District in Beyo?lu, Istanbul, Turkey
Taksim Square
(
Turkish
:
Taksim Meydanı
,
IPA:
[?taksim
?mejdan?]
), situated in
Beyo?lu
in the
European
part of
Istanbul
,
Turkey
, is a major tourist and leisure district famed for its restaurants, shops, and hotels. It is considered the heart of modern Istanbul, with the central station of the
Istanbul Metro
network. Taksim Square is also the location of the
Republic Monument
(
Turkish
:
Cumhuriyet Anıtı
) which was crafted by
Pietro Canonica
and inaugurated in 1928. The monument commemorates the 5th anniversary of the foundation of the
Republic of Turkey
in 1923, following the
Turkish War of Independence
.
The square is flanked to the south by The Marmara Hotel, to the east by the
Ataturk Cultural Centre
, to the north by
Gezi Park
and to the west by
Taksim Mosque
. Several major roads converge on the square: Gumu?suyu Caddesi, Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Tarlaba?ı Bulvarı,
?stiklal Caddesi
and Sıraselviler Caddesi.
History
[
edit
]
The word Taksim means "division" or "distribution" in Arabic. Taksim Square was originally the point where the main water lines from the north of Istanbul were collected and branched off to other parts of the city (hence the name.) This use for the area was established by Sultan
Mahmud I
. The square takes its name from the
Ottoman
era stone
reservoir
which is located along one side of the square.
Another significant building that once stood on the square was the 19th century
Taksim Artillery Barracks
(
Taksim Kı?lası
, which later became the
Taksim Stadium
), but which was demolished in 1940 during the construction works in accordance with the plans of
French
architect and
city planner
Henri Prost
for Taksim Square and
Taksim Gezi Park
.
[1]
Taksim Gezi Park is a small green park in the midst of the concrete expanse of central Istanbul. In 2013, the city municipality, wanting to rebuild the old barracks as a shopping venue on the site of the park, began forcefully removing protesters who had set up camp in the park. After news spread of the police brutality, thousands of people rallied in the
Occupy Taksim
movement, to stop the demolition of the park. As of 2013, the status of the demolition project was in limbo, the
Justice and Development Party
(AKP) government has the
Police
stationed in and around Taksim Square ready with
riot control
equipment to deter any large demonstrations.
[2]
[
needs update
]
Present day
[
edit
]
Taksim is a main transportation hub and a popular destination for both tourists and residents of Istanbul.
?stiklal Caddesi
(Independence Avenue), a long pedestrian shopping street, ends at this square, and a nostalgic tram runs from the square along the avenue, ending near the
Tunel
(1875) which is the world's second-oldest subway line after
London's Underground
(1863). In addition to serving as the main transfer point for the municipal bus system, Taksim Square is also the terminus of the Hacıosman-4. Levent-Taksim-Yenikapı subway line of the
Istanbul Metro
.
Taksim's position was given an extra boost on June 29, 2006, when the new
Kabata?-Taksim Funicular
line F1 connecting the Taksim Metro station with the
Kabata?
tramway
station and
Seabus port
was opened, allowing people to ascend to Taksim in just 110 seconds.
[3]
Surrounding Taksim Square are numerous travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, pubs, and international
fast food
chains such as
Pizza Hut
,
McDonald's
,
Subway
, and
Burger King
. It is also home to some of Istanbul's grandest hotels including the
InterContinental
, the
Divan
, and The Marmara Hotel. Taksim used to be a favourite location for public events such as parades, New Year celebrations, and other social gatherings, although since 2016 permission has rarely been given for such gatherings.
Ataturk Cultural Center
(
Ataturk Kultur Merkezi
), a multi-purpose concert hall and cultural centre reopened after renovation in 2021, is also located in Taksim Square. It faces the
Taksim Square Mosque
which also opened 2021.
[4]
[5]
Demonstrations and incidents
[
edit
]
The square used to be an important venue for
political protests
.
- On February 16, 1969, some 150 leftist demonstrators were injured during clashes with right wing groups in what is known as "
Bloody Sunday
".
- In the events known as the
Taksim Square massacre
, 36 left-wing demonstrators were killed by unidentified and allegedly right-wing gunmen on the square during the
Labour Day
demonstrations of May 1, 1977.
- On 10 August 1982,
Artin Penik
, a Turkish Armenian, set himself on fire to protest the
Esenboga airport attack
by the
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia
.
[6]
- Taksim Square was the location of football riots in 2000 when two
Leeds United
fans were
stabbed to death
during clashes with
Galatasaray
fans, the night before the
1999-2000
UEFA Cup
semi-final first leg
match between the two teams.
