FLOWER PLEASURE OF THE OTTOMAN PALACE

The flower was given great importance in every period in the Ottoman Palace. After the construction of Topkapı Palace, Mehmed the Conqueror allocated large areas for planting flowers, both within the palace's land and in various parts of Istanbul, whose maintenance required approximately 920 orchards. On the other hand, Suleiman the Magnificent was also a sultan known for his interest in flowers and his gardening. His interest in the flower was reflected in the tulip motifs that adorned the tiles, miniatures, embroidery, fabrics, carpets, fountains, buildings and tombstones of his time. Other flowers preferred in the palace gardens, apart from tulips, were roses, hyacinths, Manisa tulips, irises and carnations.


Undoubtedly, among these flowers, there were few flowers that were as glorified as tulips in the Ottoman Palace, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries. So much so that the tulip gave its name to a circuit. In this period, known as the Tulip Era, between 1718 and 1730, the long and thin tulip varieties called Istanbul tulips gained great value and were sold at high prices reminding the "Tulipomania" madness in the Netherlands. The tulip, which is not seen in Byzantine gardens, is known to be known by the Seljuks due to the prevalence of its motifs in Seljuk tile art, and is the most adopted flower by the Ottoman Palace, was first introduced to Europe by the Austrian ambassador Baron Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq during the reign of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman. The word "tulip", which corresponds to the word "tulip" in European languages, and its derivatives are derived from the word "tullebent" (turban fabric). The fact that the French botanist Pierre Belon, who was in Turkey at the same time as De Busbecq, observed that the Turks wore tulips on their yellows, that the tulip was mixed with a turban by Busbecq or that this flower was likened to a turban by the Europeans, is that the word "tulip" entered European languages ​​in this way. considered as possible causes. The tulip was not the only flower that De Busbecq saw in the Ottoman Empire and introduced to Europe. Other flowers unknown in northern Europe until De Busbecq's introduction included saffron, jade, lilac, hyacinth, narcissus, and horse chestnut.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Terrastrial City Walls of Istanbul in Zeytinburnu

Image
Zeytinburnu hosts some terrestrial part of Istanbul city walls which  holds a length of 22 kilometers in three zones in all. Terrestrial walls had been built in 4 years during the reign of Theodosius 2 and had finished on August 25, 413 located between Ayvansaray, a sea-neighborhood in Haliç, and Yedikule in the Marmara coast with a length of 5.5km. These walls contain 3 parts as inner walls, outer walls and the moat. The inner walls were about 5 meters wide, 20 meters high and reinforced with a tower in every 60 meters. The inner walls were 14 meters away from the outer walls. The outer wall were reinforced with 96 towers some of which were up to 23 meters high. The moat was 20 meters wide and 6 meters deep. Altınkapı in Yedikule was the most majestic city gate and used only by the emperors in times of expeditions for departures or arrival. Other city gates of Zeytinburnu are Belgradkapı, Silivrikapı, Mevlanakapı, Sulukule Kapısı and Topkapı. The terrestrial walls was repaired sev...
Read more

The tallest structure of Topkapi Palace: Justice Tower (Adalet Kulesi)

Image
Topkapi Palace II. The first construction of the Justice Tower (aka Adalet Kasrı) in its courtyard belongs to the reign of Mehmed the Conqueror. Some parts of the mansion, which was wooden when it was first built and not as high as it is today, became the section where valuable carpets, fabrics, trays and pitchers and documents were stored. Sultan III. When the Outer Treasury Building was built during the reign of Murad I, the items in the Justice Tower were moved to the new building. The location of the Tower of Justice is important in terms of symbolic meaning. The Justice Tower, which was built adjacent to the Kubbealtı (Divan-ı Hümayun), where the state was administered and decisions were taken on behalf of the state; it gives a message to the society that the state is governed fairly and that the decisions taken are fair. The Justice Tower, which was repaired in various periods of the 17th and 18th centuries, was built by Sultan II. It took on a new style during the reign of Mahmu...
Read more

You need to know this before you make your plan to visit Ayasofya in Istanbul

Image
  As one of Turkey’s oldest historical monuments, Hagia Sophia is centuries old. Profit Mohammed was not born when it was built. Originally, it was a Roman Greek church and used as a church 916 years. After Turkish people conquered Constantinople, it became a mosque and was used as a mosque for 481 years. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk turned the historical monument into a museum after the Turkish Republic was established. As it changed over the centuries, it went from a church to a mosque to a museum. Eventually, the historical monument was converted into a mosque again in 2023. It was free entry for all visitors when it became a mosque, regardless of their religion or nationality. While the Muslims use the first floor as a mosque, the government turned the upper gallery into a museum where you can see beautiful mosaic from the Byzantine era. You can enter the mosque first floor, where there is apsis (mihrap) anytime during the day, if you are a Turkish Muslim citizen. If you are Muslim, b...
Read more