Yildiz Parki

Yildiz Parki Review

The wooded slopes of Yildiz Parki once formed part of the great forest that covered the European shore of the Bosphorus from the Golden Horn to the Black Sea. In the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, the park was the private garden of the Çiragan Sarayi, and the women of the harem would occasionally be allowed to visit. First the gardeners would be removed, then the eunuchs would lead the women across the footbridge from the palace and along the avenue to the upper gardens. Secluded from prying eyes, they would sit in the shade or wander beneath the acacias, maples, and cypresses, filling their baskets with flowers and figs. Today the park is still hauntingly beautiful, particularly in spring when the flowers bloom, and in fall when the leaves of the deciduous trees change color. At the top of the park is the relatively modest Swiss-style Yildiz Sale (Yildiz Chalet), where Sultan Abdülhamid II (ruled 1876-1909), who distinguished himself as the last despot of the Ottoman Empire, spent most of his time (he also lived in the Çiragan and Dolmabahçe palaces). Visiting dignitaries from Kaiser Wilhelm to Charles de Gaulle and Margaret Thatcher have stayed here as well. The chalet is often blissfully empty of other tourists, which makes a visit all the more pleasurable. Also in the park is the Malta Köskü, a late 19th-century Ottoman pavilion that now houses a restaurant with period decor and views of the Bosphorus.