‘My leaves are my eyes, I look in amazement
I watch you with one hundred thousand eyes, I watch Istanbul
Like one hundred thousand hearts, beat, beat my leaves
I am a walnut tree in Gülhane Park
Neither you are aware of this, nor the police’
– Nazım Hikmet –
The public park which I visited as a child, as an adolescent, as an adult throughout my life, played, walked through, sat and laughed there with friends, took refuge under its tree during Istanbul’s hot summer days, unfortunately chosen recently to be the place of yet another large shopping centre.
The Gezi Park is part of Istanbul’s heritage. It is part of my past, it is part of my heritage, and it is part of many millions of citizen’s heritage of Istanbul. It is a place where the green is preserved with pride and above all it is a place of peace and an area where our children can experience and inherit its beauty within that wonderful magical city of Istanbul.
To stop the demolition bulldogger’s protesters occupied the park for the last four days now. They all try to protect some of the few green public spaces left in the city. Right now, unfortunately, lives have been lost of protectors in this small part of green area of Taksim. The activists do not want to give up and by hour since the demolition started, thousands of supporters poured into Taksim to be part of that cause. The police used tear gas and water cannon against the activists, and the clashes between the police and the protests have been watched on the TV news all over the world. Now with the Court order in place the demolition has come to stand still for now.
As Hyde Park is important for London, Central Park for New York, Tiergarten for Berlin, Vigeland Park for Oslo so is Gezi Park for Istanbul, even though it is not large as others mentioned parks. But its unique position right in the middle of the city and the duty to preserve its green environment is not the only reason for the protests. The park is steeped in history, too.
Henri Prost (February 25, 1874 – July 16, 1959) the famous French architect and town planner who designed buildings and city streets in Marrakech, Casablanca and Rabat was invited to Turkey in 1936 to help design and plan Istanbul and he stayed there for over 16 years. Henri Prost, the city planner & architect was well known in protecting historic buildings and natural environment within his work.
Gezi Park is one of Henri Prost beautiful historical projects which lies in the middle of Istanbul. The careful planning bringing nature and building together in harmony can only be experienced by sitting couple of minutes in the Gezi Park even with the dazzling sounds of traffic around it. Indeed Henri Prost’s Gezi Park, which was part of Nazim’s Istanbul Plan’ is a great work of art. Henri Prost worked in Turkey until 1951.
For the preservation of the city the construction of another building has to be stopped and should not go ahead. We have seen in the past what happened to cities when environment is destroyed and which path human beings have to take as a consequence.
Above all, Gezi Park which is the heritage of Istanbul and should be preserved for future generation to enjoy, just as I have done and many more before me.
Gezi Park is our Past, Gezi Park is our Heritage, Gezi Park is our Present and the Future!
Copyright Semra Eren Nijhar – All rights reserved
Semra Eren-Nijhar 