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Yıldız Park (Yıldız Parkı) is a beautiful park in Istanbul, Turkey. It’s located in the Yıldız neighborhood of the Beşiktaş district across the street from Çırağan Palace.
Yıldız Park is one of the biggest public parks in the city. It was a forest in Byzantine times. The forest was used as a hunting ground by Süleyman the Magnificent in the 16th century. Sultan Ahmed I began using the area as a place of rest in the early 17th century. After Çırağan Palace was built in the mid 19th century, Sultan Abdülaziz turned the grounds into the palace’s imperial garden. Sultan Abdülhamid II incorporated it into the imperial garden of Yıldız Palace in the late 19th century.
The park contains two artificial lakes. There are several different types of trees, including oak, pine, cedar, ash, cypress, yew, chestnut, and magnolia. It’s very popular on the weekends and has excellent views of the Bosporus.
Tent Pavilion
There are a two beautiful pavilions within the park grounds. Both serve as restaurants and are a great place to have tea, breakfast, or lunch. The Tent Pavilion (Çadır Köşkü) sits in the lower part of the park on an artificial lake. It was built by Sultan Abdülaziz as the Cedar Pavilion (Sedir Köşkü) in 1871 and was designed by Ottoman Armenian architect Sarkis Balyan (1835-1899).
Midhat Pasha (1822-1883) was detained and tortured in the basement of the Tent Pavilion for 66 days during his trial in 1881 (see below). The pavilion was closed for many years after the trial. It was used as a pastry shop by Markiz Pastanesi from 1949 to 1960, and the Tanzimat Museum for a short time after 1960. It was restored and reopened as a restaurant in 1997.
Malta Pavilion
The Malta Pavilion (Malta Köşkü) is in the upper part of the park. It was also designed by Sarkis Balyan and built by Sultan Abdülaziz. It was named after its principal building material, limestone from Malta. Sultan Murad V was detained there when he was deposed after his 93 day reign in 1876. It has been a restaurant since 1982.
The trial of Midhat Pasha took place in a tent behind the Malta Pavilion. He was found guilty of murdering Sultan Abdülaziz, who died under mysterious circumstances at Çırağan Palace only a few days after he was deposed on May 30, 1876. Many historians believe the charges were made up, evidence was forged, witnesses were paid, and others were tortured to force confessions.
Little Mecidiye Mosque
At the lower entrance to Yıldız Park is the Little Mecidiye Mosque (Küçük Mecidiye Camii). It was built for Sultan Abdülmecid I by Ottoman Armenian architects Garabet Balyan (1800-1866) and his son, Nigoğayos (1826-1858). The mosque was completed in 1848.
Bridge
Finally, at the lower end of the park is a beautiful bridge crossing Çırağan Avenue. The bridge links Yıldız Park to Çırağan Palace.
