An Analysis of the Role of Landscape in the Spatial Structure and Architectural Organization of the Main Mansion of Abbas Abad Garden

One of the significant issues in the study of Persian gardens is the variations made in the shape patterns and physical structure depending on different conditions of the natural context, as seen in several gardens in northern Iran. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between physical changes in Abbas Abad garden and the landscape of its natural context to gain a deeper understanding of this garden and Persian gardens. To this end, the present study develops a specific “multiple analysis” framework to analyze the case study. First, Abbas Abad Garden is described by reviewing historical documents, and its reference design in the Safavid period was recovered in a three-dimensional model. Then, its physical and spatial structures are analyzed and the role of the landscape of the natural context in the physical changes in Abbas Abad garden is discussed. The research findings indicated that the garden orientation is a scenic orientation based on the characteristics of its natural context. In the studied garden, a powerful central axis, as a common geometric characteristic of Persian gardens, extends to the main mansion, passes through it, and can be traced to Chahartaqi in the middle of the lake. Moreover, in Abbas Abad Garden, the organization of the main mansion has been changed based on the landscape requirements and displaced from the middle of the highest platform to its northernmost point to visually overlook the lake and the Chahartaqi in its middle. The spatial structure of the main mansion includes an observation semi-open space, and the residential elements around the garden to preserve the continuity of the view of nature. This research also indicates that in the design of Abbas Abad garden, the landscape is an organizing factor in the location, geometric structure, and arrangement of the architectural elements of the garden, and in suitable areas, the landscape of the natural context, that can be perceived from the main observation deck, determines the observation deck direction, the spatial structure of the main mansion, the organization of the architectural elements, and the overall structure of the garden.