Fatih Sultan Mehmet Nature Park, Nature park in Sarıyer, Turkey.
Fatih Sultan Mehmet Nature Park spans 111 hectares (274 acres) within Belgrad Forest and contains deciduous trees including Kasnak oak, Turkish oak, hornbeam, chestnut, and oriental plane. The vegetation creates several distinct forest types that change based on elevation and soil conditions.
The nature park opened in 2011 as part of a network of nine protected areas established to preserve the ecological resources of Belgrad Forest. This conservation initiative emerged to safeguard the woodlands surrounding Istanbul from further degradation.
The name honors Mehmed II, the Ottoman ruler who conquered Constantinople and established it as the empire's capital. Walking through the forest, visitors experience this historical connection embedded in the landscape.
The park features outdoor restaurants, coffee houses, playgrounds, and designated spaces for picnics, hiking, and cycling along its trails. These facilities are scattered across marked pathways, allowing visitors to move easily between activity areas.
The park shelters wild boars, grey wolves, jackals, and foxes alongside numerous bird species within a forested area surrounded by city development. These animal populations thrive despite urban proximity, demonstrating the forest's capacity to sustain wilderness.
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