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Gardens of the Topkapi Palace: an example of Turkish garden artNilgün Ergun a & Özge İskender a
a Istanbul Technical University , TurkeyPublished online: 20 Jun 2012.
To cite this article: Nilgün Ergun & Özge İskender (2003) Gardens of the Topkapi Palace: an example of Turkish garden art, Studies in the History of Gardens &Designed Landscapes: An International Quarterly, 23:1, 57-71, DOI: 10.1080/14601176.2003.10435281
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14601176.2003.10435281
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Gardens of the Topkapi Palace: an example of Turkish garden art
NILGUN ERGUN AND OZGE !SKENDER
The Turks were a nomadic people and did not contribute greatly to the art of gardening until they settled m Anatoha m 1071. From tills pomt forward, some of the pnnoples of the Eastern and Western art of gardening were adopted and then re-created for the palaces, pavilions, castles and manswns of the period. Through this process a new synthesis of tills art form was created and the unique Turkish art of gardening was born It was palace gardens where the art of gardening was born and developed m the course of the illstorical evolution of the art. 1 The form and spatial organizatwn of illstorical gardens represent the artJ.stic features of a period
The gardens of tills early penod had a simple and natural style. Practicahty was awarded high pnority and special emphasis placed on flower arrangements and creatmg shade with tall trees and pergolas." Gardens were arranged wrth outer and inner courtyards, with these two features combining to form the palace gardens. 3 The outer courtyards in particular, which were often extensive, were arranged so that the natural surroundmgs were interfered wrth as little as possible. From the outer courtyards, an mner courtyard could be accessed directly, and the two together formed a geometric arrangement.
However, the original charactenstics of Turkish gardens were changed
during the Renaissance and then further with the Baroque gardens in the first half of the eighteenth century. From the rmd-nineteenth century the definitive features of the Turkish art of gardening almost varushed. 4
This paper make a senes of recommendations for the purpose of protecting the gardens of the Topkapi Palace. To this end, we evaluate the historical evolution of the gardens and their present condition through the two features mentioned above: the inner and the outer courtyards. We identifY the existing landscape and plot a flora distnbution map of the mner courtyards. 5
155N I460-II76(f:):l003 TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
Studies for the protection of historic gardens
The approach to restoration and protection that acknowledges the importance of the environment is one that has been adopted now for more than 30 years. The contribution of mternational organizations, especially that of UNESCO,
has been dormnant. During the 2nd International Congress of Architects in 1964, the Venice Charter6 was drawn up for the protection of historical momuments and their sites. In addition, The International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOs) was also established at this time.
For the Vemce Charter, the concept of an historic monument embraces not only the smgle arcilltectural work, but also the urban or rural setting in wluch is found the evidence of a particular ovilization, a significant development or an historic event. In securing permanent and continued protection, some functional modifications would be permitted so that monuments could be enjoyed by the public, but the protection of the immediate vicmity of a monument was also pnoritized, Without the alteration or removal of the monument Itself. Since unity in style was the mam priority of such renovation work, special care was required to protect the integrity of the illstorical sites m which the monuments had been erected, as well as their upkeep for public use.
At the ICOMOS and International Federation of Landscape Architects
(IFLA) Symposmm in 1971, it was acknowledged that the monuments of each country and the period in which they were erected had their own uruque requirements dependent upon their artJ.stic attributes. For
the purpose of protection and restoration, it was agreed that care should be taken to comply with the protocol and spirit of the period to which
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STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF GARDENS AND DESIGNED LANDSCAPES : ERGUN AND !SKENDER
the historical gardens belonged. At a later ICOMOS and IFLA symposium,
held ill I 97 5, the use of histoncal gardens and their compliance with the conditions of today were discussed. This mcluded exploring the possibility of identifymg the types of plants that had been originally used in the gardens. Furthermore, ill 1981, the Comrruttee for Historical Gardens (CHG) drew up the Florence Charter, 7 in which the following recommendations were put forward: • With any maintenance, conservation, restoratiOn or reconstruction work
on any part of a historical garden, all its constituent features must be dealt with simultaneously because the isolation of the various operations would
damage its unity.
• Careful selection of the plant types on the basis of the types that had been originally grown should be made.
e Continuous maintenance of historical gardens should be given paramount unportance. Since the principal material is vegetal, the preservation of the garden m an unchanged condition requrres both prompt replacements when required and a long-term programme of periodic renewal (clear felling and replanting with mature specimens).
• Species of trees, shrubs, plants and flowers to be replaced penodically must be selected with regard to the established and recognized practice of each botanical and horticultural region. The aun should be to identify and preserve the onginal speoes grown in the gardens.
e Permanent or movable architectural, sculptural or decorative features that form an integral part of the histoncal garden must be removed or displaced only if it IS essential for their subsequent conservation or restoration. The replacement or restoration of any such features must be carried out strictly m accordance with the principles of the Venice
Charter, and the date of any complete replacement must be illdicated. • The historical garden must be preserved in appropriate surroundings.
