Nishat Bagh

Asif Khan, elder brother of Empress Nur Jahan, laid out this garden in Srinagar in 1633. Its name means garden of delight. Covering about 46 acres on a rectangular plan, it climbs from the shore of Dal Lake toward the Zabarwan range in twelve terraces, said to stand for the signs of the zodiac.

The layout follows Persian garden ideas adapted to the slope: water starts at the highest terrace and runs down a central channel to the lowest, feeding spring-fed fountains along the way. Tulips, roses and irises flower in spring, and large chinar trees give shade in summer before turning gold and red in autumn.