Audio GuideİBB Taksim Gezi Parkı

In the vibrant heart of Istanbul, just beside the buzz of Taksim Square and the renowned Istiklal Avenue, IBB Taksim Gezi Park remains one of the very few green spaces in the area. Its fresh air, cool shade, and colourful flower beds provide much-needed relief from the constant bustle of the city. Both locals and visitors are drawn here: friends strolling along the paths, residents playing chess on benches, couples relaxing by the grand central fountain, and children running across the lawns.

Mustafa Canatan

Yet beneath its tranquil appearance, Gezi Park has a complex and storied past. In the sixteenth century, part of this land served as an Armenian cemetery, a place of rest for the local community. Some of the original gravestones have even been incorporated into the park’s steps, subtly recalling its history.

Philippe SCHMIDT

By the early nineteenth century, an impressive military barracks was constructed here, with its towers and domes blending Ottoman and oriental styles. Following unrest in the early twentieth century, these barracks were converted into a stadium, which became the venue for the Turkish national football team’s first official match.

BaDr AlTaMiMi

With the advent of the Turkish Republic, the city underwent major transformation as part of an ambitious plan led by the French architect Henri Prost, who envisioned spacious parks and a revitalised urban life. The barracks and stadium were removed, making way for Gezi Park, which took shape in the nineteen forties. Its marble stairways and leafy lawns became a rare sanctuary of calm for Istanbul’s residents.

Over the decades, hotels and commercial buildings have steadily encroached upon the park, reducing its size. Still, Gezi has only grown in importance as a social and cultural meeting place. In twenty thirteen, plans to replace the park with a shopping centre sparked widespread protests that rapidly spread across the country, prompting passionate debate about democracy and public space. Today, the park’s peaceful character—as well as the memory of resistance—captures the spirit of Istanbul itself: a city where histories, communities, and change are always intertwined.