When the Tulip Was the Most Valuable Garden Flower
The tulip used to make and break people. There is no definite record of when the tulip became such a commodity, but it is estimated to have started gaining value around the 16th century. It was the Ottomans who first saw the value in the flower and it was around that time that they started growing them in their gardens. In 1526 the Sultan Suleyman Kanuni started to have this flower planted in his gardens and that’s when the tulip began gaining value.
As the tulip was found in a Sultan’s garden, its value automatically increased. The first person to export the flowers was Ghiselin de Busbecq, the Austrian Ambassador bringing tulips to Europe in 1554. He spread the story of them being found in every Turkish garden. Not long after, having been planted in the gardens of a few well know Dutch, they became all the rage. They reached prices of $5000, and this mania lasted for about three years. Afterwards, many people lost their fortunes and the popularity of the tulip died.
In Turkey, the tulip truly became popular nearly a century later. Even a period of time in Turkish history from 1618-1630 is named after the flower, the Tulip Period (Lale Devri). During this era there were many festivals and entertainment events. These were extremely elaborate — there were even turtles walking around at some of the events, with candles on their backs for lighting.
Nowadays, we see the tulip as just an ordinary spring flower but, in the past it has made people lose their fortunes and their minds.
[Via: Turkish Daily News]
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