The Cedar tree used to be preferred as a booty instead of gold, silver and silk during wars!
Cedar wood in Turkiye is known in Botany as Cedrus Libani. It has a shape like a pyramid. Cedar tree is one of the most important forest trees that grows in our country and it is highly valuable. It is a tree species that stays green all the time, can grow around 30-40 meters tall, and can live even for 2,500 years. Today, the world’s best quality cedar trees grows in Turkiye , but it is a tree species that its value is well known in Europe and America rather than our country. It is also preferred and loved as a Christmas Tree.
In ancient times, the countries used to get their wealth and power from cedar forests. The wars that are the subject of the Epic of Gilgamesh were made to own cedar forests. In the time of Assyrian , cedar logs and its resin were used as war spoils and tributes. The Phoenicians gained great naval power by trading in cedar wood. Due to its water resistance, it has been used for shipbuilding for centuries. Egyptians, BC. In the 2600s, they built ships of 45 meters in length from cedar logs. Cedar logs were brought from the Phoenician port to Egypt in exchange for gold, silver metalware, papyrus, wheat and olive oil.
After a research by Istanbul University in Turkiye, a cedar tree in Dibek Nature Reserve Park was determined to be 2,367 years old . This research has shown that the oldest cedar tree in the world is in Turkiye.
The origin of the cedar tree is Lebanon and it has affected the world history due to its durability. So the presence of a cedar tree on the Lebanese flag is not a coincidence. The fact that the cedar tree is so important; It is related to its structure, its durability, resin and smell.
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