Spring has arrived in Dushanbe, and it has been a beautiful last month of watching tulip foliage emerge from the soil and become vibrant blooms on nearly every block in central Dushanbe. I have come to love my walks through the city, frequently stopping to marvel at the variety of colors and shapes to behold. Though prior to coming to Tajikistan I was peripherally aware of the rich history and morphology of tulips, living in a place where I have been surrounded by them this spring inspired me to read more about their significance, and I would like to share in the appreciation and awareness of a bit of their story.
Despite the fact that the tulip is often associated with Holland, the flower is not native to that country. Called laleh ( لاله in Persian), the tulip is a wildflower that originates from the Pamir Alai and Tien Shan Mountain ranges of Central Asia4 and has a long and rich history that reached nearly all corners of the world2. In Persian poetry, art, and mythology, the tulip is considered to be the flower of love1. Records indicate that tulip cultivation began as early as 1000 AD, and by the 16th century during the Ottoman Empire. They were a significant component of social class and economy across Ottoman Turkey as well as found in the gardens of Baghdad and noted in poems and literature across Persia, including Omar Khayyam, Nizami, and Sa’di2, 4. It was in the 17th century that what was later coined as “Tulipmania” in Amsterdam took place, where some tulips were sold at prices higher than a house at that time, and were once the most expensive flower in the world4.
The medicinal uses of tulips range from treating burns and insect bites to soothing rashes and scratches3. The petals of the flower can be crushed and combined with an oil base such as caster oil and used as a perfume or hair treatment. Tulips are part of the lily family, and closely related to onions.6 However, tulips comparatively have little medicinal use and so were not written about extensively in botanical records, and were much more ornamental in use.5
Though there are over 150 different species and 3000 varieties of tulips, cultivars are generally categorized into 23 different groups based on flower morphology which includes plant size, bloom time, flower shape, and genetic origin. 6, 7 Most of the tulips around Dushanbe appear to be hybrids, where they have been cross-pollinated from two different varieties to achieve optimal characteristics of color and shape. Tulips grow best in full sun, which can be seen in the pictures I’ve taken from different places around Dushanbe that are included in this blog. The bloom time period is short - only about two to three weeks - though that is somewhat dependent on the variety.
Already, the tulips have begun to wilt and the petals fall, signaling the end to what has been a beautiful blooming period. In the meantime, the rose bushes planted in nearly the same quantity have continued to grow and soon their flowers will open, replacing one flower with another to greet people as they walk the streets of Dushanbe.
By Lyla Amini
Title VIII Research and Training Fellow
Eurasian Regional Language Program
Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Spring 2023
References:
1 https://www.tulipmania.art/in-persian-mythology-the-tulip-is-considered-to-be-the-flower-of-love/
2 https://www.sarahraven.com/articles/the-history-of-the-tulip
3 https://www.flyingthehedge.com/2017/05/herbarium-tulip.html
4 https://amsterdamtulipmuseum.com/topics/the-tulip-diaspora/
5 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-13378-9
6 https://ipm.missouri.edu/MEG/2016/10/Tulip_A_Brief_History/
7 https://www.thespruce.com/tulips-planting-and-growing-tulips-1402137