Gardens of ancient Egypt

The gardens of ancient Egypt probably began as simple fruit orchards and vegetable gardens, irrigated with water from the Nile. Gradually as the country became richer, they evolved into pleasure gardens, with flowers, ponds and alleys of fruit and shade trees. Temples, palaces, and private residences had their own gardens, and models of gardens were sometimes placed in tombs so their owners could enjoy them in their afterlife.

The history and character of gardens in Ancient Egypt, like all aspects of Egyptian life, depended upon the Nile, and the network of canals that drew water from it. Water was hoisted from the Nile in leather buckets and carried on the shoulders to the gardens, and later, beginning in about the 4th century B.C., lifted from wells by hoists with counterbalancing weights called shadouf in Arabic. The earliest gardens were composed of planting beds divided into squares by earthen walls, so the water could soak into the soil rather than run off. Gardens belonged to temples or the residences. Secular gardens were located near the river or canals, and were used mainly for growing vegetables. Beginning with the New Kingdom, gardens were attached to more luxurious residences., and were sometimes enclosed by walls. Temple gardens were used to raise certain vegetables for ceremonies,

Palace gardens first appeared in Egypt just before the Middle Empire, (2035-1668.) These gardens were very large in scale, and laid out in geometric patterns. The ponds of palace gardens were enormous and numerous. In the second millennium B.C., the garden pond of King Sneferu was large enough for boats rowed by twenty oarsmen.

The rulers of ancient Egypt, such as Queen Hatshepsut (1503-1482 BC), and Ramses III (1198-1166 BC) used pots to bring back to Egypt new kinds of trees and flowers discovered during their conquests in Libya, Syria, and Cyrenia.

Beginning during the New Kingdom, pleasure gardens became a common feature of luxury residences. According to paintings in tombs in Thebes from the 18th Dynasty (1552-1296 BC), gardens of that time had a standard design. They had a pond, usually rectangular, in the centre, filled with colourful fish, with lotus blossoms in the water and flowers around the edges. Around the pond were successive rows of trees, including sycamores, palms, and grenadiers, alternating with flower beds. The edges of the water basins were sloping, with a stairway down one side so gardeners could collect water for irrigation. The pond was often surrounded by walls or columns supporting grapevines. The walls and columns were decorated with colourful paintings of people, animals, and plants such as the poppy and rose.

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