- On October 31, 2010, a
suicide bomb
went off next to a police bus. The bomber, a
TAK
militant, died, while 15 police officers and 17 civilians were injured.
[7]
Following many other violent incidents, all protests and demonstrations were banned and today police units maintain a round-the-clock presence to prevent any incidents. It is many years since either May Day or New Year's Day events were permitted to take place in the square, with much of the surrounding area usually fenced off for the day and the Metro station often closed to prevent people gathering.
Gezi Park protests
[
edit
]
In 2013,
protests took place
in Taksim in opposition to the reconstruction of the Ottoman era
Taksim Military Barracks
(demolished in 1940 to create
Gezi Park
) and a
shopping centre
on the site of Gezi Park.
[8]
In the early morning of May 31,
police
forces moved in on the demonstrators and people sleeping in tents, and tried to disperse them with
tear gas
,
pepperspray
and
water cannons
.
[9]
[10]
The demonstrators criticized Prime Minister
(now President) Recep Tayyip Erdo?an
for his uncompromising stance on this controversial issue and for the Turkish police's excessive use of force against the demonstrators.
[11]
The large number of trees in the forests of northern Istanbul that were cut down to provide access to the
Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge
(Third Bosphorus Bridge) and the new
Istanbul International Airport
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
(the world's largest airport)
[12]
[14]
[16]
were other factors that triggered the
Gezi Park protests
. According to official Turkish government data, a total of 2,330,012
[17]
[18]
trees have been cut down to make way for the airport and its road connections; while a further 381,096
[17]
[18]
trees were cut down to make way for the highways leading to the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge.
[18]
Gallery
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Yok olan ?stanbul Taksim Meydanı - Topcu Kı?lası yeniden in?a ediliyor!"
.
wowturkey.com
.
- ^
"Police disperse protesters with pepper spray to continue partial demolition of Gezi Park"
.
Today's Zaman
. 2013-05-28. Archived from
the original
on 2013-06-23
. Retrieved
2013-06-01
.
- ^
Taksim-Kabata? funicular subway connection
Archived
2007-05-17 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
SABAH, DAILY (2021-04-19).
"Mosque to finally be unveiled in Istanbul's Taksim Square"
.
Daily Sabah
. Retrieved
2021-04-19
.
- ^
Gall, Carlotta (2019-03-22).
"In Istanbul, Erdogan Remakes Taksim Square, a Symbol of Secular Turkey"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2021-04-19
.
- ^
Associated Press (August 16, 1982).
"Armenian Dies Of Self-inflicted Burns"
.
Observer-Reporter
. Retrieved
2021-02-14
.
- ^
"Suicide blast hits Istanbul"
.
Al Jazeera
. 31 October 2010
. Retrieved
31 October
2010
.
- ^
"Taksim park protests in 4th day amid police crackdown"
.
Hurriyet Daily News
. 31 May 2013
. Retrieved
31 May
2013
.
- ^
Seymour, Richard (31 May 2013).
"Istanbul park protests sow the seeds of a Turkish spring"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
Arango, Tim; Yeginsu, Ceylan (31 May 2013).
"Peaceful Protest Over Istanbul Park Turns Violent as Police Crack Down"
.
New York Times
.
- ^
Thumann, Michael (31 May 2013).
"Eine Ahnung von Tahrir in Istanbul"
[An Inkling of Tahrir in Istanbul].
Die Zeit
(in German).
- ^
a
b
Sharkov, Damien (14 August 2014).
"Istanbul's New Erdo?an-Backed Airport to Be Named After... Erdo?an"
.
Newsweek
.
- ^
"?stanbul's new airport to be named after Erdo?an"
.
Today's Zaman
. 13 August 2014. Archived from
the original
on 18 August 2014.
- ^
a
b
Mezzofiore, Gianluca (14 August 2014).
"Erdogan Airport: Istanbul's Super Hub 'to be Named After Turkey's President-Elect'
"
.
- ^
"Turkey's largest airport is worthy of Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's name, minister says"
.
Hurriyet Daily News
.
- ^
"Dunyanın en buyuk havalimanı ?stanbul'a yapılıyor"
[The World's Largest Airport is being Built in Istanbul].
Star
(in Turkish). 23 January 2013
. Retrieved
24 January
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"?stanbul'da 2 milyon 700 bin a?ac kesilecek"
[2 Million 700 Thousand Trees will be Cut Down in Istanbul].
oda TV
(in Turkish). 16 September 2013.
- ^
a
b
c
"3. kopru ve 3. havalimanı icin 2 milyon 330 bin a?ac kesilecek!"
[2.33 Million Trees will be Cut Down for the Third Bridge and the Third Airport!].
T24
(in Turkish). 17 September 2013. Archived from
the original
on 20 September 2013.
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