Traditional fragrances and cologne in Turkish culture

Smell is the sensation that particles emitted from objects enter the nose and awaken in special nerves. At the same time, it has the meaning of essence applied to smell good. The desire to reach good smells and smell good, which started with the discovery of fire; It started a big fragrance trade with it. The scents, which were considered sacred enough to be offered to please the gods in the early days, were able to enter daily life with people who wanted to adorn their own body with pleasant scents, and have survived to the present day with various innovations. In this study, this long journey of fragrance was investigated and its place in Turkish culture was examined. In addition to the desire to smell good personally, each society has its own unique scents that keep their culture alive and reflect. The traditional scents, which take their place in special days, ceremonies and rituals, have preserved their existence in the lands where they are considered valuable. In this thesis study, odors that have a place in Turkish culture were investigated. In the field research conducted in this context, fifty resource persons of different ages from different provinces of Turkey were interviewed; Generalizations were made from the answers given. In order to evaluate the scent usage culture, interviews were also conducted with the people selling scents. Since the type of odor frequently encountered in the field research is cologne; It was concluded that this scent is a traditional scent. However, other areas of use were evaluated, apart from the fragrance of the cologne; The functions of the cologne were determined.