Sadabad ve Kağıthane Deresi Mesiresi

Sadabad is the name given in the 18th century to the flat ground on both banks of the Kağıthane Stream, opening towards the Golden Horn; the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam notes that the name means "auspicious, flourishing place". The valley had been one of the favourite outdoor retreats of Istanbul's people since the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Evliya Çelebi describes goldsmiths and saddlers pitching tents here, both to enjoy themselves and to hold meetings. Goldsmiths, illuminators and saddlers also held the ceremonies of their crafts on these meadows. In the spring months this was the first place people headed for open air. In the Byzantine period the stream was called Barbysos, and the name Kağıthane is said to come from the paper workshops that once stood here. Under Bayezid II a gunpowder works was set up in the valley and operated for a long time. In the 16th century the İmrahor Fountain and the İmrahor Pavilion were built, and under Murad IV a pavilion and garden in the Persian manner were laid out here. The area won its real fame at the start of the 18th century. It is related that a country feast given here in 1717 by the Grand Vizier Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha led Ahmed III to grow fond of the place. In 1722 the streambed in front of the palace was cleared and channelled into a straight canal lined on both sides with marble quays. Records state that the marble for this canal, called Cedvel-i Sim, the Silver Stream, was brought from the Kulelibahçe Pavilion in Çengelköy. Terraces, cascades and pools were built along the canal, and the water flowed over small waterfalls to collect in marble basins. The summer palace was completed within a few months in the summer of 1722; sources give different completion dates between the end of July and early August. Pavilions, bridges and fountains were added around the palace, and statesmen were encouraged to build pavilions along the stream. According to the Kağıthane District Governorate, 173 pavilions were built on the two slopes between the palace and the Golden Horn. The layout of the garden and canal is often linked to the plans brought back by Yirmisekiz Çelebi Mehmed Efendi, who served as envoy to Paris. The architect Sedad Hakkı Eldem, however, argued in a 1977 study that Sadabad had little in common with French garden design. In these years the songs of the poet Nedim made Sadabad a symbol of Istanbul's gaiety. During the Patrona Halil revolt of 1730 the pavilions along the stream were plundered and torn down. The new sultan Mahmud I would not allow the palace to be burned, but he could not prevent its destruction. Over the next century the palace was repaired, demolished and rebuilt several times. From 1809 Mahmud II had the palace rebuilt. In 1862 and 1863 Sultan Abdülaziz replaced it with the Western style Çağlayan Pavilion, and in 1867 he opened the palace garden to the public. This last building was demolished in 1943, and a military school building was erected in its place in 1952. That building is used today as the service building of Kağıthane Municipality. None of the pavilions of the Ahmed III era survives today, so visiting Sadabad means following a trace. Walking the landscaped path along the stream, you have to picture the canal once lined with marble quays and the cascades flowing across this flat ground. Near the municipal building, the few surviving fragments of the palace can be seen in the open air. The Sadabad Mosque on the stream bank, also known as the Aziziye Mosque, was built for Sultan Abdülaziz in 1863 on the site of the earlier Hayrabad Mosque and has a timber roof and a single minaret. According to the governorate, part of the stone remains of the pavilion built for Atiye Sultan still stands behind the Kağıthane bus stops. The best season for a visit is spring, when the retreat was also at its busiest in history. Because the stream path is flat and short, an hour's walk is enough to see the remains and the mosque. Central Kağıthane is reached by public transport; check current metro and bus routes with Metro Istanbul and İETT.