Taksim Square

Taksim Square is the symbolic center of modern Istanbul, sitting at the heart of the European district of Beyoğlu. Its most prominent feature is the Cumhuriyet Anıtı — the Republic Monument erected in 1928, sculpted by Pietro Canonica to depict Atatürk and the founders of the Turkish Republic. The square carries deep political weight: on May 1, 1977, gunfire into a labor rally killed over 30 people in an event that remains officially unresolved to this day. Decades later, in 2013, it became the flashpoint for the Gezi Park protests, which grew into a nationwide movement against the government. Today the square functions primarily as a transit hub and the gateway to İstiklal Caddesi, Istanbul's main pedestrian boulevard, served by metro, nostalgic tram, and bus lines.