Just Google "Istanbul" and browse through the photos of the ancient city. Most iconic images of Istanbul either feature the three bridges over the Bosporus or a hot cup of tea. Tea has a very important place in Turkish culture. It is the constant figure of world-renowned Turkish breakfasts and the star of every meeting. To honor this ancient drink in one of the ancient cities in the world, the very first International Istanbul Tea Festival is scheduled to take place between April 28 - 30, 2017 at the historical Haydarpaşa Train Station.The festival, which is organized by Marmara Babil Events, invites all tea lovers in Istanbul to lend an ear to the story and the long journey of tea. Although tea is a well-known drink in most of the world, Turkish people attribute various meanings to this drink: It is a way to make new friends and a means of relaxing. The cup you prefer to drink your tea, the way you drink it and your gestures give hints about your character. The festival brings all tea drinkers together and offers them a chance to become a part of the talks and panel sessions on tea. Festival goers will be able to listen to the live performances of their favorite musicians and take part in surprise competitions. The train station will also host various activity sites for the guests to offer them a good time. The magical atmosphere of the Haydarpaşa Train Station will be accompanied by the good smell of hot tea and the festival goers will have a chance to taste different teas from around the globe enjoying the different flavors.Tea's journey in AnatoliaTea's journey in Anatolia began in the 19th century. Back then, during the Ottoman reign, tea was not grown in Anatolia. Some of the coffee shops in Istanbul began to import tea leaves and served cups of tea to their customers. Towards the end of the 19th century, the interest in tea in the Ottoman realm began to increase and Ottoman writers and intellectuals wrote about tea and made tea the main topic of their discussions. According to the book "Coğrafyayı Sınai ve Ticari" (Industrial and Commercial Geography), which was published in 1892, Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II was the first ruler to make the first serious attempt to grow tea in Anatolia. As the book suggests, tea saplings and seeds were brought to Anatolia from China thanks to the initiatives of the Ottoman trade minister İsmail Pasha. The saplings and seeds were planted in Bursa; however, the experiment did not go as well as it was expected due to the ecological conditions. On the other hand, the documents in the Ottoman archives which are currently in possession of the Turkish prime ministry, claims that the first tea seeds and saplings that were ever planted in Anatolia were brought from Japan. The first successful attempt in growing tea took place in the Artvin region toward the end of the 1870s. The attempts of growing tea in Hopa and Arhavi were reported to be very successful in 1878.Turkey's most famous tea leaves are undoubtedly grown in Rize which is located in the eastern part of the Black Sea Region. Then president of Chamber of Agriculture in Rize Hulusi Karadeniz brought the first tea seeds in Rize in the 1910s. Believing that the climate of the Black Sea region to be similar to neighboring country Georgia, Karadeniz planted the first tea seeds in his garden. Upon observing the success, he decided to grown tea all over Rize yet his attempt was postponed due to the break-out of World War I in 1914. Karadeniz returned to Rize in 1919 and relaunched his plans to plant tea in Turkey.Which turk drank the first cup of tea?History books record that the Turks began to drink tea back when they were still living in Central Asia. Linguist Abdül'l-Kayyûm Nasiri, who was a Tatar Turk, claims that Turkish Poet Khoja Akhmet Yassawi who lived in Kazakhstan in the 12th century was the first Turkish man who drank the first cup of tea. Nasiri also records that Yassawi advised people around him to drink to relax and recover.

Facts about tea in Turkey*Every Turkish person drinks 1,250 cups of tea throughout their lives on average.*245 million cups of tea are consumed every day in Turkey.*Tea consumption is 3 kilograms per person.*Turkey is the fifth biggest tea producer in the world. The amount of tea produced in Turkey covers 6 percent of the world's entire tea production.

*96 percent of Turkey's population drinks tea every day.

*There are nearly 200 tea producers in Turkey.