The tulip flower is a special type of ornamental bulb. We always find tulips in the form of a cup, but there are many different sizes and colors.
It’s known as one of the lily species that were presented to kings and dignitaries in ancient times, and it was also famous for bringing good luck to those who carried it.
On an area of 470,000 square meters, the Emirgan Park is located in Istanbul, as you go there you might get confused about where from you should start your tour! Amidst the tulips that bloomed in early April.
From several doors, it connects to the historical park located in Sariyer, near the Bosphorus in European Istanbul.
The garden was decorated with beautiful red, yellow, dark violet, white, orange and pink tulips.
Which picture will you take of her and how? From which angle will it all appear as wonderful as we see it? Therefore try to take as many pictures as possible.
Or maybe you’ll get a little closer when two newlyweds came to the garden and decided to have a photo session for them amidst the tulips.
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The Annual tulip festivals
The tulip flower is called “Lale” in Turkish. It has great fame and importance among the Turks, in addition to being the symbol in the emblem of the Greater Istanbul Municipality.
The word tulip is taken from the word (tulipent) and it refers to the turban of the Sultan, which is similar in shape to the tulip flower.
Since 2005, the Istanbul Municipality has held the Tulip Festival annually for two months.
The planting of millions of seedlings of tulips begins at the beginning of March, and the festival begins at the beginning of April until the beginning of May.
Despite the Corona pandemic that broke out in the world a year and a half ago, the cultivation of flowers did not stop, as did the visit of local and foreign visitors.
But huge festivals and events that require the presence of human numbers, have been frozen until life returns to normal.
In 2018, the Istanbul Municipality held a celebration to display the largest carpet in the world made of tulips in multiple colors.
This celebration was part of the annual tulip blossom festival in Istanbul.
The area of the carpet at the time was 1,734 square meters, and the municipality offered it to local and foreign tourists in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul.
The carpet included a 565,000 of colorful tulips, in a symbolic reference to the 565th anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul by the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in 1453.
Despite Corona, the garden was still welcoming the visitors
Emirgan had many visitors, from Istanbul and other Turkish cities, as well as from Russia and Ukraine.
Everyone wears masks as the park recommends when entering it, and if you lose sight of the matter a little, security personnel distributed inside the park remind you of the distancing measures to reduce Corona.
In addition to Emirgan, there is also the Gulhane Garden, which is located in the Sultanahmet district, where millions of seedlings of tulips are grown annually.
And Yildiz Park, located between Ortakoy and Besiktas, is decorated with hundreds of thousands of colorful tulips.
On the Asian side of Istanbul, visitors go to the Puppet Hill Garden, which is decorated with tulips this season.
Tulips… Are they Turkish in origin?
The governor of Istanbul and the mayor has always stressed the importance of the tulip flower in terms of Turkish heritage, and that its homeland is Turkey and then moved to Europe.
On more than one occasion, they emphasized that the Tulip Festival, which was launched in 2005, was aimed at restoring the status of this flower in Istanbul.
With the advent of the twelfth century AD, the Turks began to use the tulip flower in handicrafts and decoration.
They also used it in drawings, stories, novels, miniatures, mysticism and poetic poems such as those written by Maulana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, until today it has become an icon of the Ottoman Empire.
The era of tulips in Constantinople
According to accounts, the tulip gained its fame in Constantinople between 1718 and 1730 in a period known as the tulip era.
This name is due to the period of peace that the country experienced during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III.
The Ottoman traveler, Evliya Celebi, confirmed this in his book, Travels, when he described the pleasure of hiking and looking at the tulips around the Bosphorus.
Regarding the transfer of the tulip flower to Europe, historical sources say that the ambassador of the empire of Austria-Hungary in Istanbul “Ogier Ghislain” was the one who transported the tulip seeds to Vienna and then to the Netherlands.
Another version says that tulip bulbs were brought from Constantinople to Europe, specifically to the Garden of Medicinal Plants in Vienna.
The garden was managed by the Flemish botanist, Charles de Locuse.
So, in the year 1593, he planted tulip bulbs in his garden in the Netherlands until he died, and they were displayed and marketed.
It quickly became popular and royal in Holland, until this flower became a symbol of social status and wealth there.
The Netherlands has succeeded for decades in the production and development of new types of tulips, which made it relatively dominate the cultivation and trade of this flower since the mid-nineteenth century.
However, Turkey continues its efforts to expand its trade and compete with the Netherlands in this market
What parks in Istanbul have the most beautiful tulips:
Emirgan Park:
The Emirgan Park contains millions of tulips and other spring flowers that bloom in April, and in addition to its stunning views of the Bosphorus, this park is the main venue for the festival during this month of the year, hosting musicians, actors and artists.
The events also include exhibitions of traditional painting, calligraphy, and photo exhibitions.
Göztepe Park:
There is Giuseppe Park in the Asian direction of Istanbul, and it is one of the distinctive gardens that all visitors feel joyful pleasure when visiting.
Giuseppe Park offers special events for the Tulip Festival in Istanbul, and it also offers many charming photo exhibitions.
Beykoz Reserve:
This is another green oasis in the Asian part of Istanbul. Here you can enjoy walking among the most beautiful natural scenes, as well as relaxing along the Bosphorus on one side, and lush greenery on the other.
Gulhane Park:
Do not miss visiting this wonderful garden, which also witnesses the cultivation of more than a million tulips every spring during the Tulip Festival.
Yıldız Park:
This park is located near Yildiz Palace, hence the name, and despite the fact that this park was an ancient hunting area for the sultans, today it is a popular destination for many tourists to enjoy the most beautiful charming atmosphere and fun recreational opportunities.
Sultan Ahmed Square:
The square next to the Sultanahmet Mosque, one of Istanbul’s main landmarks, turns into a carpet of flowers in spring.
Çamlıca:
This hill is a secret part of Istanbul that few tourists visit. If you don’t mind a bit of a climb toward the hill you will be rewarded with the view of thousands of tulips on the way up as well as at the top.
How to take care of a tulip if you bought one from the festival:
Be careful not to expose the tulip plant to rain or exposure to extreme heat, especially this summer, which exposes the plant to death.
Ensure that the plant is exposed to the sun at the beginning of the day, preferably before noon, so that it can carry out the photosynthesis process.