Tulips

Tulips, which are often associated with Europe and the Netherlands in particular, are actually a type of flower that originated from Turkish culture.

Tulips, originally from Central Asia, came to Anatolia with the Turks.

It was widely used in the decoration of palace gardens and in handicrafts during the Ottoman Era and became a symbol of Istanbul and Türkiye for a long time.

In the 16th century, the Austrian-Hungarian Empire’s Ambassador to Istanbul, Ogier Ghislain de Busbecq, brought tulips to Vienna, Austria. Later, the botanist Carolus Clusius, who was in charge of the imperial gardens in Vienna, discovered tulips. After completing his duties at the palace, he took them to Leiden, Netherlands, where he had been teaching for a long time, and began cultivating and planting them there. This is how tulips became known in Europe and spread throughout the world.