Any alteration that might endanger the ecological equilibnum is prohibited. These protocols apply to all aspects of the infrastructure, internal or external (e.g. drainage works, imgation systems, roads, car parks, fences, caretaking facilities, visitors' amenities, etc.).
• No restoration work and, above all, no reconstruction work on an historical garden shall be undertaken without thorough pnor research. This is to ensure that such work is executed systematically. It mcludes everything from excavation to the assembling of records relating to the
58
garden in question. Before any practical work starts, a project must be
prepared on the basis of these research procedures and must be submitted to a group of experts for joint examination and approval.
• Restoration work must respect the successive stages of evolution of the garden in question. In principle, no one penod should be given precedence over any other, other than in exceptional cases. These may include the situation when a degree of damage or destruction affecting certain parts of a garden may be such that reconstructiOn is required of the remaining features or when overwhelming documentary evidence mdicates that work should be carried out. Such reconstruction work rrught be undertaken especially on parts of the garden nearest to the building in order to bnng out their sigruficance in the design.
• While any l:ustorical garden IS designed to be seen and enjoyed, access to it must be restricted according to its size and the potential of damage associated Wlth such activity so that Its physical features and cultural attributes may be preserved.
• By its very nature and purpose, an historical garden is a peaceful place conduove to quiet and an appreciation of nature. This VIew of its everyday use may be different from its role as a festival site. Thus, the conditions of such occasional use of an historical garden should be clearly defined so that any such festivals may serve to enhance the visual effect of the garden IriStead of damaging it.
• While histoncal gardens may be suitable for quiet games as an everyday activity, separate areas appropriate for more lively games and sports should also be laid out adjacent to the historical garden, so that the needs of the pubhc may be satisfied in this respect without undermining the conservation work of the gardens and landscapes.
• Maintenance and conservation work must always take precedence over the requirements of pubhc use. All arrangements for VIsits to histoncal gardens must be subjected to regulations that ensure the atmosphere of
the gardens is preserved. e If a garden IS walled, 1ts walls may not be removed without pnor
exammation of all the possible consequences for altering its atmosphere or affecting the preservation work.
In the 1991 symposmm held m ICOMOS, the current threats to histoncal gardens were identified. These included the dilapidation of plants, the neglect
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GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE: AN EXAMPLE OF TURKISH GARDEN ART
of aesthetics as an important feature of gardens, the linuted knowledge of the authonties and public about the preservatiOn of the gardens, as well as an excessive number of visitors.
Studies on historical gardens in Turkey
Since the foundation m I923 of the Turkish Republic, the protection, restoration and maintenance of the palaces, pavilions and castles built
dunng the 'Tulip Age' (I703-30), collectively named the National Palaces, were carried out under the administration of the Office of Turkish Grand Nat'l.Onal Assembly (TGNA). In I984, the National Palaces Symposmm was held in Turkey, and the Natwnal Palaces assumed a new dimension during the symposium. Parallel to the recommendations made in the symposium, the problems of the palaces and their gardens were addressed scientifically and radical Implementations commenced under a larger plan. The programme was Initiated for the purpose of highlighting the importance for world culture of eighteenth-century palaces and their gardens. The programme mcluded the repair and partial restoration of palaces and pavilions, and the rearrangement of palace annexes and their gardens m accordance with their origmal design. 8
Three of the Ottoman Palace complexes compnsmg buildmgs and gardens, which had been kept closed for years, have been converted into museumpalaces, whilst the others were opened for public use by the Foundation of Turkish Grand Natrona! Assembly, functiomng as a meetmg, entertainment and training venue.9
Throughout the work conducted before and under the programme for palaces and their gardens, each palace and garden was dealt with mdividually, 10
and the gardens and greenhouses, which undertook new functions, were thereby rearranged, halting their deterioration. The resources and the sites that had been previously nusused were also reopened.
Most of the gardens that belonged to the Tulip Age and which reflected the improvements and innovations in the Turkish art of gardemng have not survived today. However, the Topkapi Palace and its gardens, deemed the most charactenstic artistic contnbution of the period precedmg the Tulip
Age, are not included m the coverage of the National Palaces, and no regulatiOn exrsts about the buildings and their gardens.
Gardens of the Topkapt Palace
On a plot of land at the confluence of the Bosphorus, the Golden Horn and the Marmara Sea stands the Topkapi Palace, the maze of buildmgs at the centre of the Ottoman Empire between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Topkapi Palace was more than a residential complex for the
royal household (figure I).
