The Atatürk Airport National Garden, inaugurated under the theme “The Breath of Istanbul, The Nation’s Garden,” has officially opened, welcoming its first visitors in a major advancement for urban green space in Türkiye.
The project, led by the Housing Development Administration (TOKI) under the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, reached full completion with a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Following the earlier opening of its initial phase, the National Garden now offers an extensive combination of recreational facilities and critical infrastructure for disaster preparedness.
On opening day, Istanbul residents arrived with families, carrying kilims, foldable chairs and food, taking advantage of the favorable weather to enjoy the green environment. Visitors engaged in various activities, including youth and children’s ball games, reading and socializing, highlighting the space as a new communal hub.
Designed to serve both as a recreational destination and a strategic disaster gathering site, the Atatürk Airport National Garden spans 1,215,000 square meters of green space, making it Türkiye’s largest city park. Its disaster assembly area is engineered to accommodate over 165,000 people simultaneously.
The garden is accessible via nine entrances, ensuring broad connectivity across Istanbul. Facilities include a hangar building, cooking areas, a water reservoir and renewable energy installations powered by wind and solar plants. There are 19 restrooms distributed throughout for visitor convenience.
The National Garden also features an exhibition hall, workshops, a soup kitchen, a restaurant, a marketplace and a public library, supporting diverse community engagement.
Within 72,128 square meters (17.82 acres), two külliye buildings add cultural and architectural value. The landscape includes 20,399 trees, 1,182,816 square meters of lawn and an event meadow with a capacity of 28,000 for large-scale gatherings.
Seven hills within the garden represent significant Istanbul landmarks, Sarayburnu, Süleymaniye, Fatih, Yavuz Selim, Edirnekapı, Kocamustafapaşa and Çemberlitaş, blending natural topography with cultural symbolism.
The 2.5-kilometer-long Ab-ı Hayat Stream flows along the garden’s central axis, enhancing the site’s aesthetic and environmental value.
Supporting infrastructure includes 18 greenhouses, nine marketplaces and a parking lot for 4,000 vehicles.
Sports facilities encompass 12 tennis courts, 11 basketball courts, six volleyball and six football fields, two skateboarding tracks, a 10,679-square-meter bicycle path, an 85,371-square-meter walking trail, an 18,750-square-meter hiking path and eight dedicated children’s playgrounds.
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