Historians refer to the years between 1718 and 1730 as the ‘Tulip Era' in Ottoman history. It references the people who were fascinated by the flower and their interest in tulip gardens. However, it is not
Historians refer to the years between 1718 and 1730 as the ‘Tulip Era' in Ottoman history. It references the people who were fascinated by the flower and their interest in tulip gardens. However, it is not just a period that saw high aesthetic tastes on the rise, but draws interest as a peaceful and prosperous time between periods of intense war
Turkey's national flower, the tulip, holds such importance that there is even a period known as the "Tulip Era" in Turkish history. During this era, people were fascinated by this flower, and everyone was interested in tulip gardens, tulip auctions and poems about tulips.
The Tulip Era, which marked a peaceful and prosperous period between 1718 and 1730, has become a term to describe mindless joy and pleasure.
Ahmed III was the Ottoman sultan during the Tulip Era. He was a cultured man with high aesthetic tastes. He was a calligraphist and a poet rather than a glorious soldier or a confident man of state; yet, he was a democratic ruler just like present-day European kings. He did not hesitate to bestow power on valuable viziers. He dedicated himself to rehabilitating moribund institutions and he began by eradicating the autocrats who dethroned his brother in a coup. The Ottoman army defeated the Russian Tsar Peter the Great's army in the Prut War. However, the army could not escape, so they in turn, were defeated in Petrovaradin by Prince Eugene of Savoy, who was one of the most glorious European soldiers of all time. Moreover, Grand Vizier Ali Pasha, the son-in-law of the Sultan, was killed during the battle. With the Treaty of Passarowitz, which was signed in 1718, the Ottoman Empire entered an era of peace with Europe.
The sultan appointed İbrahim Pasha as the grand vizier who also married the sultan's daughter, Ayşe Sultan. The newly-appointed grand vizier began his duty by turning his homeland, a village called Muşkara, into a city called Nevşehir. "Nev" means new in Farsi, so "Nevşehir" means new city. Following the signing of the Treaty of Passarowitz, the country enjoyed peace and prosperity. The Industrial Revolution commenced in the Ottoman Empire long before it did Europe, with paper and carpet factories. Moreover, the very first Islamic printing press was introduced during this period, although the non-Muslim community in the empire had been using printing presses for a long time. Shaykh al-Islam Abdullah Efendi, the chief imperial mufti, issued a fatwa noting that the printing press was a very useful invention.
Furthermore, an engineering school was established during the Tulip Era. International trade increased, and poetry as well as other forms of literature entered a golden era. Poets such as Nabi and Nedim, painters like Levni, composers such as Ebubekir Ağa and Tanburi Mustafa Çavuş and historians such as Naima were trained during this period. People began reading, generating new ideas and becoming curious about Europe. Ottoman tastes achieved a refine