Tulips in History
Text and Illustrations by Tom Chalkley
Most people associate tulips with Holland, but the wild ancestors of tulips can be traced back to an area north of the Black Sea.
The original center of tulip cultivation and breeding was the Turkish city of Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire.
Most people associate tulips with Holland, but the wild ancestors of tulips can be traced back to an area north of the Black Sea.
The original center of tulip cultivation and breeding was the Turkish city of Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire.
The word tulip comes from the Persian word for turban.
For the Turks, tulips were important symbols of beauty, wealth, and privilege. The Tulip Period in Turkish history, from 1718 to 1730, was an era of prosperity, peace, and artistic creativity.
Tulips first came to Holland in 1593, when the famed botanist Carolus Clusius planted Turkish bulbs in his research garden in the city of Leyden. The exotic flowers soon became very popular throughout Holland.
From 1634 to 1637, the Dutch economy was almost ruined by by “Tulip Mania.” Fortunes were invested in tulip bulbs, which were then re-sold at much higher prices. When the market crashed, investors went broke. Growers destroyed their own crops in an effort to keep prices up.
