Gulhane Park
In the historical part of Istanbul in the Eminyonu district there is one of the oldest parks in the city - Gulhane Park. During the Ottoman Empire, he was part of the gardens of the Topkapi Palace.
Translated from Persian, the name of the park sounds like a "house of roses". Great roses were grown here, and in wooden pavilions, a sultan with his advisers and courtiers rested. In 1863, all the pavilions burned down during the fire. Over time, the park began to slowly decline. In 1912, the park became available to everyone. In 1926, in the Gulkhan park, they erected a statue of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of Turkey. In 1955 they put up a small zoo. The life of the park again boiled only in 2000, when a large-scale reconstruction began. Then, to the delight of visitors, 80,000 roses and almost 25,000 tulips were planted, tiled paths were laid, benches were put, unnecessary fences, a zoo, coffee houses were removed, and fountains were illuminated.
One of the important historical events happened here in 1839, when the great vizier of Mustafa Reshid Pasha proclaimed the Gulhanei Act, which is the level of all citizens of the Ottoman Empire, regardless of their religion and race. If you go to the northern part of Gulhane Park, you can see the Gothic column, 18 meters high. It was set by the Romans in the 3-4th century in honor of the final victory over the Goths. In the west, the museum of Islamic science and technology, which was inaugurated in 2000 by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, is located on the site of former imperial stables. Here, 140 copies of various inventions of the 8-16th century used in medicine, chemistry, astronomy, physics, military affairs and other sciences are displayed to the public.
On the outskirts of Gulhane Park there is a cafe with an observation deck that offers stunning views of the Bosphorus Strait and Golden Horn Bay. Tired of walking in the park, you can sit on the bench and relax under the shadow of huge plane trees, admiring the many flowers. With the advent of spring, storks nest on the park’s plane trees and fly away only in August.
