For centuries the garden has served as a central element in Muslim culture. The new or restored gardens created by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture show how these urban oases are catalysts for positive economic, social and cultural change.

They encourage ethical ideals of stewardship, ecology, and beauty in the built environment. Numerous authors first trace the history of Islamic gardens and help clarify the environmental and design ethos of Islam. Texts also explain the beneficial sociological and economic impact of urban gardens and parks.

Succeeding chapters identify thirteen specific projects that illustrate these principles. There are historic sites, such as Humayun’s Tomb Garden in Delhi and Timur Shah Mausoleum in Kabul; contemporary locations, including the National Park of Mali, and Al Azhar Park in Cairo; and settings that celebrate cultural and multi-cultural identities, such as Aga Khan Garden in Alberta, Canada and a city park Khorog, Tajikistan.

Each chapter offers color photographs, plans, and texts about the sites and their environment, and each project demonstrates how green spaces bring people of different backgrounds together to provide places for reflection, spirituality, education, and leisure.

Together these achievements demonstrate how parks and gardens can enhance economic, cultural, and general well-being.

This marks the 6th publication in the Prestel series on the work of the Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme.

Jodidio Philip, editor. Aga Khan Historic Cities Programme, A Sustainable Future: Urban Parks and Gardens. Munich: Prestel, 2021.

Aga Khan Trust for Culture