Information could only be obtamed about the already vanished buildings and the gardens of the Palace by means of the observations, engravmgs and illustratiOns of travellers (figure 2). II Scientific research on the Palace began in the twentieth century and was acknowledged through two Important
publications; Turkish Gardens (I976) and The Topkapt Palace: An Architectural Research (I984). 12
The Topkapi Palace occupies a space of 700 ooo square metres, comprismg five courtyards, one inside the other, and accords to a very simple and functional order rather than to a ceremonial hierarchy. 13 All the palaces built (or completed) dunng the reign of Mehrned II exhibit the same spatial order based on the princrple of interconnected courtyards, each located in clearly defined public, senu-public or private zones. These courtyards were arranged according to hierarchical considerations with their shapes
determined by topography rather than by preose geometnc or orthogonal princrples. 14
The Palace has continually developed and Improved from 1478 to I 86 I, and these Improvements were also reflected m the landscape of Its gardens. However, the gardens of the Palace that bear the characteristiCs of the Turkish art of gardenmg remain unique, representing a rare sample of a garden that managed to survive until today from before the eighteenth century.
OUTER GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE
At the Topkapi Palace, woods, flowers, fruit gardens and sports fields surrounded the palace on three sides, forming the outer gardens, had developed within the First and Second Courtyards. 15 A connection was established between the lawns and the pavilion, extending to the palaces on the coast with slopmg terraces (figure J).
59
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STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF GARDENS AND DESIGNED LANDSCAPES : ERGUN AND iSKENDER
Golden Hom
j,
I 'l'l': I ..... •, Ill•
.... , '·
FIGURE r. Location of the Topkap1 Palcue; _from SEDAT H. ELDEM and FERIDUN AKOZAN, The Topkap1 Palace: An Architectural Research (Istanbul, 1982)
First Courtyard
The entrance to the Topkap1 Palace and the First Courtyard on the land side is made through the biggest gate (Bab-z Humayun), which was built m I478.
6o
The Big Gate and the Middle Gate (Bab us Selam) (figure 4) were connected by a broken axis of approximately 300 metres, extending from north to south and forming a regular axis. The Frrst Courtyard is a wide site (340 to rzo metres), where a functwnal and mformal circulation system exists. The
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GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE: AN EXAMPLE OF TURKISH GARDEN ART
~ " ,,. .
' •• • t t
FIGURE 2. Topkapr Palace at the end of the e~ghteenth century; from DoGAN KuBAN, 'The Topkapr Palace', m The Encyclopedia of Istanbul from Yesterday to Today (Istanbul, 1994), VII, pp 28o-g1
courtyard functioned as a square in which state ceremonies were held, horse riding took place and the pubhc could visit without restrictiOns. In this
courtyard, a romantic, natural and free atmosphere prevailed, with its paths like those of a village green. No landscaping exists m the First Courtyard
except for the trees planted along the path that connects the two gates and the group of huge specimens: a 400-year-old plane and another plane (body
Circumference 4-5 metres) as well as a turpentine tree (body circumference of 3-5 metres) are located almost m the middle of the courtyard. 16
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STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF GARDENS AND DESIGNED LANDSCAPES : ERGUN AND iSKENDER
FIGURE J. Distnbution of outer gardens of the Topkapz Palare
Fifth Courtyard
During the penod when the palace was first built, it was possible to view the
outer gardens of the Palace towards the Sea of Marmara, but later the view
was obscured by the introduction of new buildings. ' 7
The Fifth Courtyard was a smtable site for the location of the pleasure
gardens because of its sea view. It was documented in 1735 that different
kmds of trees, among them plane, common-ash, turpentine, elm, oak,
bay, Judas, myrtle and wild pear, were planted in the courtyard. Outside
the buildings, evergreen trees or the trees and bushes that are green in
summer as well as durable ornamental plants were mtroduced (see appendix).
Well-maintained flower gardens were planted among the paths that were
surrounded by cypress and rare fruit trees with vegetable gardens behind
them. On such sites, seasonal fruits and vegetables such as cabbage, cucumber,
spmach, strawberry and framboise were planted. Among these arrange
ments, which reflect a typiCal approach to Ottoman gardening, were marble
fountains and small pools with spray jets. These were complemented by
62
small wooden pavilions covered with vmes, jasmine and flower gardens. In
each period, it was rmportant to grow flowers in the palace gardens,
especially roses, tulips, lilies, hyacinths, narcrssus, lilacs and carnations. The
number of gardeners who cared for the gardens reached as many as 2000 m
the seventeenth century (see note 15).
