1
Order you can walk through
Four quartered beds, two crossing water channels — every path returns you to the centre fountain.
2
Stone cut to bloom, never paint
Parchin kari sets 11 lapis and coral inlays per iris — the colour is mineral, not pigment.
3
Emerald is the field, marble the jewel
The ground reads as cypress foliage; white marble appears only where a cartouche needs to catch light.
4
Inscription before ornament
Naskh bands frame each niche first — the arabesque grows outward from the written line.