An oasis of lush vegetation can be found in an arid region of Iran. The Fin Garden is regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens of its type, and it has been reported that this is the oldest surviving Persian garden in Iran. Reflecting its location and sacred symbolism, the Fin Garden is a masterpiece combining natural and man-made elements. The Fin Garden (known also in Persian as ‘Bagh-e Fin’) is a traditional Persian garden located in Kashan, in the central Iranian province of Isfahan. Today, the Fin Garden is one of the nine gardens that form the UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the ‘Persian Garden’. This garden is believed to have been created during the early part of the Safavid Dynasty, around the first half of the 16th century.An oasis of lush vegetation can be found in an arid region of Iran. The Fin Garden is regarded as one of the most beautiful gardens of its type, and it has been reported that this is the oldest surviving Persian garden in Iran. Reflecting its location and sacred symbolism, the Fin Garden is a masterpiece combining natural and man-made elements. Donald Newton Wilber wrote (in Persian gardens and pavilions, 1979, p90): 'Fin merits close attention because it is an admirable example of the monumental royal garden, and because it is the very epitome of the Persian garden - this single example displaying all the most desired features and elements... The garden expresses a series of accentuared contrasts between the arid, inhospitable landscape outside the walls and the lush foliage within. Outside, water is scarce and precious; here it flows with superabundance to produce a dense jubgle of growth. The monotone of the landscape is replaced by the colors of foliage, of flowers, of blue tiles, of fountains, and of painted plaster and woodwork, Axial symmetry contrasts with areas of almost impenetrable growth. ..........
