Epic Travel → Europe → Turkey → Gülhane Park

Location: Sultanahmet District, Istanbul

Time Required: 1 hour (more if visiting the museum)

Red Tape/Notes: It’s free to visit the park and walk around; if you want to visit the Museum of The History of Science and Technology in Islam inside the park, Admission is 1o Turkish Lira (around $3 US) – alternatively you can buy the Museum Pass (85 TL), which is good for 5 days and will also allow you admission to the Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace, and the Mosaic Museum. Open daily from 9am – 5pm (until 7pm during the summer, 15 April – 2 October); other hours may be observed on religious holidays. For more information, visit the official website.

What’s Nearby?: Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar, Topkapi Palace, Great Palace Mosaic Museum

The park was originally a part of the outer garden of Topkapi Palace, but was opened to the public as a park in 1912, and included coffee houses, playgrounds, and at one point a small zoo. Renovations removed these structures and restored much of the open space; the Topkapi Palace stables, which are on the western edge of the park, were converted into the rather lengthily named Museum of The History of Science and Technology in Islam, which has replicas of inventions from the 8th to 16th centuries. The park also contains old barracks, which (inshallah) will eventually be turned into a cultural center with a library and workshop on kilim and handicrafts. From March to April, the park hosts the Istanbul Tulip Festival and is awash with tulips. Other notable things to find in the park are the Column of the Goths on the east side of the park, which was erected in the late 3rd century, and the 16th century Procession Kiosk at the southern entrance.

Epic Travel → Europe → Turkey → Gülhane Park