Village Gardeners
Our talk this month was given by Mr John Drake on the Ottoman Gardens of
Istanbul. He had been asked by the Getty foundation to research into the
history of the gardens, as a forerunner to the possible restoration of the few
that remain. This is one of the first Muslim projects that the foundation has
ever funded.
The Ottomans arrived in 1470 in Istanbul by fairly unconventional means. The wealth of the Sultans was such that they developed the amazing gardens and palaces for their own use. It was clear from the research that Mr Drake had done, that whilst flowers in profusion were very important to them, their gardens were very formal arrangements: "Kiosko" (large summer houses) , lawns, lakes, caged birds and tall slender cypress trees. The flowers, especially the tulips, were used especially as decoration on fabrics, palace interiors, engravings and floor coverings.
The sultans were responsible for the upkeep of Mecca and provided all the floral displays for the festivals. Rose, carnations, lilies, narcissi, hyacinths, came from all parts of their empire, and florists in the Middle Ages were clearly very important people.
By the early to mid 19th Century, the Sultans had built 60 palaces and gardens around the Bosporus (Jopkapi probably being the most famous) - all providing separate private gardens for the Sultan and his entourage: his harem and lastly for the foreign visitors.
The Ottomans, like many other cultures at the time, were being strongly influenced by foreign plants and planting and so their historical garden formality began to change - the Sultan at the time of Victoria's golden jubilee sent her 30,000 photos of the palaces and gardens, bound in a red leather album, as a present! (they are on Microfiche at the British Library).
After WW1 and the demise of the Ottomans, many gardens became very neglected, and sadly, many have now disappeared under roads and houses.
In 1960, the Professor of Archaeology at the University in Istanbul started recording the Ottoman gardens that remained and his students sketched the gardens and built models of them as the original designers, centuries before had done.
In 1983, the National Palaces held a conference at which was discussed the opening of the gardens for the first time to the general public. This happened and now foreign advisors like Mr Drake work with the gardeners of the palaces, in the hope that one day historically sensitive restoration will happen.
Earthquake damage and the huge costs of repair preoccupy the government, and has affected the National Palace Staff in tow very different ways. Salt water sadly now has got into the soil of the gardens along the coast, slowly killing plants and trees, but in other parts, fascinating garden archaeology has been revealed.
Next Meeting on Tuesday, 20th April, when Janet Hall from Reach will talk about Spring Bulbs.