Istanbul mayor opens urban forest named after Republic's founder Atatürk

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu opened an urban forest named after the founder of the Turkish Republic on the national holiday for his commemoration. The Ataturk Urban Forest was opened on May 19, Turkey's national Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.

Duvar English

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu officially opened an urban forest of almost one million square meters in Istanbul May 19 with a shortened guest list to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Named after the founder of the Turkish Republic, the Ataturk Urban Forest was opened on May 19, Turkey's national Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day.

Located in the northern part of Istanbul's European side, the Ataturk Urban Forest has three ponds and almost 12 kilometers of trails on about 920,000 square-meters of land, İmamoğlu said.

"Right in the heart of town, this is a really pleasurable location with two subway stops on both ends," the mayor added.

Mayor İmamoğlu also noted that the natural landscape of the area wasn't harmed in the landscaping of the urban forest.

All participants of the event wore surgical masks.