Taksim Square ( tr, Taksim Meydanı, ), situated in
Beyoğlu
Beyoğlu (, ota, بكاوغلی, script=Arab) is a district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, separated from the old city (historic peninsula of Constantinople) by the Golden Horn. It was known as the region of Pera (Πέρα, mea ...
in the
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an part of
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
, 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
The Republic Monument ( tr, Cumhuriyet Anıtı) is a notable monument located at Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, to commemorate the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923.
Designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica and built in two and ...
( tr, 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
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
in 1923, following the
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...
.
The square is flanked to the south by The Marmara Hotel, to the east by the
Atatürk Cultural Centre, to the north by
Gezi Park and to the west by
Taksim Mosque. Several major roads converge on the square: Gümüşsuyu Caddesi, Cumhuriyet Caddesi, Tarlabaşı Bulvarı,
İstiklal Caddesi and Sıraselviler Caddesi.
History
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
Mahmud I ( ota, محمود اول, tr, I. Mahmud, 2 August 1696 13 December 1754), known as Mahmud the Hunchback, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754. He took over the throne after the Patrona Halil rebellion and he kept go ...
. The square takes its name from the
Ottoman era stone
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...
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 Kışlası'', which later became the
Taksim Stadium), but which was demolished in 1940 during the construction works in accordance with the plans of
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
architect and
city planner Henri Prost for Taksim Square and
Taksim Gezi Park.
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
The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
stationed in and around Taksim Square ready with
riot control
Riot control measures are used by law enforcement, military, paramilitary or security forces to control, disperse, and arrest people who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest.
If a riot is spontaneous and irratio ...
equipment to deter any large demonstrations.
Present day
Taksim is a main transportation hub and a popular destination for both tourists and residents of Istanbul.
İstiklal 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
Tünel
The Tünel ( en, Tunnel, designated as the F2 line on the Istanbul transport map) is a historic underground funicular line in Istanbul, Turkey. It has two stations, connecting Karaköy and Beyoğlu. The tunnel runs uphill from near the conflue ...
(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
Kabataş-Taksim Funicular line F1 connecting the Taksim Metro station with the
Kabataş tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport ...
way station and
Seabus port was opened, allowing people to ascend to Taksim in just 110 seconds.
Surrounding Taksim Square are numerous travel agencies, hotels, restaurants, pubs, and international
fast food
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredie ...
chains such as
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American multinational restaurant chain and international franchise founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney. They serve their signature pan pizza and other dishes including pasta, breadsticks and desse ...
,
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...
,
Subway
Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to:
Transportation
* Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems
* Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle
* Subway (George Bush Intercontin ...
, and
Burger King
Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant ch ...
. It is also home to some of Istanbul's grandest hotels including the
InterContinental
Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent.
Intercontinental may also refer to:
* Intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range guided ballistic missile
* InterContinental Hotels Group (I ...
, 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.
Atatürk Cultural Center (''Atatürk Kültür 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
Taksim Mosque ( tr, Taksim Camii) is a mosque complex in Taksim Square, Istanbul. It was designed by two Turkish architects in the Art Deco style, and can hold up to 3,000 worshippers at the same time. Construction began on February 17, 2017 and l ...
which also opened 2021.
Demonstrations and incidents
The square used to be an important venue for
political protests
A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one.
Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
.
* On February 16, 1969, some 150 leftist demonstrators were injured during clashes with right wing groups in what is known as "
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday may refer to:
Historical events Canada
* Bloody Sunday (1923), a day of police violence during a steelworkers' strike for union recognition in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
* Bloody Sunday (1938), police violence aga ...
".
* 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
Labour Day (''Labor Day'' in the United States) is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for ...
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.
* Taksim Square was the location of football riots in 2000 when two
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road ...
fans were
stabbed to death during clashes with
Galatasaray fans, the night before the
1999-2000 UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay ...
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.
* A march to protest the
Circassian genocide
The Circassian genocide, or Tsitsekun, was the Russian Empire's systematic mass murder, ethnic cleansing, and expulsion of 80–97% of the Circassian population, around 800,000–1,500,000 people, during and after the Russo-Circassian War ( ...
took place in May 2011.
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
In 2013,
protests took place in Taksim in opposition to the reconstruction of the Ottoman era
Taksim Military Barracks
The Taksim Military Barracks or Halil Pasha Artillery Barracks ( tr, Taksim Kışlası or ''Halil Paşa Topçu Kışlası'') were located at the site of the present-day Taksim Gezi Park next to Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey. It was built in 18 ...
(demolished in 1940 to create
Gezi Park) and a
shopping centere on the site of Gezi Park.
In the early morning of May 31,
police
The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...
forces moved in on the demonstrators and people sleeping in tents, and tried to disperse them with
tear gas
Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...
,
pepperspray and
water cannon
A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-velocity stream of water. Typically, a water cannon can deliver a large volume of water, often over dozens of meters. They are used in firefighting, large vehicle washing, riot control, and mining ...
s.
The demonstrators criticized Prime Minister
(now President) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for his uncompromising stance on this controversial issue and for the Turkish police's excessive use of force against the demonstrators.
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
Istanbul Airport ( tr, İstanbul Havalimanı, ) is the main international airport serving Istanbul, Turkey. It is located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of the city.
All scheduled commercial passenger flights were transferre ...
(the world's largest airport)
were other factors that triggered the Gezi Park protests. According to official Turkish government data, a total of 2,330,012 trees have been cut down to make way for the airport and its road connections; while a further 381,096[ trees were cut down to make way for the highways leading to the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge.][
]
Gallery
File:Topçu Kışlası by Guillaume Berggren.jpg, Taksim Artillery Barracks, which later became the Taksim Stadium, was demolished in 1940 and replaced by the Taksim Gezi Park in 1943.
File:Maxim_Night_Club,_İstanbul_(12966915284).jpg, Maxim Night Club, previously Cinemajik movie theater.
File:Taksim Square, İstanbul (12966579943).jpg, Taksim in the 1960s, with the Taşkışla Campus of Istanbul Technical University
Istanbul Technical University ( tr, İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi, commonly referred to as ITU or The Technical University) is an international technical university located in Istanbul, Turkey. It is the world's third-oldest technical universit ...
seen in the background.
File:Istanbul - panoramio (11).jpg, Hagia Triada Greek Orthodox Church, near Taksim Square
File:Taksim_monument_and_mosque.jpg, Taksim Mosque was completed in May 2021
File:Taksim 4395.jpg, Atatürk Cultural Center at Taksim Square in 1999, with the entrance of the Taksim station of the Istanbul Metro.
File:Istanbul_asv2021-10_img08_Taksim_AKM.jpg, Renovated Atatürk Cultural Center
File:TaksimAKM.jpg, Renovated Atatürk Cultural Center at night
References
{{Authority control
National squares
Squares in Istanbul
Tourism in Istanbul
Architecture in Turkey
Beyoğlu
Entertainment districts in Turkey
Transit centers in Istanbul