Emirgan Historical Park, known as Tulip Park, is one of the largest parks in the European part of the city. This park becomes green and colorful like a paradise in spring. Amirgan is located in the green area of Sariir near the second Bosphorus Bridge (Sultan Mohammad Fateh Bridge), which we introduced in detail in previous issues of Paul Magazine. Every year since 2005, the Tulip Flower Festival has been held here regularly since April. One of the reasons for the fame of this park is its lush greenery and beautiful flowers; Of course, because Amirgan is located on a hill and almost near the coast, it has a good view of the Bosphorus. In this 404,000 square meter park, in addition to various vegetation, there are two beautiful wetlands, a lake, a hiking trail, a playground, a pavilion, and so on. Amirgan is one of the city's hangouts for picnics, entertainment and leisure. Needless to say, its proximity to Eastinia, expensive five-star beachfront hotels, the President's summer residence and the German embassy have made it even more popular.
Amirs offer peace to the Iranian commander
The park used to be a garden and was privately owned. According to the history of this place dates back to the 17th century. Sultan Murad IV (son of Mah Peykar and Sultan Ahmad I) donated the garden to an Iranian commander named Amir Gooneh Khan of the Safavid dynasty. The story was that Sultan Murad IV invaded Iran and captured the fortress of Yerevan and then set fire to the city of Tabriz; Shortly afterwards, the situation escalated to the point where the Ottoman government and Iran reconciled.
The garden was also presented to Amir Gooneh Khan as an offering. Amir Gooneh Khan and the Ottoman minister (Mohammad Pasha) were the ones who talked and studied for two months after the peace to determine the borders of the two countries. Some time later, the fire of wars and old-fashioned misunderstandings broke out again and a half-finished peace was left. Iraq revolted, seceded from Iran, and joined the Ottomans under the Treaty of Zahab (Sweet Palace). Then the issue of peace was raised again. The name of this park was Amirgon for a long time; Then it was changed to Amirgan for ease of pronunciation.
Amirgan Park buildings
The ownership of this large garden has changed several times over the years. In 1860, this large garden was donated to the Ottoman commander in Egypt and Sudan, Khedive Isma'il Pasha. Ismail Pasha, a wealthy man, built three two-story buildings in the garden. The three buildings were named Sar Kök (yellow mansion), Pembe Kök (pink mansion), Beyaz Kök (white mansion) according to their colors. Ottoman and neoclassical architectural style is clearly seen in these three buildings. The buildings have been renovated and are now used as cafes and restaurants. The Yellow Mansion was built between 1861 and 1878 in the center of the garden by architect Sarkis Balyan. It seems that this building was 400 meters away from the garden guest house. Ceiling decorations are very beautiful and cheerful. The Pink Mansion is now a café and restaurant that sometimes hosts weddings and various celebrations and has a capacity of 400 guests in the summer, including open space. The white mansion is close to the pink mansion and has a neoclassical style like that. This mansion is a Turkish café in the morning and a restaurant in the evening. Ismail Pasha's heirs sold the garden to Satvet Lütfi Tozan, a wealthy arms dealer, in 1930. Eventually, in the 1970s, the garden became the property of the Istanbul Municipality and became a public park. There were several shipyards at the end of the garden and along the beach, which have now been replaced by beach cafes and restaurants.
Let's go to Amirgan this weekend
Amirgan Park is open every day from 6 am to 10:30 pm. As we have said, this large park is located in the Sariir area, more precisely in the Rashid Pasha neighborhood. It is very easy to reach by public transport such as trams and buses. If you get to the Kabatash Pier bus terminal, you can take bus number 25E and get off at the park station. The Ataturk Garden and the Belgrade Forest, which were introduced in previous issues of the magazine, are located near the park. Be ready for a picnic in Amirgan this weekend and have a good time.