Preview
Creation Date
1-1-2025
Description
Türkiye | Grand Forks, ND
Nuri Oncel
Naturalized in 2017
Photographic portrait documenting Nuri Oncel’s participation in the Constitution Day project.
Turkish Coffee Cup - Coffee was introduced to the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. The first coffeehouse, or kahvehane in Turkish, opened in Istanbul in 1554. These establishments became important social hubs, where people gathered to discuss politics, literature, and daily life. Coffeehouses played a crucial role in the social and cultural life of the Ottoman Empire, much like modern cafés today. The coffee cup I brought had tulip figures on it. The name “tulip” itself comes from the Turkish word “tülbent,” meaning “turban,” due to the flower’s resemblance to the shape of the Ottoman turban. During the “Tulip Era” (Lâle Devri), tulips became a prominent motif in Ottoman art, literature, and ceramics.