Istanbul full of colours because of millions of tulips

8 million tulips fill Istanbul with colours

Almost 8 million live tulips of 56 different species have been planted this spring in Istanbul in several parks and gardens of the city, creating a vivid spectacle of colours that attracts many tourists and onlookers. Since 2006, every April Istanbul celebrates the International Tulip Festival; these flowers were brought by the Turks to Anatolia a thousand years ago during their migration from Central Asia. It was the ambassador of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Istanbul, Ogier Ghislain de Busbecq, who was also a botanist, who fascinated by these flowers, introduced them to Vienna and then to Holland in the 16th century.