Istanbul: The original home of the tulip
May 25, 2012
The word for Tulip in Turkish is 'Lale' a popular name for females even today, but the English word tulip was derived from ‘Tulbend’ the Turkish word for turban because of the shape of the flower.Reuters
By Kalpana Sunder
Baskets of aromatic spices, soaring minarets, the myriad waterways, mosques with exquisite domes and mystic whirling dervishes, this city has mesmerised me. But the surprise element has been the rows and rows of tulips…in varied hues and patterns adorning this photogenic city on water. A tulip festival…in Istanbul?
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