Giilhane Park, created by a French gardener, offers a nch variety of trees
and bushes. The outer courtyard, on the Golden Horn side to the north
west, accommodated most of the woods of the palace site, extending into
the terraces and the flower, fruit and vegetable gardens of the palace. In
total, 90 exotic speoes have been Identified m this area (see appendix). ' 8
INNER GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE
The Topkap1 Palace is divided into two sections m compliance with its
orgaruzational structure, functionmg for administrative and training purposes
as well as for the hvmg quarters of the Sultans (figure 5). In this organizational
structure, the three courtyards, each with access to one another, constitute
the units for external relations and for the Harem, which served initially
as the residence of the Sultan's immediate family. The Second, Third and
Fourth courtyards were allocated for the private use of Sultans, and form the
heart of the Topkap1 Palace (see note 13).
The Palace was not completed in a smgle programme and as a result
the complex never represented a single architectural style. The construction
of new buildings also affected the gardening, and though the style of the
architecture and landscape were different for each period, an integrity
existed. ' 9 The Inner Gardens of the Palace (figure 6), extending over an area
of approximately 70 ooo square metres, survive today with courts and paved
courtyards, but the flora has been much spoilt.
Second Courtyard
The Second Courtyard (figure 7), where only the Sultan and members of the
palace authorities were permitted to enter, had a more orderly and impressive
location than the First Courtyard. This courtyard (130 to 160 metres) is the
biggest architectural site of the Palace, surrounded on four sides by a porch
wrth 91 columns. It was never VIsited by the Sultans except during accession
and burial ceremonies, or dunng festivals. The porch was used for exercising
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GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE: AN EXAMPLE OF TURKISH GARDEN ART
FIGURE 4-- Fmt Courtyard and Bab us Selarn - engraving from Melling; from CAHIT KA YRA, Istanbul: Spaces and Times (Istanbul, 1990), no. 52.
on rainy days, and flowers in porcelain vases were put there during important ceremonies or visits by diplomats. Lions and ngers strolled up and down the carpeted floors. 20
The ceremorual characteristics of the courtyard were to a degree rnarufested in the garden paths. The stone-paved paths were useful for connecting certain points to one another by opening out from the Middle Gate. The Sultan's Road extends in a linear fashion between the Middle Gate and Gate
of Felicity (Bah us Saade) and represents the most importar!t path between them. However, they are not on the same axis, starting narrowly and then enlarging in order to emphasiZe the significance of Bab us Saade. This is
surrounded by cypress trees, which were formerly dorninar1t. On the left of the Sultan's Road the Vizier's Road extends, but It assumes only a secondary importar!ce. As well as the Vizier's Road 1S the path that extends from the Middle Gate to the Harem. This path is followed by another that extends to Mehterhane and the Sultan's Stables and has a fountain nearby. The four paths on the right of the Sultan's Road provide access to the kitchens.
The courtyard has grass between the cypress trees and the surrounding roads. This IS watered usmg the nearby fountairu, which are surrounded by fences for their protection. On the grass sites, plane, turpentine and solitaire cypress trees were plarrted. Among the trees of the garden, deers, wild goats,
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STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF GARDENS AND DESIGNED LANDSCAPES : ERGUN AND iSKENDER
,,.."" -,..._ ,.__ .. T ... - -- - f.::('~ I -,--I iAREM I -~ l •a ..
' ru - '.·. ;y~ - '- ' ' rffiofi _ _,
.. 'li• -
-{!-~U~!YARD -~ I.S9URTYAR~ - -. -~
·- .
j ~ -- c . I •--'
- ~ ·~
~ - J I :,1 .
ARD
FIGURE 5- Distribution of inner gardens of the Topkapz Palace.
ostriches and other birds roamed and used the fountains as their water
source. 21 Compared with the original engravings from the beginning of the
erghteenth century, only a few cypress trees remairi today in the courtyard
and none of the trees from the second half of the century onwards exist at
all. In the second courtyard, with Its changed flora of today, are four plane
trees With body circumferences of 3-55, 4-35 and two of ro.oo metres, respectively. n
Third Courtyard
The Third Courtyard (figure 8), surrounded by important bmldmgs such
as the Throne Room, the Lrbrary of Ahmet the Third and a group of
columns, is made from coloured marble, and is about 90 metres iri length.
The Third Courtyard, square m shape, is smaller and more ornamented
than the Second Courtyard. Accessed from Bah us Saade, where the palace
accommodation begins, it was an area designated for use only by the
Sultans. 23 The two paths that emerge on both srdes of the audience chamber
iri front of Bah us Saade in the Third Courtyard were the central ones. As in
FIGURE 6 Inner gardens of the Topkapz Palace, from SEDAT H. ELDEM
and FERIDUN AKOZAN, The Topkap1 Palace: An Architectural Research {Istanbul, 1982).
