Tulips have long been indigenous here in Turkey, and are the symbol of Istanbul. In the spring time, they can be seen everywhere. Yesterday I had the chance to go to Emirgan park, the park that was given to the boy friend (yes boy friend) of one of the sultans. It now serves as a beautiful, wooded retreat from the hustle and bustle of Istanbul. The park is so quiet and beautiful that you wouldn’t believe you were still in Istanbul.
Below are some pictures from my afternoon in the park. I went with Tahsin, who will join the army on Saturday to do his mandatory military service. What you need to know is that a european ambassador to the Ottoman empire took the flowers to western Europe with him between the years 1550 and 1560 because they seemed to do very well in the early spring, a time which is unfriendly to flowers. If you would like to read more about the Tulips and are not interested in the pictures, here is an interesting article about it: Sunday’s Zaman Article: Tulips Making a Comeback. Anyway, here are the pictures:
The road through the park was falnked on both sides by tulip beds
The road through the park
Red Tulips!
Me sitting on one of the many picnic benches.
Even the bathrooms looked nice.
Tulips!
Tulips!
A concert going on during the tulip festival on an island in a pond.
The evil eye. This is a very traditional symbol in Turkish culture.
Tulips!
An advertisement for the tulip festival.
You can see the Bosporus in the background. The park is on one of the higher hills next to the Bosporus.
Tulips!
Tulips!
A small flower shop in the park.
All the fences along the path look like this: more tulips!
Tulips!
Tulips!
Tulips!
Tulips!
Tulips! (notice anything strange about this picture?
On the way out of the park.
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