On an errand in Hamilton today I stopped at Hamilton Gardens to see the recently-opened Egyptian Garden. This is the newest garden set amidst the other themed gardens in the park.
The Gardens are owned and managed by Hamilton City Council and strongly supported by the local community. In the 1950s the Hamilton Beautifying Society lobbied for a public garden on this part of the town belt and initially it occupied 4 hectares. Most development of Hamilton Gardens has occurred since 1980, growing in scope and vision to become a unique showcase for the story of gardens. The latest garden is the Egyptian Garden, opened May 10 2022.
Archaeologists know a lot about what these ancient gardens looked like. Temple compounds all shared a similar, highly symbolic design. They were enclosed by high walls. The gardens featured a central, rectangular pool, with pergolas covered in grapevines, and rows of trees often linked with irrigation channels.
Each element of the temple court was symbolic. The massive walls on each side of the entrance reflected the two mountains on the horizon between which the sun would rise each day, symbolising rebirth. The garden represented the land of Egypt, celebrating the annual harvest and flooding of the Nile. At the far end of the garden was the temple itself, with its sacred inner sanctum off-limits to all but the highest priests.
The pillars of the temple and pergola are stylised forms of the papyrus plant, representing the stems that hold up the blue sky. The portico has a ceiling painted to represent the heavens. The two false doors to the side of the temple allowed an exit point for the spirits.
For ancient Egyptians, life on earth was a preparation for the dangerous journey into the afterlife. Temples and their gardens were a meeting place between heaven, earth and the underworld. It was here that priests performed the rituals that kept the universie in balance and the forces of chaos at bay. Temple gardens produced the floral, vegetable, and fruit offerings for these sacred rituals. They grew the plants used in perfumes for anointing statues to the gods and garlands of flowers for religious processions.
This Temple Garden is based on a typical temple from the Middle Kingdom period (2040 BCE to 1782 BCE). In the following image, notice the transition from outside to inside: how it would look today vs. how colourful it would have been in ancient times.
