The 7th International Istanbul Tulip Festival 2012

Traditional Turkish music in Ermigan park

It's tulip time again in Istanbul, and the city's parks and open spaces are a blaze of colour. The Istanbul Municipality planted eleven and a half million bulbs this year to celebrate the 7th International Istanbul Tulip Festival. Most people associate tulips with the Netherlands, but the cultivation of tulips there only began in the 16th century, with bulbs brought from the Ottoman Empire. The tulip has long been a national symbol of Turkey, and has been represented in Turkish art and culture over many centuries. This festival is a way of restoring the tulip to its ancient home.

Ladies of our IWI neighbourhood coffee morning

The 117 acre Ermigan Park is the centre for activities involved with the festival, so I went with a group of friends, organised by Lynn and Jan, to see the tulips of every variety and hue, in beautifully laid out beds.

Tulips of every variety and hue

We all admired the tulips...

...and took lots of photos

The grape hyacinths made a river, surrounded by tulips.

They had even added ducks!

Gorgeous!

I loved these delicate pink tulips

There's always a rogue tulip somewhere!

An Ottoman tulip. The symbol of the festival!