Physical characteristics of the Islamic garden in response to landscape development in Malaysia

Abstract

The Islamic garden rose to prominence during the peak of the Muslim civilisation. The garden is regarded as one of the important legacies for Muslims in Islamic history. The Islamic garden gained the attention of European culture in the 18th century, and the values of the garden are respected as a valuable part of Muslim heritage. However, acknowledgement of the garden is gradually starting to be overlooked and undervalued. One of the factors contributing to this issue is the occurrence of a huge gap to connect the current and historical values of the Islamic garden as the earliest evidence of the Persian garden is initiated in the seventh century. In short, this study seeks to identify the physical characteristics of the Islamic garden and adapt its values to garden design in Malaysia. Three prominent gardens are brought to the fore as gardens of reference in developing an understanding of the Islamic garden, namely the Persian, Andalusian and Mughal gardens. Another primary focus of the study is to highlight the relevance of implementing the Islamic garden in an Asian country, notably Malaysia. In view of this, three objectives are outlined to achieve the aim: to identify a list of the physical characteristics of the Islamic garden, evaluate the level of importance of the physical characteristics and evaluate the level of adaptation of the Islamic garden in Malaysia. The study is based on qualitative methods of data collection. However, a quantitative method of analysis is also integrated into the data analysis to measure the level of adaptation of the Islamic garden. Three methods of data collection were employed: document analysis, semi-structured interviews with participants from the National Landscape Department and the Landscape Department at the Putrajaya Corporation, as well as multiple case studies. The multiple case studies were conducted at three gardens in Andalusia, Spain. As for the local context, two categories of gardens, both with and without an Islamic garden influence, were selected as the case study areas in Malaysia. These case studies are located in Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, respectively. The findings obtained in the study are categorised into three sections. The first section explains the current state of the landscape development in Malaysia with regard to the Islamic garden. A model is developed to show the underlying concerns occurring within the landscape development. The second section identifies the physical characteristics of the Islamic garden and evaluates the level of importance of the list based on four categories of a weightage system; highly recommended, recommended, advisory and non-compulsory. The third section evaluates the level of adaptation of the Islamic garden concept in Malaysia. The result of the assessment is evaluated according to the marking system, percentage, ranking system and the average percentage. Based on the results shown, a discussion of the intervening factors contributing to the outcomes is addressed from both the theoretical and empirical findings. In general, the findings of the study progress around developing a concise checklist of the physical characteristics that are flexible to accommodate the potential and the limits of implementing the Islamic garden in Malaysia. A flexible and practical utilisation of the checklist based on the priority of its importance as well as potential association supported with statistical justification are viewed as an alternative for the landscape development. The findings contribute to broadening and strengthening the idea of the Islamic garden both in research as well as landscape development. The underlying key findings in achieving the aim and objectives are restated as the final remarks of the study.