Gulhane Park

The historical Gülhane Park, which is the subject of poems and songs, is defined as the "lung of the peninsula". Offering an extremely colorful atmosphere, Gülhane Park is among the favorite places of Istanbul. It is very easy to reach Gülhane Park. When you come here, you will be greeted by colorful flowers, grand trees and bird sounds. The history of the park, which gives the opportunity to get away from the noise of the city, is quite remarkable.

The park, which has a total of 163 acres of land, served as the University of Constantinople in the 700s. In the Ottoman period, the region was considered as the outer garden of Topkapı Palace in a sense. Gülhane Park is full of rose gardens in its early periods. For this reason, many sultans in the Ottoman Empire like to wander around this grove. In the early 1460s, Fatih Sultan Mehmet brought the first rose here. The place takes its name from these roses anyway. The most radical change regarding the park took place in 1912. With this change, the park is opened to public use.

One of the first figures that comes to mind when "Gülhane Park" is mentioned is the Tanzimat Fermanı; because the Grand Vizier Mustafa Reşit Pasha announces the Tanzimat Edict exactly here. For this reason, this edict is also referred to as "Gülhane Hatt-ı Hümayunu" in some sources. A tulip festival is also organized here every year. If you want to explore Gülhane Park, try to coincide with the festival periods. The festival is usually held in April. Extremely impressive images emerge.

The poet Nazım Hikmet gives place to this special place very often. When an arrest warrant is issued for him, he begins to live here as a fugitive for a while. He and his girlfriend make an agreement to meet in this park one day. According to the reports, while Nazım was waiting for his lover, the police were walking around the park. The great master Nazım Hikmet then had to climb a large walnut tree in Gülhane Park. It is known that Nazım wrote his famous poem on this event.