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GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE: AN EXAMPLE OF TURKISH GARDEN ART
FIGURE 7- Second Courtyard of Topkapt Palace- engraving from Melling; from DoGAN KuBAN, 'The Topkapt Palace', in The Encyclopedia of Istanbul from Yesterday to Today (Istanbul, 1994), VII, pp. 281J-91.
the Second Courtyard, the floor of the Third Courtyard was paved With stones and pebbles. The first path extending to the Htrka-t Saadet on the left of the audience chamber is known as the Marble Road. The stall on the left, located at the end of the Marble Road, is surrounded by common privets and roses. It was separated into two terraces by a walL On the top terrace is
a recreation site, and on the lower a fountain and a sundial are beside the walL
Fourth Courtyard
The Fourth Courtyard (figure 9) is accessed through three passages from the Third Courtyard. Unlike the other courtyards, it is not surrounded by porches and is arranged in terraces with different levels. The retarnmg walls were erected under and around the terraces and paths and pools. The most splendid examples of the arched walls, made of cut stone, are in the Fourth Courtyard of the Topkap1 Palace. The outer walls influenced the sectiOns and
sizes of the Palace's gardens and the buildings inside the Fourth Courtyard appear as elegant pavilions that open out to the sea. The arrangement of the courtyard, which does not conform to a specific form or style, was bwlt essentially with practical considerations in mind.
The Fourth Courtyard comprises two sections: a high terrace and low terraces which surround the former on three sides. The lower terrace was used as a field for such sports as the javelin, archery and wrestling.
The most restricted area of the Palace, the second sectiOn of the Fourth Courtyard, is accessed from the Third Courtyard through a pebble-covered ramp and the starrs of the third passage. It IS also a high terraced mner garden, accessed by stairs from the low terrace of the Fourth Courtyard, and IS known as the Tulip Garden. This garden, with its marble paths, hosted tulip festivals and was also used for sight-seeing and recreational purposes. The highest section of the Fourth Courtyard, with its water jet pool in the middle, is one of the most beautiful outer courtyards of the Palace (see appendix).
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GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE: AN EXAMPLE OF TURKISH GARDEN ART
FIGURE 9- Fourth Courtyard- engravmgfrom Barttlet;from DoGAN KUBAN, 'The Topkapz Palace', m The Encyclopedra oflstanbul from Yesterday to Today (Istanbul, 1994), VII,
PP- 281}-{}1 (from L'ardoc, Bosphorous 1639, Nazzm TzmuroJ;lu photo archzve).
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STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF GARDENS AND DESIGNED LANDSCAPES : ERGUN AND ISKENDER
PAVED COURTYARDS AND GARDENS OF THE HAREM
The Harem is approximately I 50 metres in length and has a Width of
between 75 and 85 metres. The paved courtyards, porches and gardens that • connect the rooms with the sofas of the Harem are open spaces where
pool. The stalls, which were lower than the surroundillg paths, were raised to prevent water accumulation. Round holes were illcluded on the floor of the courtyard tor a wooden pergola on which villes could be planted.
'Ikballer' (Sultan's Favorite) Paved Courtyard and the '.Sim-l_irlik' (Common Box site): On the floor of the 'Ikballer' Paved Courtyard, which was originally developed as a hanging garden, stones and ornaments of different designs and shapes are to be found. Durillg the reparr work camed out beneath the walls of the Harem ill I963 a large outer pool was discovered. Next to the pool is a 'Common Box' site, extending from Giilhane Park up to the walls that irlSulate the Harem. This feature parnally conceals the women's section of the Harem.
its inhabitants congregated. Although their original functions are not so apparent today, the sections of the Harem may be classtfied under five groups accordmg to their functwns:
• 'Karaagalar' (Black Eunuchs') Paved Courtyard: The Horse Road runnillg through the middle of the courtyard is covered with coloured pebbles which ensure safe footing. It divides rnto two towards the end of the courtyard and becomes one srngle path agaill ill front of the Big Harem Gate.
•
•
•
68
'Cariyeler' (The Concubrnes') Paved Courtyard and the Harem Garden: Two floor buildillgs surround the top 'Cariyeler' Paved Courtyard. The porches that lie around the 'Kiifeki' (coarse sands) Courtyard are partly closed. To the east of the Paved Courtyard 1S the 52-step staircase of the Harem Garden, where flowers were planted. It was insulated from the outside by very high outer walls on all sides.
'Valide Sultan' (The Sultan's mother) Paved Courtyard: The 'Valide Sultan' Paved Courtyard assumes the character of a middle sofa (hall) of a traditwnal Turkish house, where rooms open onto a middle hall, and represents the most important example of Its type ill Ottoman architecture. It forms the core of the buildings where the inhabitants of the Harem lived and was originally surrounded by porches with columns and arches on four sides. Today, however, only two porches survived on two of its sides. The
Horse Road is also characterized by its coloured pebbles and ends at the mounting-block in front of the Sultanate Gate.
