of a garden, dating to the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, circa 2009-1998 BC. Made of painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes

3. The earliest gardens were composed of planting beds divided into squares by earthen walls, so the water could soak into the soil rather than run off. Gardens belonged to temples or the residences. Secular gardens were located near the river or canals, and were used mainly for growing vegetables. Beginning with the New Kingdom, gardens were attached to more luxurious residences, and were sometimes enclosed by walls. Temple gardens were used to raise certain vegetables for ceremonies. Gardens of Amun from the Temple of Kanark, painting in the tomb of Nakh, the chief gardener, early 14 th century B.C.(Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels)

4. PALACE GARDEN Palace gardens first appeared in Egypt just before the Middle Empire. These gardens were very large in scale, and laid out in geometric patterns. The ponds of palace gardens were enormous and numerous. In the second millennium B.C., the garden pond of King  Sneferu  was large enough for boats rowed by twenty oarsmen. PLEASURE GARDEN Beginning during the New Kingdom, pleasure gardens became a common feature of luxury residences. According to paintings in tombs in Thebes from the 18th Dynasty (1552–1296 BC), gardens of that time had a standard design. They had a pond, usually rectangular, in the center, filled with colorful fish, with lotus blossoms in the water and flowers around the edges. Around the pond were successive rows of trees, including sycamores, palms, and grenadiers, alternating with flower beds. The edges of the water basins were sloping, with a stairway down one side so gardeners could collect water for irrigation. The pond was often surrounded by walls or columns supporting grapevines. The walls and columns were decorated with colorful paintings of people, animals, and plants such as the poppy and rose.

5. Temples often had extensive gardens. The Temple of  Amun  at  Karnak  had twenty-six kitchen gardens, alongside a very early botanical garden, which, according to an inscription, contained "all kinds of beautiful flowers and bizarre plants which are found in the divine land which His Majesty has conquered.“ The hymns painted on the walls of tombs show that religious ceremonies centered on the cycles of nature and the changing seasons. Temple gardens often had rows of fig trees and sycamores (the tree sacred to the goddess Hathor), tamaris, willows, or palm trees. Temple gardens often were the homes of animals sacred to the gods, such as the  ibis  and the  baboon . Flowers were part of all the religious ceremonies during the time of the god Amon. These gardens also produced medicinal herbs and spices such as  cumin ,  marjoram ,  anise , and  coriander . Gardens of Amun the Temple of Karnak early 14 th century. From the tomb of Nakh, the chief gardener. (Royal Museum of Art and History, Brussels). Pomegranate trees being picked on the left. Gardens of Amun, Karnak. Tomb of Nakh early 14 th century. TEMPLE GARDEN

6. funeral GARDEN Funeral gardens were miniature versions of house gardens that were placed in tombs. They usually had a small square house or pavilion with wooden columns, surrounded by a wall, Within the wall was a basin surrounded by a row of trees. The house resembled the kiosks in gardens, where the owner would play checkers or relax. The dead were traditionally surrounded by the objects they would have enjoyed in life, and it was expected that they would continue to enjoy their gardens in their afterlife. The inscription of one tomb said: "You promenade at your ease by the lovely bank of your pond; your heart rejoices from your trees and is refreshed under your sycamores; your heart is satisfied by the water from your wells that you made so that they would last forever." A funerary model of a garden, dating to the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, circa 2009-1998 BC. Made of painted and gessoed wood, originally from Thebes

7. Trees and plants in the Egyptian garden Trees were used in the gardens to produce fruit and for shade. 19 different species of trees were found in the gardens of  Ineni , the architect to the Pharaoh  Thutmose I (1504-1492 B.C.). The Pink flowered  tamarisk ,  acacia  and  willow  trees were common in gardens. The sycamore ( Ficus sycomorus ) and  tamarisk  trees were sometimes planted in front of temples, as they were at the temple of Nebhepetra, from the 11th century. The  Ancient Egyptians  cultivated  Ficus sycomorus  from  predynastic  times, and in quantity from the start of the  third millennium BC E. It was believed to be the ancient Egyptian  Tree of Life . planted on the threshold between life and death.

8. The  date palm , used by the Ancient Egyptians both as a food and for making wine. The Egyptians learned to pollinate the trees by hand. The  Persea indica  tree, in the same family as the  avocado , once common in Egypt, has vanished there but can still be found in the  Azores  and  Canary Islands . The sycamore ( Ficus sycomorus ) was often planted for shade. It was also often planted at temples, and its wood was used for making coffins for mummies. Tamarisk  tree, used for shade The  Acacia  tree was associated with  Iusaaset , the primal goddess of Egyptian mythology . Fruit of the  Pomegranate tree , introduced during the  New Kingdom , used as a medicine against tapeworm various infections. Egyptian blue lotus, found in garden ponds Cyperus papyrus  was used as a writing material, for making boats, and even eaten.