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Sarayburnu Park (Sarayburnu Parkı) is located at the eastern tip of the historic peninsula of Istanbul. It sits at the point where the Bosporus meets the Golden Horn and the Marmara Sea.
Introduction to Sarayburnu Park
Sarayburnu Park was once within the boundaries of Topkapi Palace. It was also part of Gülhane Park, but construction of a railway line in 1890 split the park in two. A bridge connected the two parks until 1958, when construction of a seaside highway, now Kennedy Avenue (Kennedy Caddesi), separated them permanently.
Today, the park is popular with fishermen who line up along the shoreline to try their luck in the choppy waters. There are also excellent views of the Bosporus and both the Asian and European sides of the city.
Atatürk and Sarayburnu Park
The park has witnessed a few important historic events involving Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881-1938). First of all, the first Atatürk statue in Turkey was erected there on October 3, 1926. It was sculpted by Austrian artist Heinrich Krippel (1883-1945).
On September 1, 1928, Atatürk introduced the new Turkish letters in the park. Finally, the last ceremony in Istanbul honoring Atatürk after his death took place at Sarayburnu Park on November 19, 1938. His body was then transferred to Ankara.
Sepetçiler Pavilion
Just west of Sarayburnu Park is the Sepetçiler Pavilion (Sepetçiler Köşkü). It was originally built in 1591 by Sultan Murad III, rebuilt in 1643 by Sultan Ibrahim, and restored by Sultan Mahmud I in 1739.
The Sepetçiler Pavilion is the only surviving structure from a row of many pleasure pavilions built within the outer courtyard of Topkapi Palace. It was turned into a warehouse in the 19th century and used as a military pharmacy in the mid 20th century.
The building then sat abandoned until 1980, when it was renovated and allocated to the Directorate General of Old Works and Museums. It has also served as the Turkish government’s Foreign Press Office, a restaurant, and the office of the European Capital of Culture. Since 2011, it has housed the headquarters of the Turkish Green Crescent (Yeşilay).
