The History of Crocus in Anatolia

Crocus was an important plant in history, as well as an important plant in Turkey. However, crocus has lost its importance in history. In the past and even today, saffron is one of the most valuable products and is one of the oldest known cultivars. The cultivation can be traced back to 3,000-4,000 BC in Mesopotamian civilizations. It is impossible not to be amazed how people thought of benefiting from the plant. Crocus is one of the plants mentioned in the Torah. It has been cultivated in Anatolia since the time of the Hittites. Perfumes made by the Lydians from the saffron they collected from Bozdağ (Tmolos) were among the luxury consumer goods in Antiquity and were also exported. The famous Scholar Strabo (60 BC - 24 AD), who was born in Amasya, states that very high quality crocus was grown in Cilicia. The famous Physician Dioscorides (40-90) states that the best quality crocus is obtained from Cilicia, Korikos, which is  today's Kızkalesi, the second place is from the skirts of Mount Olympos (Tahtalı) and the third is from plants grown in the Aegean Region. The fact that some of them claim that crocus can be found found in nature, and that there are Crocus species similar to saffron in these regions, brings up the question of whether they were used as saffron in history. Opinions about where, when, how and from which Crocus species the triploid genome of saffron originated are still controversial. Cultured saffron from different countries does not show significant genetic differences. Similar studies have been carried out; The C. cartwrightianus species originating from Greece was indicated as the closest progenitor. However, the kinship relations of Crocus species in Turkey should be investigated including native species in Turkey, not only those that bloom in autumn, but also those that bloom in spring. There are many types of crocus in Turkey. In the Mardin region, there are type known as yellow crocus and petaled, while purple and white varieties are found in the Black Sea highlands. However, it should be noted that not all types are used industrially. Currently, a limited production is carried out professionally in Safranbolu, in the province of Karabük. Crocus, which once grew abundantly in almost every plateau of our Anatolia; Due to the misdirection of the people of the region by the foreign-sourced capital and the lack of foresight of the people, it was exhausted over time. Almost all of Mount Ararat, Özalp and Saray plateaus, Yozgat, Çorum, Kırşehir, Kızılcahamam, Ayaş hills, Burdur, Isparta and Kütahya steppes have longed for this useful and beautiful flower.