The legend is that Judas Iscariot hanged himself on the redbud tree after betraying Jesus. In the morning, out of embarrassment, the tree blushed turning its white flowers into pink, thus called the Judas tree.  The Bosphorus is at its best in the spring around the Easter when the Judas trees blossom on both sides of the strait.

 

 

 

Tags:  Bosphorus christianity Easter flora Golden Horn Jesus judas trees legend spring