The World Service visits Arundel, in the South East of England, where we talk to John Brookes, an authority on gardens of the Islamic world.

Geometry and water are two prominent features in Islamic gardens, both have symbolic meaning.

The symbol of the garden, in general, is a powerful one in the Koran. The story of creation unfolded in a garden and God is considered to be the first gardener.

We also visit an Islamic garden in the heart of London. It's a rooftop courtyard garden, part of the Ismaili Centre. We are shown around by Professor Azeem Nanji, Director of the Institute of Ismaili Studies.

Discover the spiritual significance of the garden's geometrical design and the importance of the courtyard - which is viewed as a dividing line between the outer and inner worlds.

In the Islamic world gardens are seen as a place of peace, an escape from the noise outside and the scorching heat of the desert. Perhaps the best place on Earth to feel close to God.

This idea could be widened to include the western world where people increasingly need to escape from the noise of the urban desert, into the peace and tranquillity of a spiritually uplifting garden.