The buildings of Mughal India constitute one of the world's greatest architectural traditions. Whether it is the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Red Fort in Delhi or the palaces of Fatehpur Sikri, these and other similarly well-preserved monuments of the 16th and 17th centuries testify to the refined taste and unlimited resources of a line of powerful patrons, notably the emperors Akbar, Jahangir and Shah Jahan. Mughal architecture is a remarkable hybrid that fuses building forms, techniques and decorative schemes imported from Iran and Central Asia with long-established Indian materials and techniques. The results are both structurally innovative and aesthetically spectacular, a testament to the genius of Indian masons and craftsmen. The first comprehensive survey of the subject in more than 20 years, this lavish volume documents nearly 100 Mughal sites and monuments in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Mughal Architecture and Gardens is enhanced by over 250 stunning colour photographs by Amit Pasricha, one of the most talented architectural photographers working today. His photographs are accompanied by over 80 specially commissioned building plans and site layouts. Sumptuously illustrated with a text by renowned architectural historian George Michell, this book is of interest to students and scholars as well as travellers and general readers. AUTHOR: George Michell is an architectural historian, specialising in ancient Indian architecture. He obtained his PhD from the School of Oriental African Studies, University of London, has directed courses on Asian architecture at the Architectural Association, London, and was co-editor of the journal Art and Archaeology Research Papers from 1972 to 1982. Since the 1980s, he has co-directed an international team of scholars and students at Vijayanagara, the medieval Hindu site in Karnataka. George Mitchell has also lectured at universities and museums throughout the USA, Europe, India and Australia. Among his many publications are The Royal Palaces of India, Islamic Heritage of the Deccan, Architecture of the Islamic World: Its History and Social Meaning and Palaces of Rajasthan. Amit Pasricha lives in New Delhi and comes from a family of photographers. A well-known architectural and social documentary photographer, his work has been exhibited in India, London and New York. His photographs have also been published in several books, including Dome over India: Rashtrapati Bhavan, Horizons: The Tata-India Century and India: Then and Now. Pasricha's most recent publication is the panoramic collector's edition, The Monumental India Book, winner of the Indian Tourism Award, 2008. SELLING POINTS: The first comprehensive survey of the subject in more than 20 years, this lavish volume documents nearly 100 Mughal sites and monuments in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh ILLUSTRATIONS: 270 colour

The Mughal dynasty (1526-1858) began with the visionary garden builder and conqueror, Zahir and Din Muhammad Babur. As he conquered new lands, he would build gardens to mark the beauty of the natural landscape and to lay claim to the new territory; the role of garden design and meaning thereafter evolved with each Mughal ruler.

Western admirers have long seen the Islamic garden as an earthly reflection of the paradise said to await the faithful. However, such simplification, Ruggles contends, denies the sophistication and diversity of the art form. Islamic Gardens and Landscapes immerses the reader in the world of the architects of the great gardens of the Islamic world, from medieval Morocco to contemporary India. Just as Islamic culture is historically dense, sophisticated, and complex, so too is the history of its built landscapes. Islamic gardens began from the practical need to organize the surrounding space of human civilization, tame nature, enhance the earth's yield, and create a legible map on which to distribute natural resources. Ruggles follows the evolution of these early farming efforts to their aristocratic apex in famous formal gardens of the Alhambra in Spain and the Taj Mahal in Agra. Whether in a humble city home or a royal courtyard, the garden has several defining characteristics, which Ruggles discusses. Most notable is an enclosed space divided into four equal parts surrounding a central design element. The traditional Islamic garden is inwardly focused, usually surrounded by buildings or in the form of a courtyard. Water provides a counterpoint to the portioned green sections. Ranging across poetry, court documents, agronomy manuals, and early garden representations, and richly illustrated with pictures and site plans, Islamic Gardens and Landscapes is a book of impressive scope sure to interest scholars and enthusiasts alike.

The cross-cultural exchange of ideas that flourished in the Mediterranean during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries profoundly affected European and Islamic society. Gardens of Renaissance Europe and the Islamic Empires considers the role and place of gardens and landscapes in the broader context of the information sharing that took place among Europeans and Islamic empires in Turkey, Persia, and India. In illustrating commonalities in the design, development, and people’s perceptions of gardens and nature in both regions, this volume substantiates important parallels in the revolutionary advancements in landscape architecture that took place during the era. The contributors explain how the exchange of gardeners as well as horticultural and irrigation techniques influenced design traditions in the two cultures; examine concurrent shifts in garden and urban landscape design, such as the move toward more public functionality; and explore the mutually influential effects of politics, economics, and culture on composed outdoor space. In doing so, they shed light on the complexity of cultures and politics during the Renaissance. A thoughtfully composed look at the effects of cross-cultural exchange on garden design during a pivotal time in world history, this thought-provoking book points to new areas in inquiry about the influences, confluences, and connections between European and Islamic garden traditions. In addition to the editor, the contributors include Cristina Castel-Branco, Paula Henderson, Simone M. Kaiser, Ebba Koch, Christopher Pastore, Laurent Paya, D. Fairchild Ruggles, Jill Sinclair, and Anatole Tchikine.

A study of the Paradise Garden in Persia from the sixth through the seventeenth century explores its design, architectural development, and relation to the Paradise myth and ancient nature worship

Interest in the Islamic garden has increased considerably in the past years, to such a point where a conference specifically on this subject was held at M.I.T. in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1994. This volume collects eight papers from the conference and two additional papers especially written for the book, to further and act as a basis for the attention given by scholars these days to Islamic landscape architecture.

The architecture created in southern Asia under the patronage of the great Mughals (1526-1858) is one of the richest and most inventive of the Islamic area, including such world famous buildings as the Taj Mahal in Agra or the tomb of Humayun in Delhi, the palaces and mosques in Agra, Delhi, Fatehpur Sikri and Lahore. All buildings types are considered, not only the well known masterpieces but also country houses, hunting palaces, gardens, mausoleums, mosques, bath houses, bazaars and other public buildings. Many of these are still unknown even to specialists. The unique book, covering the whole range of Mughal architecture and including numerous new photographs and detailed plans presents the results of the author's extensive field work in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as Iran and the central Asian region of the Soviet Union. The author's in-depth knowledge of the original sources provides the reader with invaluable background information.