World Perfume Day celebrated with particular exhibition in Istanbul

The exhibition celebrating June 25 as World Perfume Day was a fascinating occasion that introduced collectively historical past, artwork and perfume tradition. Initiated by the Perfume Tradition and Tourism Affiliation, this occasion went by way of a proper acceptance course of by the U.N. to ascertain the day as a worldwide celebration.

The exhibition explored the historic significance of fragrances and aromatherapy oils in varied civilizations, akin to historical Rome, historical Greece, historical Egypt and the Ottoman Empire. Perfume specialist and fragrance designer Bihter Türkan Ergül, one of many founders of the Perfume Tradition and Tourism Affiliation, actively participated within the occasion and carried out workshops on the concord between pores and skin sorts and fragrances.

Synthetic intelligence (AI) was utilized as an example the manufacturing course of, uncooked supplies and utilization strategies of fragrances and important oils in these historical civilizations. Furthermore, AI has introduced historic fragrance formulation courting again 1000’s of years to gentle. The exhibition additionally featured replicas of aromatic oil bottles utilized in these historical instances alongside AI-generated artworks.

The occasion passed off within the historic Nevmekan Selimiye, a Turkish tub courting again to the nineteenth century. The mixture of its historic and creative worth created an interesting environment for all of the guests.

4 particular fragrance formulation have been additionally proven within the exhibition. Historic Rome’s hottest components, Mesopotamia’s first recognized components, Egypt’s first recognized fragrance components and an distinctive components that was very well-known in Ottoman Palace have been among the focus factors of the exhibition, moreover many fragrances utilized in antiquity, like blue lotus.

Usküdar Municipality Mayor Hilmi Türkmen and Member of Parliament Belma Satır have been additionally on the exhibition’s opening ceremony.

Within the opening speech, Türkmen mentioned: “We witness a rare exhibition. As a result of there’s a Turkish tub that dates again 200 years, constructed by the order of Sultan Selim III. If we regard this attitude, we witness historical past. We thought that if that form of exhibition could be realized, probably the most applicable place was right here.” Türkmen added that the Selimiye Turkish Tub was utilized by Ottoman troopers, then it was left to its destiny for years and Usküdar Municipality took it from the Directorate Normal of Basis and remodeled it into an artwork heart and library. He mentioned that it was the primary time Nevmekan Selimiye hosted an exhibition of this type.

Fragrances made primarily based on historical formulation introduced at “The Journey of Fragrance: The Historical past of Perfume from Historic Ages to the Current” exhibition, Istanbul, Türkiye, July 25, 2023. (Picture by Deniz Renkveren)

Alternatively, Satır mentioned that she was pleased to see that such a cultural determinant exhibition is realized in Usküdar, the place she lives.

“After I met with Bihter Türkan Ergül, I realized many issues about perfume tradition, the richness of perfume in Türkiye, and the first-ever academy on scents and fragrances. All of us use fragrance and we’ve grown up with Turkish cologne tradition. After we met with Ergül in 2015, she did fantastic work and opened the primary academy on the earth on scents and fragrances, Koku Akademisi in Turkish. She realized many tasks about perfume in Erzurum, which is my residence city, Şanlıurfa, Isparta, and so forth. She talked concerning the richness of perfume and the perfume tradition of Türkiye to the entire world. She made tasks on perfume in Europe. She tells the world about Turkish perfume and fragrance tradition and shares this richness with us,” she mentioned.

Gladiator’s favourite: Rhodium

Within the exhibition, 4 particular perfume formulation from historical past. Rhodium, the preferred components in Rome, was formulated with the sweat of gladiators and rose oil. As a result of gladiators’ sweat and filth have been seen as priceless moreover their blood utilized in portray and sculpture.

Romans cherished perfumes with a easy components. In Vintage Rome, moreover rhodium with rose, narcissus, and crocus with saffron, metopium with bitter almonds was among the many most cherished fragrance mixtures.

Romans cherished easy perfumes: rhodium with rose, melissa with quince, metopium with bitter almonds, narcissus, and crocus with saffron, but in addition extra advanced compositions akin to cyprium with henna flowers, nardicum primarily based on costus, nard, and myrrh. These merchandise have been offered within the “incense district” known as Victus Thuraricus in Rome and have been favourite fragrances. Among the many most esteemed perfume, Rose and Nard have been all the time favorites.

Outdated fragrance bottles are displayed within the exhibition “The Journey of Fragrance: The Historical past of Perfume from Historic Ages to the Current,” Istanbul, Türkiye, July 25, 2023. (Picture by Deniz Renkveren)

1st chemist of Mesopotamia: Tapputi

The opposite components starred within the exhibition was Mesopotamia’s first recognized components inscribed on a clay pill by Tapputi. Tapputi is the primary recognized chemist; she can also be the primary recognized girl chemist. Named after the well-known chemist Tapputi who lived in Mesopotamia 4,000 years in the past and served the Babylonian kingdom as a chemist by producing therapeutic mixtures fragrances, this perfume cracks the door of the perfume tradition of Mesopotamia.

The oil mix displays the worth of a treasure of 1000’s of years to its scent. Tapputi comprises iris flower, saffron extract, labdanum, vetiver, pepper, white musk, resin and frankincense. Every flower used has a stupendous story in mythology and a few non secular capabilities and medical advantages utilized by the Historic civilization, particularly by the higher courses in these civilizations.

We see most of the components within the components have mythological tales in lots of cultures like historical Greece mythology; the Iris flower might take up the water from the earth to feed the cloud, and whereas doing that, the rainbow, which was seen because the hyperlink between heaven and earth was rising. So, Iris was one of many goddesses in historical Greek mythology. As Iris personified the rainbow, the Iris flower was planted over girls’s graves as a result of they believed the rainbow, which is the Greek phrase for “Iris,” might make them heaven.