Paved Courtyard of Osman the Third and the Sultan's sofa: An
unportant rum among the paved courtyards of the Harem is that of Osman III, built ill the rrud-eighteenth century (I754-57) and based on stone and bnck legs and arches. It is of some sigrlificance because it is the only hanging garden that has survived to the present day. In the middle of the courtyard is a small pool, characterized by its threelayered fountaill composed of a snake and a dragon head known as 'camel's neck' as well as a four-flower stall irlSide a stone bed on two sides of the
CHANGES IN THE GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE
Havillg investigated the gardens of the Topkapi Palace, it is concluded that they could survive today only after certam changes have been made.
Changes in the Fifth Courtyard
• After the fires of I863 ill the Topkapi Coastal Palace on the Golden Horn and Sarayburnu side (north) of the Fifth Courtyard, the Harem (inner) Garden was destroyed. Today this area is occupied by Sarayburnu Park and is also used as a Ferry-Boat pier. The 'Hasbalzte', onginally the outer garden of the Coastal Palace, was demolished to make way for the construction of the railway and a coastal road. The pavilion Inside the garden and the glass houses were also demolished owing to the high cost of maintenance.
• The terraces of the Giilhane Park side of the FJ.fth Courtyard were demolished in I 9 I 2 and many of the old cypress trees were removed to accommodate new roads. It was rearranged informally as 'Giilhane Park', but its intensive use as a fesuval slte and the failure to provide necessary protection has resulted ill the flora of the park being badly damaged.
• Between I955 and I957, spnng and flower festivals were hosted in Giilhane Park, but because no formal protection for them was arranged, the tree plantations of the park sustained considerable damage.
• The Outer Gardens of the Palace were narrowed considerably when the coastal ring road was constructed ill 1955, and further damage ensued
when a pipeline was laid in I979-
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GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE: AN EXAMPLE OF TURKISH GARDEN ART
• In 1987, the Istanbul Murucrpality initiated the 'Culhane Festival' On the occasion of the festival, many prefabricated sales points were erected and the park turned into a commercial area. These additions were not in harmony with the aesthetics of the historical park; natural or artificial pave
ment tiles, concrete slabs and hard materials were used to cover the ground.
Changes in the First Courtyard
The First Courtyard was almost completely emptied in the second half of the nineteenth century and damaged by the laying of hard pavements for the parking lot that stands there today.
The surveys conducted in the inner gardens of the Topkapi Palace revealed the following.
Changes in the Second Courtyard
In 1968, paths in the Second Courtyard were rearranged and a cistern discovered m the middle of the Sultan's Road. The sides of the stalls located beside the paths widen hke arms from the Middle Gate. These were planted with flowers, and large cubical vases were located at the head of the stall at various pomts along the Sultan's Road. Both it and the path that connects
the External Treasury to the Bab us Saade were la1d with concrete slabs instead of the characteristic stone pavements of the Second Courtyard. As a result, their appearance is now in conflict Wlth traditional Turkish garderung architecture.
Changes in the Third Courtyard
• In 1978 further renovatiOn work took place in the garden. The soil platform that had been an obstacle in the corner where a plum tree had been planted was removed and the tree cut down. On the stall beside the side path were two square raJSed platforms where plane trees were planted that extended from the main path to the Siferli (mobilized army) dormltones. However, the young plane trees were planted beside the monumental plane trees. Because of the frequent use of the second path, which extends from the right side of the audience chamber, it was laid with concrete slabs, which do not accord with the environment.
• Pnvets and roses were planted m the stalls that surround the Library of Ahrnet III, built in 1718 after the demolition of the Pooled Pavilion that had stood in the middle of the Courtyard. The large stall in front of the building is arranged as a recreation park with its flower beds and banks surrounding the pool in the middle.
Changes in the Fourth Courtyard
• The Fourth Courtyard was rearranged into terraces and is now open to the public. The top terrace accommodated the Taxus Baccates and the Tuhp Garden with its marble paving, and 1S one of the most beauuful external sites of the palace. The fig orchard, the gardens and the pools m the lower terrace are still left rather unattended. Rather hke the concrete slabs used m the Third Courtyard, the use of asphalt has created an appearance that does not conform to histoncal structures.
• Three rectangular-shaped pools were discovered m the sports field, which is unused today. The first section of the Fourth Courtyard is accessed through the first passage, an entrance hall that starts Wlth the stairs in the Third Courtyard and continues up to a ramp and then through the second passage to a stone-paved ramp. The large site beside the second passage was paved with asphalt and has since been opened as a parking lot. As in the other examples above, the use of this matenal IS not in harmony with Its surroundings.
