Gan Ha'atzmaut, Urban park in Tel Aviv, Israel
Gan Ha'atzmaut is an urban park along the Mediterranean coast west of Hayarkon Street, featuring open lawns surrounded by dense shrubs and pathways. The grounds sit atop a approximately 20-meter (65 feet) kurkar ridge with views toward the sea.
This park was designed and established in 1952 by architect Avraham Karavan. The land previously held remains of Hasmonean fortifications dating to the period of Alexander Jannaeus.
The park's reputation as a gay cruising spot, dating almost from its opening, runs through Hebrew literature and film: Yossi Avni-Levy's story collection The Garden of Dead Trees and the 2013 film Snails in the Rain, set in 1989, both place encounters here. Dory Manor's poem "In the Garden" and Arik Einstein and Shalom Hanoch's song "I Sing" also name it.
The park sits between Atarim Square and Nordau Boulevard, making it easy to reach from Tel Aviv's central areas. The elevated position on the kurkar ridge creates natural pathways that are straightforward to navigate.
The tomb of Abd al-Nabi and the graves around it stand on the kurkar hilltop south of the Hilton Tel Aviv, enclosed by a wall after the hotel was built on 17 dunams in the park's centre in the 1960s. The Qadi Tawfiq Asaliya authorised the clearing of some graves in 1963.
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