Urban parks of Istanbul in the late Ottoman Empire :|constructed nature for recreation aims

Abstract

This thesis examines the construction processes and perception of early urban parks of Istanbul in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Parks as constructed natural spaces developed on the international scale in the nineteenth century. The first urban parks of Istanbul, Taksim and Çamlıca Gardens in 1870, Tepebaşı Garden in 1880, and Gülhane Garden in 1913 were constructed. This thesis tries to show the different features of parks from public gardens known as mesire. Moreover, the motivation for creating these parks and their construction processes will be analyzed. This analysis and memoirs written at that time will demonstrate the profile of park goers. This thesis argues that the profile of park goers in the nineteenth century were cultural and political elites rather than ordinary people. Furthermore, the prohibition of Muslim women’s entrance into parks is another aspect of this study. While the analysis of regulations on the situations of Muslim women draws a background, the representation of Muslim women in parks in the novels will be discussed to see the perception of parks. This study asserts that parks were perceived as a threat to the morality of society in the late Ottoman Empire. The documents of Ottoman records, newspapers and journals, memoirs, and novels will be used as primary source in this thesis.