Page 1084 - Proceedings Collega2023

Table 4
Review by the National Landscape Department (NLD)

Questions NLD Findings
The level of the NLD1 The Islamic garden concept is rarely used in Malaysia. There is a need for a proper guideline
implementation of to indicate the Islamic garden. Presently, there is no guideline that the NLD could select as a
the Islamic garden reference. So it is difficult for the government and the private sector to apply the Islamic
in Malaysia concept. Therefore, we still lack in terms of the implementation of this concept in our country.
NLD2 Islamic garden is not a very strong concept in our country. At this time, the NLD did not
emphasize this concept to be used in the development. However, in our policy, the
department does give some emphasis on the identity and image of a garden design.

NLD3 There are several attempts or efforts made by the department. However, the implementation
of the concept is very limited.

The importance of NLD1 Concerning the importance of the Islamic garden, it is indeed important. The Department
the adaptation of appreciates any current research concerning the topic of the Islamic garden and we felt it was
the concept in the necessary for the development of the gardens in Malaysia.
country
NLD2 In Malaysia, Islam is the official religion and it consists of multi-ethnicities in the society. It is
considered important and significant to apply the Islamic garden, but a consideration in terms
of the need and appropriateness should be taken into consideration.

NLD3 The idea of the Islamic garden is important as it is related to the Muslim civilization. However,
consideration in terms of the suitability and possibility of the usage of the concept must be
taken into consideration. Only the Islamic garden design can be implemented in our country.
The relevance of NLD1 The Islamic garden is perceived as a relevant garden approach. Concerning the values of the
the Islamic garden, it is not impossible that the concept could be accepted by society. The
implementation of Japanese, Balinese, and English gardens are well accepted by the society. Hence, it is possible
the concept in the that the idea of the Islamic garden could be considered too.
context of a
NLD2 As a multicultural society, the possibility and the relevancy of the Islamic garden concept
multicultural
would seem a bit challenging. However, with proper knowledge and understanding of the
society
importance of the garden, the implementation of the concept is not an impossible approach.
NLD3 NLD encourages a garden design with a distinctive identity. If the garden happened to adopt
the Islamic garden concept, there is no restriction by the department and we allowed the
implementation of the concept.
*NLD 1, NLD 2, and NLD 3 are the representatives from the National Landscape Department

Based on the semi-structured interview conducted with the National Landscape Department, it has
become evident that the Islamic garden is not a well-established concept in the country. The emphasis on
the Islamic garden in the National Landscape Policies is rather general. The Department recognizes the
need for Malaysia to adopt this concept. However, due to insufficient understanding, a lack of knowledge,
and the absence of proper guidelines, the government and the private sector face challenges in
implementing the concept.

Despite the relatively low appreciation of the Islamic garden, the Department notes that
awareness of the concept is gradually gaining importance among the government, private sector, and
society. Nevertheless, the development of a comprehensive guideline outlining the physical characteristics

International Conference on Local Wisdom of the Malay Archipelago (COLLEGA 2023) Page 1071