Refined Garden Title: Gardens and Flowers in Ottoman Culture

The thirty-year collection of notes on Ottoman flowers and gardens by Professor Emeritus Nurhan Atasoy has been transformed into a definitive look at the Ottoman garden and the Turkish love of flowers, which is beyond description in its beauty. The beautifully written descriptions and explanatory notes are accompanied by 445 photographs and reproductions, offering a comprehensive exploration of this captivating topic.

For the Ottomans, flowers were not merely decorative elements but symbols of passion, tenderness, and visual delight. Gardens were seen as a synecdoche, representing the order of the world and evoking the essence of paradise. Even Mehmed II, the Conqueror of Istanbul, was depicted in a miniature painting not wielding a sword or displaying a panoply of power, but instead, gently smelling a flower, showcasing the Ottomans' universal love for these botanical wonders.

This love for flowers permeated the Ottoman visual arts, with flower motifs adding vigor and vibrancy to fabric designs, book covers, miniature paintings, illuminations, tiles and textiles, utensils, and decorative pieces. Flowerpots were elevated to the status of diadems, gracing the windowsills and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the Ottoman spaces.

Contrary to the geometric perfection of gardens such as the Alhambra, Medici, Versailles, or Shiraz, the Ottoman imperial gardens often retained an atavistic nomadic flavor of asymmetry. Their order was one of passion, celebrating the natural beauty and harmony of the botanical world.

The masterpieces of the Ottoman garden tradition reached their pinnacle during the Suleymanic age of the 16th century and the Tulip Age of the 18th century. These periods witnessed the culmination of the Ottomans' deep-rooted appreciation for flowers and their ability to translate this love into the creation of exceptional garden designs and artistic expressions.

The transformation of Professor Emeritus Nurhan Atasoy's thirty-year collection of notes into this definitive work on the Ottoman garden and the Turkish love of flowers serves as a testament to the enduring cultural significance of these botanical wonders. The beautifully crafted descriptions, accompanied by a wealth of visual imagery, invite readers to immerse themselves in the captivating world of Ottoman horticulture and the profound reverence for the natural beauty that permeated this remarkable civilization.

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