• 'There are also very beautiful roses in Romania and Bulgaria, but the Turkish rose is always three steps ahead,' museum guide says
• Perfumes were used for medicine back in time when people believed diseases came from bad odors

PARIS / ISTANBUL

The Fragonard Perfume Museum in Paris highlights the significance of the Turkish rose in French fragrances, including the history of scents and bottles.

Charlotte Urbain, the museum's culture and communications director, and Nazan Ozarslan, a guide, told Anadolu about the museum's history and the evolution of fragrance culture.

Ozarslan notes that, while France has a climate similar to Türkiye, it sources perfume ingredients worldwide: vanilla from Madagascar, geranium from Egypt, and roses from Türkiye's Isparta province.

"There are also very beautiful roses in Romania and Bulgaria, but the Turkish rose is always three steps ahead," she said.

While the Islamic world thrived scientifically during the Middle Ages, she pointed out, Europe was devastated by the Black Death, which killed up to half of the population.

She said people at the time believed disease came from bad odors, also echoed by Urbain, and thus used perfume as medicine and carried bottles to protect themselves.

Ozarslan added that Europeans of the time avoided bathing, believing diseases also spread through water, and emphasized that today the Turkish hammam is what comes to mind worldwide when bathhouses are mentioned.

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France’s Perfume Museum showcases the history of scents and the unique role of the Turkish rose

"This tradition came to the Ottomans from Rome, and to the Romans from the Greeks. Of course, it goes back as far as Mesopotamia. If today we Turks are carrying this tradition forward, while a French or a German is not, I believe this is something we should be truly proud of," she underscored.

Ozarslan went on to say perfumes in medieval Europe were extremely heavy, but with the return to hygiene and Marie Antoinette’s love of flowers, they evolved into the lighter, more floral, and elegant forms known today.

While the southern French town of Grasse stands out for its flower cultivation and perfume production, the Fragonard Perfume Museum in Paris takes visitors on a journey through the history of fragrance throughout the year.

Museum-goers can learn about the types of scents and perfume bottles used across different eras, as well as the essential oils employed in their making.

Urbain explained that Jean-Francois Costa, who opened the museum in 1983, was the owner of the Fragonard perfumery in Grasse and also a collector of antique bottles and art objects.

She said Costa brought together numerous objects that recount the history of perfume, almost from its beginnings, and that the oldest piece on display in the museum dates back to around 3,000 years B.C.