Quarterly Scientific-Research Goljaam

Regardless of its architectural features, garden is one of the key concepts in Persian art history from the ancient times to the Islamic period with a significant role in different arts, especially in architecture, from conceptual, formal and also contents-based points of view.

The main aim of this research is a comprehensive study of garden concept and its significant role in Safavid art and culture.

This paper is to question the status of garden in the role of epistemology and thought concept in forming many of movements and artworks of Safavid period, esp. in the art of carpet weaving.  

This Historic, descriptive and analytic research with its library-based data collection method practices Michael Foucault’s discourse theory and ideas of Laclau and Mouffé to analyze the gathered information.

Results show that regarding its conceptual, determinant and regulative characteristics, the concept of garden is an epistemological discourse in forming the configuration, concept and context of Safavid art. Accordingly, garden is a dominant discourse in art and rugs of Safavid period.