Ahasuenis is said to have entertained all the notables of his empire with many and varied splendours, for seven days, in the garden attached to liis palace (Est 1''"). For the pleasure of his queen, the king of Babj'lon constructed tlie re- nowned ' lianging gardens,' the KpeiKurrbi irapiSaaos of Berosus (quoted by Jos. c. Ap. i. 19). Joakiin, a rich Jew of tlie Captivity, ' liad a fair garden joining unto liis house' (Sus *), in the seclusion of which were all conveniences for bathing (v."). Of pardens on tliis princely scale there is uii excellent illustration in el-Bahjeh, tlie palace built for liini- self by Abdullah Pisha near Acre. It is sur-
rounded bv a great extent of ground, beautifullj laid out, wherein are reservoirs of water, and multi- tudinous conduits to all parts of the enclosure. Flowers of every hue brighten the soil ; fruit trees vie with each other in season, ollcring their tempting burdens ; the homelier vegetables also have their place. The pleasant pathways, and retired and sliady nooks, under embowering greenery, make a very paradise amid the exposed plain.
Egypt was compared to 'a garden of herbs,' watered 'with the foot'; Palestine was a land ' which drinketli water of the rain of heaven ' (Dt 11"). Gardens could be made in Egypt wherever water could be led from the river, 'i'he ground was divided into compartments by little banks of earth, along which ran the water channels. One side of tlie bank was broken down with the foot, allowing the water to flow into the division : the breach repaired with the foot, the stream was led into the next division, and so on untU all were refreshed. This process may be seen to-day. In Palestine, for the most part, the presence of a spring, or a capacious cistern, was essential to the existence of a garden. In the Jordan Valley the river afibrded abundant streams, which, carrying beauty and fertility with them, made the plain as ' the garden of the Lord ' (Gn 13'°). But such gardens as those of Hebron, Nablds, and Jenin— wherein we have a reminiscence of old En-gannim (Ca 4") — are created by the springs that gurgle up from under the mountains. The luxuriant groves around Jaffa depend upon deep wells, whence the water is raised by a cliain of buckets revolving on a wheel, turned usually by a span of mules. The wheels are of rude con struction, the pinions often being formed of broken branches, and the creaking thej- make is not charming. The water is stored in a large tank, connected with the gardens by a network of cemented channels. Towards evening the outflow is opened, and throughout the orchards is heard the musical ripple of running water, and light figures dart among the trees, guiding the streams whither they will. This familiar scene is reflected in the proverb, ' the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the watercourses. He turneth it whithersoever he will' (Pr 21'). Wisdom in her beneUcent power is compared to a ' stream from a river,' and 'a conduit into a garden' (Sir 24*'). Gardens, with plentiful supplies of water, were to the Oriental suggestive symbols of prosperity. Balaam likens the spreading tents of Israel to ' gardens by the river side ' (Nu 24"). The house of Jacob restored to favour shall be ' like a watered garden' (Is 58", Jer 31'-). By foul idolatries the sap of manhood is dried up, and men become 'as a garden tliat hath no water' (Is I*").
Cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic, so common in Egypt (Nu 11'), and probably also lettuce and endive, were grown in Palestine, to- gether with such plants as coriander (Ex 16-", Nu 11'), caper (Ec 12* KV), cainpliire or henna (Ca l'<), cmnmin (Is 2S'^- ", Mt 23^), mustard (Mt IS^'-"), anise (Mt 23=3), and rue (Lk U*-'). Vines clung to ahnost every hillside. In olden times tlie mulberry, olive, hg, pomegranate, almond, and walnut (Ca C") were well known. The ta/>pioi/i (Ca 2^-' 7") wa.^ probably the apricot. To these the Mishna adds the quince, the citron, the medlar, and the service(t7ii7<(i;/i, i. 4). To-day the orange, lemon, and peach grow luxuriantly in the groves, e.</. at Jalla, Sidon, and Damascus. The banana flourishes at Sidon ; while apples and pears are cultivated with nioilcrate success. Tha egg plant, the tomato, and the potato, together with the homely cabtmge, arc found in almost every garden. See further under Food.
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The gardens, with their shady foliage, have iilwayg been a favourite retreat for the people (luring the hotter seasons. It was reckoned a token of public peace and security, when a man ujuld sit without fear under his vine and fig tree, the two often growing together (Mic 4*, Zee 3'°). Many family meals are eaten under the shelter of spreading tig and mulberry. In the cool of the I lay companies assemble in the gardens ; as dark- ness falls, the light of a lamp swung on a bougli twinkles through the greenery ; and sounds of laughter and song, acconipaniea by the twanging of the oud, or the shrill voice of the pipe, are borne far upon the quiet air. When the fruits .ire ripening, and until they are safely gathered, many make their beds under the fruit trees.