Belgrad Forest

Falih Rıfkı Atay Nature Park (Turkish: Falih Rıfkı Atay Tabiat Parkı) is a nature park located in Sarıyer district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.Situated 7 km (4.3 mi) northwest of Bahçeköy neighborhood of Sarıyer and next to the Neşet Suyu Nature Park, it covers an area of 16.33 ha (40.4 acres). It was established in 2011, and is one of the nine nature parks inside the Belgrad Forest. The protected area is named in honor of journalist, writer and politician Falih Rıfkı Atay (1894–1971).Serbs who were taken prisoners of war at the Siege of Belgrade (1521) by Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (reigned 1520–1566), were brought to Istanbul and settled in a village, which used to lie within the park boundaries. The nature park contains the ruins of a church, which is a protected historic building and was registered as cultural heritage in November 1999.The nature park offers outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, cycling and picnicing for visitors on daily basis. There are playgrounds for children. Admission is charged for visitors and vehicles and an open-air restaurant serves the visitors.

Kömürcübent Nature Park (Turkish: Kömürcübent Tabiat Parkı) is a nature park located in Sarıyer district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.Kömürcübent is situated inside the Belgrad Forest at Bahçeköy neighborhood of Sarıyer.It is reached after entering the Belgrad Forest through its Bahçeköy Gate, and passing by Neşet Suyu Nature Park and Falih Rıfkı Atay Nature Park. It covers an area of about 3 ha (7.4 acres). The area was declared a nature park by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2011, and is one of the nine nature parks inside the Belgrad Forest. The protected area is named for the historic dam Kömürcübent, which was built on Topuz Creek in 1620 by the Ottoman sultan Osman II (reigned 1618–1622). The dam is the oldest one in the Belgrad Forest. Next to the nature park, there is a deer farm.The nature park offers outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, cycling and picnicing for visitors on daily basis. There is an outdoor restaurant, an outdoor coffeehouse and playgrounds for children. Admission is charged for visitors and vehicles.

Neşet Suyu Nature Park, aka Neşetsuyu Nature Park, (Turkish: Neşet Suyu Tabiat Parkı or Neşetsuyu Tabiat Parkı) is a nature park located in Sarıyer district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.Situated 6 km (3.7 mi) northwest of Bahçeköy neighborhood of Sarıyer and next to the Falih Rıfkı Atay Nature Park, it covers an area of 67.47 ha (166.7 acres). It was established in 2011, and is one of the nine nature parks inside the Belgrad Forest. The protected area is named in honor of Professor (Ottoman Turkish: Müderris) Neşet Bey (1881–1924).Neşet Bey was born in Resen, Ottoman Empire, today in North Macedonia, in 1881. He taught at the (Ottoman Turkish: Orman Mekteb-i âlîsi), today Forestry Faculty of Istanbul University, and served as its rector. He was much respected for his works in forestry by his colleagues and students. A memorial marble inscription erected by the Turkish Directorate General of Forestry on September 21, 1953 is situated inside the nature park. In the southwest of the nature park, the Büyük Bent (literally: Big Dam) is situated on the Kırkçeşme water canal. Remains of a cistern and the mihrab of an open-air prayer place (Turkish: namazgah) are registered protected cultural heritage in the park area.In 2000, the soil in the park area, which is one of the most popular recreation places in Istanbul, was loosened up by earth movers since the soil became hardened throughout the years like concrete endangering the trees. It was found that the growth of the tree roots stopped, bacteria and fungi population increased due to lack of oxygen in the soil. Fallen leaves could not merge with the hardened soil to make it nutrient for the vegetation. The park area was closed to picnics until 2005.

Fatih Çeşmesi Nature Park (Turkish: Fatih Çeşmesi Tabiat Parkı) is a nature park located in Eyüp district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.Fatih Çeşmesi Nature Park is situated inside the Belgrad Forest in Eyüp. It is about 6 km (3.7 mi) in distance west of Bahçeköy and east of Kemerburgaz. The area was declared a nature park by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2011, and is one of the nine nature parks inside the Belgrad Forest. The protected area is named, literally "Fountain of the Conqueror", in honor of the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror (reigned 1444–1446 and 1451–1481). It covers an area of about 29.5 ha (73 acres).

Kirazlıbent Nature Park (Turkish: Kirazlıbent Tabiat Parkı) is a nature park located in the Eyüp district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.Kirazlıbent Nature Park is situated inside the Belgrad Forest in Eyüp. It is about 6 km (3.7 mi) in distance west of Bahçeköy and east of Kemerburgaz. The area was declared a nature park by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2011, and is one of the nine nature parks inside the Belgrad Forest. It covers an area of about 19.14 ha (47.3 acres). The protected area is named after the dam Kirazlıbent, which was built by the Ottoman sultan Mahmud II (reigned 1808–1839) at the Kirazlı Creek in 1818.The nature park offers outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, cycling and picnicing for visitors on daily basis. There are playgrounds for children. Admission is charged for visitors and vehicles.

Irmak Nature Park (Turkish: Irmak Tabiat Parkı) is a nature park located in Sarıyer district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.Irmak Nature Park is situated across Kirazlıbent Nature Park inside the Belgrad Forest and is west of Bahçeköy, Sarıyer. The area was declared a nature park by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2011, and is one of the nine nature parks inside the Belgrad Forest. It covers an area of about 10 ha (25 acres). The protected area is named for the creek (Turkish: Irmak) running through the protected area.The nature park offers outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, cycling and picnicing for visitors on daily basis.[2] There are playgrounds for children. Admission is charged for visitors and vehicles.

