Site of Gezi Park protests

Small city park by Taksim Square that became the symbol of a nationwide protest movement in Turkey in 2013.

Gezi Park is one of the few remaining green spaces in the heart of Istanbul, located directly adjacent to Taksim Square. In May and June 2013, it became the epicentre of a nationwide wave of protests against the Erdoğan government: what began as a sit-in against a construction project on the park site escalated, after a heavy police crackdown, into the largest demonstrations in modern Turkish history. Hundreds of thousands participated across more than 80 cities. Today the park is once again a quiet green lung of the megacity, but it has gained worldwide recognition as a site of civil resistance.