Seljuk · Ottoman
Crocus sativus
Saffron crocus · Safran-Krokus · Safran çiğdemi
Safranbolu is named after the flower — a 14th-century Anatolian cultivation that gave a town its identity.
Crocus sativus has been cultivated in the western Black Sea hinterland — the area around present-day Safranbolu — from at least the fourteenth century. The town's name comes from the plant.
Three stigmas per flower; one hundred and fifty thousand flowers per kilogram of dried saffron. The labour-intensity has never decreased. In the Ottoman cosmetic register, saffron appeared in bridal preparations and post-hammam steam.
Properties: gently brightening, mildly antimicrobial, fragrant. Traditional uses: skin steaming, bridal cosmetic, aromatic infusion.
A fuller reading of this plant — etymology, documentation, ritual, the aktar tradition, regional specificity — will follow in time. The Journal carries one long-form piece each month; this plant will receive its own entry in the editorial rhythm.
A monthly letter follows on this plant — subscribe in the footer.