A GREENISH BLUE GEM
According to legend, the name of the colour derives not from the sea but from a semi-precious stone. Making the acquaintance of this stone, which found its way into Turkish markets from the mines of Persia and once graced the neck even of Cleopatra, Europeans called it ‘turcois’ and made gifts of it to their sweethearts. The name stuck, for both the colourand the stone, which soon became an indispensable item of trade. Under the influence of ancient beliefs, sailors hung it on their ships for protection against the evil eye. The name the Europeans gave the stone is actually rather apt. For we can trace Anatolia’s long dance with turquoise step by step on these lands. For a while it lent its colour to the sun disks in the matchless ceramic tiles that adorned the walls of Kubad Abad, a Seljuk palace built on the shores of Lake Beysehir. To ward off the evil eye, Anatolian women made it the centrepiece of their traditional headdresses and jewellery.