It is thought that the nahil was first used at Ottoman festivals in the 15th century, when they figured prominently in the wedding celebrations for Sultan Mehmed II. Nahils were carried at the head of both bridal and circumcision processions, and placed in the nuptial chamber or beside the bed of boys who had been circumcised. In the case of wedding processions for the sons or daughters of a high-ranking statesman such as the grand vezir, the largest nahil at the front of the procession would be accompanied by trays of sweetmeats and sweet pastries, wrapped bundles of candies, jugs of perfumed fruit drinks known as sherbet, bags of coins, caskets of jewellery and other gifts. Sacrificial rams would also be among these gifts. In royal processions the nahils would be supervised by a special official known as the nahil agasi.
The nahl'si iron stem and branches bore numerous hooks, on which were hung decorations made of wax in the form of fruit or sometimes animals, and tinsel.

introduced motifs and techniques from Renaissance Europe. These sugar confectioners also made sweets for children that were sold by vendors known as Alçi Balci. In the 16th century, nahils decorated with many lively and colourful compositions, including miniature gardens surrounding spheres, with grassy lawns, ponds with cypress trees and peacocks at the edge; tulip and rose gardens. Other flowers represented included crocuses, violets, carnations, hyacinths, narcissi, and anemones. There were fruit and nut trees, including the citron, apple, pear, quince and pistachio, and animals such as the horse, camel, lion, elephant and the fabulous phoenix. From the 18th century the elaborate nahils of earlier centuries were superseded by far simpler ones, decorated only with gold and silver tinsel and silk tassels. In some areas of central Turkey today vestiges of the traditional nahil continue to feature in wedding ceremonies.

* Dr Ayse Yetiskin Kubilay is an art historian