Ayvat Bendi Nature Park (Turkish: Ayvat Bendi Tabiat Parkı) is a nature park located in Eyüpsultan district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.Situated 9 km (5.6 mi) north of Kemerburgaz neighborhood of Eyüpsultan, it covers an area of 50 ha (120 acres). It was established in 2011, and is one of the nine nature parks inside the Belgrad Forest. The protected area is named after the Ayvat Dam (Turkish: Ayvat Bendi), which was built by Ottoman Sultan Mustafa III (reigned 1757–1774) in 1765 on the Ayvat Creek, a tributary of the Kağıthane Creek.

The New Dam (Turkish: Yeni Bent), a.k.a. Mahmud II Dam (Turkish: II. Mahmut Bendi), is a historic dam located in Sarıyer district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. The New Dam was built in 1830 by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II (reigned 1808–1839).The dam is situated next to Valide Dam north of Bahçeköy, Sarıyer inside the Bentler Nature Park, which is part of the Belgrad Forest.The New Dam impounds a tributary of Acıelma Creek and has a catchment area of 0.83 km2 (0.32 sq mi). It is a solid gravity dam constructed in masonry having a circular form. The dam is 15.62 m (51.2 ft) high from the thalweg and 101.55 m (333.2 ft) long at crest. The crest is 6.90 m (22.6 ft) and the base is 9.40 m (30.8 ft) wide. The dam has a reservoir capacity of 217,500 m3 (7,680,000 cu ft).

Bentler Nature Park (Turkish: Bentler Tabiat Parkı) is a nature park located in Sarıyer district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Bentler means "dams" in Turkish language. Situated 1 km (0.62 mi) from Bahçeköy neighborhood of Sarıyer, it covers an area of 16.3 ha (40 acres). It was established in 2011, and is one of the nine nature parks inside the Belgrad Forest. The protected area is named after the historic dams, the Topuzlu Dam (Topuzlu Bendi, built 1750), Valide Dam (Valide Bendi, built 1796) and New Dam (Yeni Bent or II. Mahmud Bendi, built 1839), which are located north of the park area. There are other structures as the Iskara Bendi and historical fountains from the Ottoman Empire era. Bentler Nature Park has two entrances, the main entrance of Belgrad Forest and Kurtkemeri Gate.The nature park offers outdoor recreation activities such as hiking, cycling and picnicing for visitors on daily basis. There are playgrounds for children. Admission is charged for visitors and vehicles.

Valide Dam (Turkish: Valide Bendi) is a historic dam located in Sarıyer district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Valide Dam was built in 1796 by Ottoman Sultan Selim III (reigned 1789–1807) to provide water for the donations in Eyüp of his mother Mihrişah Sultan (c. 1745–1805), who was titled Valide sultan during his reign.The dam is situated north of Bahçeköy, Sarıyer inside the Bentler Nature Park, which is part of the Belgrad Forest.Valide Dam impounds Ayazağa Creek, a tributary of Acıelma Creek, and has a catchment area of 1.825 km2 (0.705 sq mi). It is a solid gravity dam constructed in masonry with its crest and the waterside wall covered by marble. Two buttresses in 6.30 m (20.7 ft) distance at toe are attached to the downstream wall to reinforce the structure. The dam is 11.25 m (36.9 ft) high from the thalweg and 103.90 m (340.9 ft) long at crest. The crest is 4.72 m (15.5 ft) and the base is 6.30 m (20.7 ft) wide. The dam has a reservoir capacity of 255,000 m3 (9,000,000 cu ft).

Atatürk Arboretum is an arboretum in Bahçeköy, Sarıyer, Istanbul Province, Turkey. The establishment of an arboretum was proposed by Hayrettin Kayacık, professor of the Faculty of Forestry at Istanbul University in 1949. Initially, an area of 38 ha (94 acres) was foreseen for the arboretum. Between 1959 and 1961, Camille Guinet, inspector of the Sorbonne University's botanical garden, planned the road network inside the arboretum. Due to financial shortages, accomplishment of the project took time. Opened on July 12, 1982, it was named in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938), the founder of Turkish Republic, on his 100th birthday anniversary. It is owned and financed by the Directorate General of Forestry, which is also responsible for the administrative operation. Istanbul University's Faculty of Forestry is the scientific partner of the park's executive board.The main goal of the arboretum is to serve the faculty and the students of Istanbul University's Forestry Department including the relevant agencies of the Ministry of Forest and Water Management, forest engineers, landscape architects, domestic and foreign scientists as well as nature lovers in their research work.The arboretum covers an area of 296 ha (730 acres) southeast of Belgrad Forest. It contains the 1818-built Kirazlı Dam (Turkish: Kirazlıbent) and a 1916-establıshed plant nursery.

Topuzlu Dam (Turkish: Topuzlu Bent) is a historic dam located in Sarıyer district of Istanbul Province in Turkey. Topuzlu Dam was built in 1750 by Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I (reigned 1730–1754). In 1786, its crest was raised about 3.40 m (11.2 ft) higher by Abdul Hamid I (reigned 1774–1789). The dam is named "Topuzlu" meaning "bulged" due to a bulge-formed central part of the upstream wall side. The dam is situated just north of Bahçeköy, Sarıyer inside the Bentler Nature Park, which is part of the Belgrad Forest.Topuzlu Dam impounds Eskibağlar Creek and has a catchment area of 0.92 km2 (0.36 sq mi). It is a solid gravity dam constructed in masonry. The dam is 14.00 m (45.93 ft) high from the thalweg and 80.65 m (264.6 ft) long at crest. The crest is 4.30 m (14.1 ft) and the base is 7.00 m (22.97 ft) wide. The dam has a reservoir capacity of 160,000 m3 (5,700,000 cu ft).