Yıldız Park

Yıldız Park
Yıldız Park
Yıldız Parkı
	Main entrance to Yıldız Park
Type	Urban park
Location	Istanbul, Turkey
Coordinates	41°02′54″N 29°00′56″E / 41.0483°N 29.0156°E

Yıldız Park (Turkish: Yıldız Parkı) is a historical, urban park in Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey. It is one of the largest public parks in Istanbul. The park is located in Yıldız quarter between the palaces of Yıldız and Çırağan.

History

Yıldız Park was once part of the imperial garden of

Abdulhamid II

.

The area of Yıldız used to be a forest in Byzantine times. Starting during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the sultans made it their hunting grounds. In the next centuries, it remained as a grove behind the seaside palaces. The neighbourhood began to flourish in the wake of construction of the palace in the 19th century. It took its name from the first pavilion, namely Yıldız Kasrı, commissioned by Selim III in early 19th century.

The 25-acre (0.10 km²) of the palace's external garden were surrounded by high walls and detached from a grove during the reign of

Abdulhamid II

in the 19th century. A small artificial lake, pavilions, summer houses and a porcelain factory were established in this section.

Today

At present, Yıldız Park is a beautiful garden complex set in a very large park of flowers, plants and trees, gathered from every part of the world, dating from the

pavilions

, namely the Çadır and Malta pavilions, are today café/restaurants where people have breakfast or lunch, or drink a cup of tea or coffee.

The park is separated into two sections, the outer section is open to the public and comprises the Şale, Çadır and

ash trees

. Besides, the outer section has two man-made lakes.