Recommendations and conclusion
To protect and improve the mner and outer gardens of the Topkapi Palace, the following courses of action are recommended m hne with the Florence Charter: • Studies of the gardens of the Topkapi Palace should be maintained With
the cooperation and participation of UNESCO, ICOMOS, IFLA and Turkish National Comm1ttee.
• To determine the preVIous garden arrangements, an mventory and maps must be established and a process of research, project designing, 1IDplementation, maintenance, protectiOn, use and control implemented.
• Through the design of a tree map of the gardens, the existing plan of the gardens should be created and the flora, its properties and the well-bemg of
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STUDIES IN THE HISTORY OF GARDENS AND DESIGNED LANDSCAPES : ERGUN AND ISKENDER
plants secured. Furthermore, the previous conditlon and locations of the architecrural elements m the gardens should be established. In our srudy, a map for 'The Inner Gardens and Plant Distributions of the Topkapi Palace' was produced and the plant speoes and architecrural elements of the garden identified (figure IO).
e Where inappropriate paving and building materials were used on different sites, they should be replaced by materials that conform to the onginal
design and construction.
• A hst should be drawn up of the current as well as the preVIous types of trees and bushes that have been lost for the reasons outlined above. A
nursery garden should be established from which rnarure plants can be
supphed.
e Damage to the old trees that affect adversely the appearance of the garden should be repaired and bigger trees should replace the dymg ones.
• The gardens of the Palace should be used as a living space without affecting the atmosphere of the gardens. To this end, the entry of motor velucles into the Palace should be heavily restricted.
e The parking lot in the Fmt Courtyard should be removed and a new solut10n sought for parkmg.
• Gulhane Park should remain loyal to its original design and construction.
LEJAND 1/1000
1 PlATANUS OCCIENT.t.US 36 P"1'RACANTHA COCCENEA
2 Pt.A~ OR1ENTAI..JS 311 HYDRANG'EA
lTJ1.JA.AI..AA. 17~\IU...GAR.E!
<I .A.JIOt.A.N:S REGIA l8 RO:M.
15 cans AIJ8TRAUS 38 EVONlWU8 .IAPONlCA
15 FRAXtHU8 CJR:NU8 "" N'EfUI.JU Ol.EAHDER 7 PRl..MJB &ARGENT1 41 8l.OO.J:S I5EMP'ER\ItREHS
8 R:l..N..e ~ .t2 PHl..ADa?'I-US ~
I SALIX BAI!IYLC'INJCA 43 OlEA FRAQRANS
10FK:USCAAJCA 44 ~JAPOH!CA
11 ~9IDtCA -46 l..JGl.IST'RlA4
12 ER:l060TRlA ...IA.F"()NNA 4(1 V6ROJoOCA REP8m
1l ORE~ lN'DIVlZA 47 OUER8lJS llEX
14 ~ }-4Ffi{)CAS1AMJW 48 f'I'.EONiA. SU'FFRl1TJCO&.\
115 ~ HOB1lJS -48 ARl.J'N'D:H'.R1 FASTl..WIA
16 MAGNOI...lA. G.Ro'JID{A_j)RA 60 HEDEPV.I-EUX
1V ACE.R HEQUNOO
20 A1..AH1HUS AI...TISSNA
21 DIOSP"t'RR8 l.OTlJ3
22l.UOJS~
23 DIOSPYROS KAKI
201 TrQJA C>CCX>aof!Ali:S
2SCl.!PREMU5 ~
26 """"' 8RUTlA T1 PICEA ORlENTAUS
FIGURE ro. Flora diStribution of the znner murtyards of the Topkapz Palace.
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GARDENS OF THE TOPKAPI PALACE: AN EXAMPLE OF TURKISH GARDEN ART
The above recommendations are presented so that the gardens of Topkapr
Palace can be left to future generations as a living cultural hentage of the
Eastern and the Western traditions of the art of gardenrng.
common privet and yew-tree, cypress, plane, pine tree, willow, and, under
the shade of trees, hydrangea (see note I 8).
The trees planted in CUlhane Park were turpentine and plane, maples,
horse chestnut, birch, deodora and cedar of Lebanon, cypress, Judas, European
and eastern spruce, Calabnan pine, Austrian pine, coastal pine, pistacluo, elm,
coastal sequoia, silver lime, false acacia, weeping-willow, and many other
specres of bushes (see note I 8).