Saffron flowers, derived from the Crocus sativus plant, signify innocence, new beginnings, pleasure and rebirth. In Greek mythology, Crocus was a beloved companion of Hermes and he was killed by accident by Hermes. As Hermes mourned for Crocus, the lifeless physique of Crocus remodeled right into a flower. Saffron can also be treasured for different civilizations. Within the Center Ages, the loss of life penalty punished anyone who acquired concerned in fraud about Saffron. Saffron benefited in lots of fields like delicacies, textile, and cosmetics.

Based on perfume curator Brooke Belldon: “It’s talked about within the Bible’s E-book of Genesis and a few students consider it additionally has ties to the Torah. Specialists on historical Egypt suppose the false beards worn by Osiris and the pharaohs have been really labdanum-laden goat’s beards.” In historical instances, labdanum was collected by combing the thighs and the beards of goats and sheep grazing on cistus. The resin of labdanum was used to deal with coughs, colds, rheumatism, and menstrual issues. Within the E-book of Genesis, labdanum was transferred from Palestine to Egypt.

It’s an distinctive event for guests to expertise that perfume whose components is on a clay pill.

Historic Egypt’s 1st components: Kyphi

Kyphi is Egypt’s first recognized fragrance components. Kyphi is the world’s oldest perfume components, unearthed from the mysterious labyrinths of Egypt.

Based on the knowledge written on the partitions of the pyramids, Kyphi, which was ready as a paste, consisted of a combination of honey, grapes, wine, rice, myrtle, saffron, juniper and olive oil. This mystical combination, which was used each by making use of to the hair and burning within the fireplace, was additionally saved secret by the monks. The content material, saved like a secret, consisted of 13 mixtures.

Within the exhibition, the instance of Kyphie was ready in line with the previous components. The query “if Cleopatra was alive, how would Cleopatra’s fragrance scent right this moment?” was a starting level and Cleopatra’s perfume utilization habits have been good clues to assemble the components. As Cleopatra is an influential determine who formed an vital a part of world historical past, each word within the Kyhpie’s components has mystical fragrances in antiquity: Frankincense which empowers the senses, oud which has a collapsing impact and murr, which has a mysterious breeze and charismatic oud. Kyphi fragrance represents the solar and myrrh represents the moon. The moon symbolizing the feminity comes along with the solar symbolizing masculinity within the components. The components of Kyphie within the exhibition has all these archeological and non secular inspirations. Kyphie’s components has purple rose and lotus within the high word, Isparta rose within the coronary heart word and black oud, oud and murr within the base word.

The final perfume is a particular combination of Çamaşırcıbaşı (laundry officer) Yusuf Aga, who labored within the Ottoman Palace within the seventeenth century.

‘AI meets scent’

Stating that the journey of AI and perfume meets with this exhibition, perfume professional and well-known fragrance designer Bihter Türkan Ergül whose fragrance designs are inscribed in Fragrantica, mentioned: “With this exhibition, we aimed to add the knowledge in clay tablets, replicas and manuscripts that archaeologists are engaged on, to AI and produce it to gentle. Thus, we launched into an AI journey the place we looked for solutions to questions akin to ‘How was a perfume designed in Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia, and the Ottoman Empire?’ how have been the industrial relations between perfume and fragrant oils? how was the perfume commerce carried to port cities?’ The knowledge we obtained from AI was additionally mixed with the knowledge in manuscripts and clay tablets, and an impressive exhibition emerged. There may be not solely visuality in our exhibition but in addition artwork and perfume.”

Historic formulation

Declaring that within the exhibition, moreover the visualization of the manufacturing, manufacturing and uncooked supplies of scents from the traditional age with AI, an actual scent expertise was introduced along with scent lovers, Ergül mentioned.

“Our guests will be capable to expertise the scent right here; we’ve perfume formulation which can be 3,000, 5,000, 8,000 years previous and a few belong to the seventeenth century of the Ottoman Empire. The components was made by the laundry officer and the precise recipe for ‘bukhur suyu’ is in a pocket book of the officer was discovered within the archives of Topkapı Palace and dates again to 1708. We designed the perfume primarily based on and from that components. The fragrance was designed from a combination of fragrances ready for Nefertem, often called the traditional Egyptian goddess of fragrance; the perfume components of Tapputi, the Kypi components in historical Egypt and the preferred Rhodium fragrance in Rome are ready for its guests in our exhibition.”

Totally different dimension

In his speech, the exhibition’s curator of Usküdar Municipality, Erkan Doğanay mentioned: “We needed to coincide the opening of our exhibition with World Perfume Day. We ready our exhibition with a presentation that we will help with paperwork and objects with which we will inform the historical past of perfume by creating some areas of expertise. The exhibition, which met with the historic place, gained a special dimension. Right here, not solely a visible or object presentation of the scent and perfume but in addition a presentation the place guests can scent and watch previous scents emerge. Talks and workshops await perfume fanatics throughout the exhibition.”

Day registered by UNESCO

The latest resolution by the Intangible Cultural Heritage Specialization Committee of the UNESCO Turkish Nationwide Fee to look at and endorse the applying made by the Perfume Tradition and Tourism Affiliation represents a major milestone in selling the worldwide celebration of World Perfume Day. This recognition underscores the cultural significance and heritage of fragrances, marking a major stride towards establishing World Perfume Day as a cherished occasion internationally.

With the accountability for the follow-up technique of registering World Perfume Day now transferred to the Ministry of Tradition and Tourism of Türkiye, there’s a sturdy dedication to making sure the success and acknowledgment of this special day.