Turkey — Tulip Print | Ottoman Wall Art UK

The tulip did not come from Holland. It came from the mountains of Central Asia and was cultivated by the Ottomans centuries before it reached Europe. In Turkish it is called lale — a word that uses the same letters as the word Allah in Arabic script, giving it a spiritual significance in Ottoman culture. The period from 1718 to 1730 is known in Ottoman history as the Lale Devri — the Tulip Era — when Istanbul was consumed by a passion for rare varieties that preceded Dutch tulip mania by nearly a century.

The flower the Dutch made famous belonged first to Turkey. The Flower Market Turkey poster tells the original story. From £3. Buy 3 get 1 free. Printed in England.