For the ancient Persians, the symbol of eternal life was a tree with a stream at its roots. The sacred miracle tree contained the seeds of all within itself. The garden at Pasargadae appears to document the first known occurrence of the chahārbāḡ or the famous traditional Persian fourfold garden, a specific articulation of space that went on to become a characteristic mark of later garden design, not only in Iran but even far beyond the bounds of Western Asia.