Whose flower is tulip?

Spring is fast approaching and I am anxiously waiting for the tulips to bloom.

For about two decades now, city municipality in Istanbul is dedicated to turn Istanbul into a large tulip garden. Starting in mid March till about end of June we see parade of different kinds of tulips, all shapes and colors cheerfully color the streets, parks, public areas.

Visitors seeing these tulips immediately say, "tulips from Holland". That moment, my heart sinks and as a guide as start telling the story, after all it is my job. Origin of tulips and the Turks are the same, Central Asia. As Turks immigrated to Asia Minor from the 10th century on, they carried their beloved tulip bulbs with them, planting it in their new homeland. It was not only known as the Turkish flower, but also the holy flower due to it's name. The original name for tulip in Turkish, lale, comes from Persian (Turks went thru what was Persia on their way from Central Asia to Asia Minor), and it is called "laleh". In Arabic "laleh" and Allah are written with exactly same letters making the flower the holy one. This is why in traditional decoration of mosques, it has been the most popular figure.

Tulips in miniature painting and on tiles of the Rustem Paşa Mosque in Istanbul

The first tulipomania of the world was under the Ottomans in Istanbul in the 16th century, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Tulips became the symbol for power and wealth becoming a status symbol. The flower even gave it's name to the period considered to be the zenith of Ottoman wealth, the Tulip Era. The rare bulbs costed fortunes. The Ottomans had strict laws to regulate cultivation and trade of bulbs, they were not permitted to be taken our of the country.

Emirgan Park, north of the city center is the main destination during spring for tulips.

According to the commonly accepted story, a Flemish scientist growing plants for medicinal purposes got a hold of tulip bulbs thru a European ambassador in the Ottoman court and took it to Holland. The story continues saying that this scientist was so selfish that he did not want to share or sell his bulbs and eventually his garden was raided and flowers finally were freed and spread. Weather this was true or not remains unknown, but we know that tulip bulbs started appearing in Europe and giving way to a frenzy soon. Bulbs were so valuable that they were even used as an exchange medium in trade.

The Yellow Pavilion in Emirgan Park, one of the Ottoman mansions serving as a restaurant. Skyscrapers behind the park mark Istanbul's financial district.

After the decline of Ottomans started, growing tulips became last of their worries and this wonderful flower was forgotten in Turkey. Meanwhile, the Dutch were creating miracles in preserving and growing it and cleverly making a huge industry out of it!

My interest in tulips is not because the season is approaching, but because it is also my name in Turkish, Lale. Tulips grow best in areas that are cold in the winter and higher elevation, such as their homeland, the Central Asia. I hope this will be noticed by greater number of people soon so we can get to see tulips across central Turkey, which is cold in winter with higher elevation.

Emirgan Park is the place for newly engaged and wed as a photo op. This photo shows a newly engaged couple, she is wearing a typical dress popularly worn by more conservatives nowadays, hence her hair is covered.

It is delightful to enjoy tulips in Istanbul. Best tulip watching can be done in the historic Emirgan Park north of the city, along the Bosphorus. It is one of the largest public parks of the city with over 100 acres and there are jogging tracks, playgrounds and historical Ottoman mansions serving as cafes and restaurants. Emirgan park is a small scale arboretum, it has over 120 species.

What is Rick Steves guides doing?

Dear Reader,

Slower winter months give all of us, guides, a chance to focus on meetings, plans and professional training. Rick Steves annually holds a reunion for tour members, and workshops for guides in January.

Turklish guides in Seattle

During the past January, more than 120 of us from different countries in Europe gathered in Edmonds, WA to celebrate and evaluate the past season and be prepared for the upcoming one. For about two intense weeks we participated in meetings in which we handled different aspects of our work. We also got together with our tour members during reunion parties spread over to two days. Our hard work during the day was awarded at the evening, there were social events almost all nights including a big party at Rick’s house.

Training session

Lale (me) and Rick at radio interview

The big event for us was the cultural experience we were provided with. As we introduce our cultures to travelers as we work, Rick Steves staff decided to provide us with a similar experience. They embellished our visit with a cultural activity, a chance to observe the “tailgating”. On that particular day Seattle’s Sea Hawks had a game with Green Bay Packers. Early in the morning yellow school buses pulled in front of the hotel we stayed at to take us to Seattle.

During the drive, our volunteer guides -Rick Steves staff members- provided us with the cultural background and insight for the American football and tail gating. After a drive thru the city and a stop at the Space Needle, we got off the bus in the city center to walk to the stadium for the party and people watching. We were properly prepared with accessories given to us, blue and green bead necklaces!

Bus snack! Donut with Sea Hawks colors.

Our day proved to be a true NW experience as rain started to pour down. Most of us took shelter in coffee shops, crowded the window front seats to watch the Sea Hawks fans not minding the rain to support their team. 

Socializing with locals!

Honestly, the football game didn’t matter much to me, I am not a big soccer fan in Turkey either, but the chance of sharing that festive time with my colleagues and Seattleites was priceless. It was amazing how much the game helped us bond faster with the new guides and new friends we met in Seattle. I am so glad we got to do it. Eventually, I was happy Sea Hawks won, the glory of the day carried joy for the entire following week, during our meetings:) 

Rick Steves guides in Seattle

Inside our school bus.

Of course, thru all of this we learnt about the famous 12th man of Sea Hawks, the supporters. When Sea Hawks people learnt who we were and what we were doing in Edmonds, they gave some 12th man flags to be passed on to guides so we could take them beyond the borders and share photos! After we returned to Turkey, we posed with the flag in Cappadocia, on the Bosphorus and Ephesus. We still have the flag and we will keep taking the 12th man flag to tours with us. Enjoy the 12th man photos below, I exercise my guiding skills explaining the locations of photos1.

From now, knowing the value and meaning, I will be on the watch out for similar chances to share with American travelers in Turkey.

Happy Travels to all,

Lale

You see two continents in this photo. Our guides are next to Bosphorus. On the background there is the Bosphorus Bridge and a late Ottoman period mosque. They are all in Europe. The land across the water is the Asian continent. 

12th man in front of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Istanbul. This structure is from the 6th century and was the ONLY grand cathedral for about 1000 years until the Reneissance in Europe. Today, it is one of the most popular sights in Istanbul and serves as a museum.

 12th man in Ephesus. At the back is the Roman theatre from 2nd century. It can seat about 25,000 people! St. Paul wanted to peach Christianity from this theatre, he couldn't and had to run away, thus he ended writing "Letters to Ephesians".

12th man hanging onto the basket of a hot air balloon in Cappadocia!