The Garden Culture of Damascus: New Observations Based on the Accounts of 'Abd Allah al-Badri (.894/1489) and Ibn Kannan al-Salihi (d. 1135/1740)

Abstract

Gardens played an important role in the urban development of Damascus as well as in the appearance of a unique culture of recreation in the late Mamlūk period continuing into the Ottoman one. At this time, Damascene urban life often took place in recreational spaces: canteens (Mamlūk maqāṣif), coffeehouses (Ottoman maqāhī), public baths, shadow theatres and pilgrim feasts. This paper examines the role of gardens and the surrounding landscape in the urban development of Damascus, based primarily on two main sources written by ʿAbd Allāh al-Badrī (d. 894h/1498ce) and Ibn Kannān al-Ṣāliḥī, (d. 1135h/1740ce), chosen for their insights into urban and intellectual history of Damascus.