Atı alan Üsküdar’ı geçti

Turkish: Atı alan Üsküdar’ı geçti.
English: The one who took the horse has (already) passed Üsküdar (a district of Istanbul).

 

 

It means that it’s too late for something now and there’s nothing more that can be done. You have missed your chance because you have tarried too long.

The story behind this proverb is that one day Köroğlu, a legendary hero in Turkish oral tradition, gets his horse stolen and he looks for it everywhere. When he can’t find it, he decides to go to Istanbul and sees his horse in the bazaar of Üsküdar. Then Köroğlu (as a customer) asks the seller if he can get on the horse. As soon as he gets on it, the horse realizes his owner with the smell and rears up, rides off. After seeing that the seller beating his chest, an old man says, “The one who took the horse has passed Üsküdar, the real owner of the horse.”