Hasanağa Bahçesi

Hasanağa Garden is a city park in the centre of Buca, covering about 96 decares, and it is regarded as the oldest green space in the district. Before it took its present name, the garden belonged to the Aliotti family, Levantines of Italian origin, and it was known as the Aliotti Garden. Kültür Envanteri describes the garden of this family, which owned large estates in the Aegean region and in Buca, as a densely wooded grove with a small zoo of exotic animals. The garden in the Aliotti years According to information compiled by the Buca Municipality, animals such as deer and peacocks roamed freely inside the garden, which was enclosed by high walls. Older residents of Buca remember that the garden kept this character until the 1930s. The first layout of the garden followed a Latin European approach, and straight promenade axes were its clearest trace. Creating artificial features from natural materials, or seeking a natural look with artificial materials, also belonged to the same garden culture. Municipal sources note that a similar garden design can be seen in Emirgan Grove in Istanbul. In the 1930s the garden held a wooden house with a veranda, single storey houses for the staff, a vineyard pavilion and an aviary as big as a house. Its most striking feature was an elaborate pool composition with grottoes and stalactites made of cement and iron to imitate stone and wood, together with stepped cascades. The mulberry trees on both sides of the path that crossed the garden from west to east were specially pruned into a semi transparent tunnel. This mulberry tunnel and the famous arbour of the Aliotti period no longer survive. Hasan Ağa and the fire After the death of Aliotti, his heirs put the estate up for sale. Hasan Ağa of Sarıgöl, a notable of Ödemiş, bought the garden; the Buca and İzmir municipalities give the year of the sale as 1926, while Kültür Envanteri gives 1925. Hasan Ağa had two houses built at the northern and south western corners of the garden and rented out the main mansion and its outbuildings. The main mansion burned down in the early 1930s and was never rebuilt. According to Kültür Envanteri, the rocky feature with pools and fountains near the mansion is one of the rare elements that have survived to this day. While the garden remained the property of Hasan Ağa's family it was kept open to the public and became a favourite excursion spot for the people of Buca. The name Hasan Ağa Garden settled into local speech during these years. From estate to city park In 1986 an ice skating hall was built in the garden, and in 2006 it was turned into a sports hall because of insulation problems. In 2003 the walls around the garden were demolished and the park was opened to the streets of the district. The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality completed a comprehensive renovation in 2013 that redesigned the walking and resting areas among the century old trees. This work added a 1400 metre tartan running track, a 1000 metre cycle path, basketball courts, a tennis court, a skate park and two children's playgrounds. In the same renovation, marble sculptures produced at the Second International Sculpture Workshop were placed on the lawns of the garden. In 2017, 138 trees that had reached the end of their ecological life were removed and about 300 new trees of species such as plane, pine, linden and Judas tree were planted. In the municipality's latest renovation 971 trees were pruned, and 231 new trees along with tens of thousands of shrubs and ground cover plants were planted. The same work laid lawn over about 59 thousand square metres and opened a sports station that lends sports equipment free of charge. How to explore the garden To get to know the garden, first follow the running track around the edge of the park, which lets you see the trees from different angles. Then take the inner paths and look for the rocky pool feature left from the old mansion, the place where you come closest to the Levantine past of the garden. Finding the marble sculptures placed on the lawns along the walking paths one by one is a pleasant part of the visit. In the mornings runners and walkers fill the park, while in the afternoons young people coming from school and families with children take over. The local press has reported that puddles form along some edges of the park on rainy winter days, so choose suitable shoes in that season. The park is used throughout the day as a neighbourhood garden, and it is useful to follow the announcements of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality for events. Getting there and the surroundings Although the park has a small open car park, it is easier to reach the centre of Buca by public transport. A station named Hasanağa Bahçesi is planned on the M2 metro line, which is under construction, and it will give direct access to the garden. Until then, you can come on the bus lines that run to Buca from Konak and Bornova; check current route information on the operator's website. After visiting Hasanağa Garden you can continue to Buca Gölet in the same district and complete the day with the two largest green spaces of the district.