In the fifteenth century a new dimension was added to the Persian tradition when the Mughal dynasty emerged from Central Asia. While Timur Leng – Shakespeare’s fearsome Tamburlaine- amazed Europe’s ambassadors with his splendid gardens in Samarkand, it was his teen-aged great-great-great-grandson, Babur, who swept through the Hindu Kush to establish himself in ‘dusty Hindustan’. In an effort to entice his marauding army to settle the barren plains Babur created seductive gardens, damming rivers, straightening streams, importing fruit trees and planting flowers to remind his soldiers of their homeland in the mountains and meadows of Afghanistan. Combining Persian symmetry and formality with the plants and architecture of the indigenous Hindus, the Mughals evolved a unique style of tomb garden, of which the Taj Mahal is the most famous. Though Islam required its adherents to be buried in earth mounds open to the sky, the imperial tomb gardens reflected the staggering wealth of the Mughal emperors. More modest gardens of the era provided sensuous parks for the living and consoling resting places for the dead. While the Mughal tradition inspired Lutyens and Jekyll, Nora Lindsey and Geoffrey Jellicoe, its influence can be felt as far afield as northern Quebec. This Gardens Trust online talk takes place March 1, live at 5 am, but a recording link is sent to enjoy over a seven day period. £5 through Eventbrite. Register at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/gardens-of-delight-a-teardrop-on-the-face-of-time-tickets-258602626417