Istanbul Technical University
Appendix
The trees planted in the Fifth Courtyard were Eu~opean spruce, Himalayan
deodora, atlas cedar, cedar of Lebanon, common ash wrth pointed leaves,
maple with common ash leaves, walnut, Chirrese persunmon, Japanese
The trees planted m the Fourth Courtyard on the top terrace were
firethorns, magnolias, lime, Atlas cedar, Calabnan pme and cypress; on the
lower terrace were cypress, heathers and hydrangeas (see note 17).
r. GoNUL EVYAPAN, Development of Formal Gardens within the History and its Impacts on Turlezsh Art of Gardening (Ankara: Faculty of Ardutecture of METU, I974), no. 2I; and SEDAT H. ELDEM, Turkzsh Gardens (Istanbul: Ministry of Culture, Turlu.sh Art Pieces, no. I, Apa Pnnting House,
I976). 2. GuNEL AxoDOGAN, 'Our culture of gardening from
yesterday to today', Journal of Our Art World, The Culture of Gardening, no. 58 (I995), pp. 7-I4.
3- EKREM GURENLI, 'The palace gardens from yesterday to today,' Periodzcal of the National Palaces, no. I
(I987), pp. 6o-7. 4- GoNUL EvYAPAN, 'Impacts of the West on Turlu.sh
gardens', Journal of Yapi, no. 98 (I989), pp. 46-50. 5. OzGE !SKENDER, The Gardens of the Topkapi Palace
as the Living Cultural Heritage (Istanbul: Insotute of Science of Istanbul Techrucal University, I995)-
6. http:/ /www.icomos.org/veruce_charter.html 7 http:/ /www.icomos.org/florence_charter html 8. METIN SozEN, The Palace, The State's House
(Istanbul: Sandoz Cultural Publ, 1990), no. 12 9- MusTAFA CEZAR, 'Place of the palace bmldings
and culture ill art in operung to the West', in The Symposzum on National Palaces of the Turkzsh Grand National Assembly, Proceedings (1985), pp. 46-68.
NOTES
10. AHMET C. Yrwrzcr, 'Yesterday and today of the palace gardens', The Sympos1um on National Palaces of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Proceedzngs (1985), p. I24
I r. CAHIT KA YRA, Istanbul· Spcues and Times (Istanbul· Ak, 1990), no 52.
12 SEDAT H. ELDEM and FERIDUN AKOZAN, The Topkap1 Palace. An Architectural Research (Istanbul: Ministry of Culture and Tounsm, General Management of Ancient Art and Museums, I982). See also note r.
I3- DoGAN KuBAN, 'The Topkapr Palace', in The Encyclopedia of Instanbul from Yesterday to Today (Istanbul: joint publicatiOn of the Mrmstry of Culture and the Foundation of HIStory, I994), VII, pp. 28Q--9L
I4- FERIDUN AKOZAN, ONDER KU0JKERMAN, ALPARSLAN ATAMAN, lLBAN Oz and DENIZ ESEMENLI, Topkap1 - The Palace of Felicity (Istanbul Ertug and Kciluk,
I 991). 15. SEDAT H. ELDEM, Notes on the Outer Garden i!f the
Topkapi Palcue, Our Cultural Rentage from Istanbul to Goreme (Istanbul: Mllliyet, I984).
r6. REFIK FIDAN, 'Tree speCies used in palace gardens',
Journal of National Palaces, no. I (I987), pp. 68-71. I7. FAIK YALTIRIK, 'The garden of the Topkap1 Palace',
ill The Encyclopedia of Istanbul from Yesterday to Today
(Istanbul: joint publicatiOn of the Ministry of Culture and the Foundation of Hrstory, I994), VII, p. 29I; ORRAN SAlK GoKYA't, 'Gardens', m The Annual of the Topkapi Palcue Museum (Istanbul: Topkapi Palace Museum, I990), no. 4, pp. 7-21.
I8. FAIK YALTIRIK, 'The Gulhane Park', m The Encyclopedia of Instanbul from Yesterday to Today (Istanbul: JOint publication of the Mrrustry of Culture and the Foundabon of History, I994), III,
p 439-19 SEMAVI EYICE, The Topkapi Palcue (Istanbul: Epoch,
I98s). 20. MURAT SERTOGLU, Daily Life at the Topkapi Palace
(Istanbul: Dogan Kard~, I974)-2L jEAN B. TAVERNIER, 'Life at the Topkapr Palace',
ill The Senal for History, Memory, Travel and Event (Istanbul: Cagdas, I984), no. 3 5-
22 C::ELIK GULERSOY, 'Monumental trees', ill The
Encyclopedia if Istanbul from Yesterday to Today (Istanbul: JOmt publicatiOn of the Mimstry of Culture and the Foundabon of HIStory, I993), r, pp. 272-4
23. GuLRU NECIPOGLU, Architecture, Ceremony and Power of the Topkapz Palace m the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries (New York: Architectural Hrstory Foundabon, I99I).
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