In a city notorious for a lack of parks, these green spaces provide a place for tourists and locals to interact.
In the heart of one of Istanbul’s densest and most chaotic districts stands a 20-foot-tall stone gate adorned in colorful ceramics. The entryway bears the words, “Her canlı ölümü tadacaktır,” or “Every living thing will taste death.”
The gate and its macabre inscription mark the main entrance to Zincirlikuyu Cemetery, a million-square-foot plot of lush green land hemmed in on all sides by asphalt, high-rise apartment complexes, and bank offices. Set between the glassy business district of Levent up the road and a frenetic cross-city ferry port down the hill in Beşiktaş, millions pass the cemetery on their commute to and from work every day.
Even on a weekday afternoon, the cemetery is busy, with dozens seated at the cafe…