Audio GuideİBB Taksim Gezi Parkı

In the lively heart of Istanbul, just beside the energy of Taksim Square and the famed Istiklal Avenue, IBB Taksim Gezi Park stands as one of the area’s last remaining green spaces. Its breath of cool air, leafy shade, and bright flower beds offer a welcome escape from buzzing city life. Today, people gather here: friends on a stroll, locals playing chess on benches, couples resting by the large fountain at the center, and children running across open lawns.

Mustafa Canatan

But Gezi Park carries layers of history beneath its peaceful surface. In the sixteenth century, part of this land was an Armenian cemetery, a resting place for the local community. Some of the old tombstones, now built into the park’s steps, still hint at these origins.

Philippe SCHMIDT

In the early nineteenth century, a grand military barracks rose here, its towers and domes showing a mix of Ottoman and Eastern influences. After a period of unrest in the city during the early twentieth century, the barracks were transformed into a stadium, hosting the Turkish national football team’s first official match.

BaDr AlTaMiMi

As Turkey moved into the republican era, an ambitious urban plan led by French architect Henri Prost envisioned wide parks and new city life. The barracks and stadium were demolished, and by the nineteen forties Gezi Park took shape—its marble staircases and leafy lawns offering residents a rare patch of tranquility.

Over the years, hotels and commercial buildings reduced the park’s size, but its role as a social and cultural meeting place only grew. In twenty thirteen, when plans emerged to transform the park into a shopping area, protests erupted. The movement quickly spread across the country and sparked debate about democracy and public space. Today, Gezi Park’s atmosphere of calm, mixed with echoes of change, reflects Istanbul’s layered story—a crossroads of memory, community, and renewal.