At the foot of Istanbul’s historic land walls, centuries-old urban farming traditions are being revived as the İsmailpaşa Garden in Yedikule prepares to return to cultivation after roughly a century.
The approximately 20,000-square-meter site is being restored for agricultural production by Fatih Municipality, with plans to grow crops historically associated with the area, including Yedikule lettuce and Swiss chard.
The project is set to bring the soil back into production and also preserve traditional cultivation practices and the agricultural knowledge passed down through generations.
Agricultural plots around the fortifications played a role in supplying the city with food from the Byzantine period onward, while Yedikule and its surroundings became one of Istanbul’s important garden districts during the Ottoman era.
Ottoman records illustrate the scale of this agricultural belt. A 1733 record lists 77 gardens stretching along the land walls from Yedikule to Ayvansaray, with more than 300 gardeners working across them.
The gardens produced vegetables and fruits including cabbage, leeks, onions, garlic, pumpkins, carrots, cucumbers and melons, making the green belt an integral part of the city’s everyday food supply as well as its landscape.
The İsmailpaşa Garden itself has left traces in historical records. According to Fatih Municipality’s 2025 Activity Report, the site appears on 19th-century Ottoman maps, while foundation records identify the relevant parcel as a bostan, or cultivated garden.
The revival project also places emphasis on protecting the site’s historical character. In June, Fatih Mayor Mehmet Ergün Turan met at the garden with Harvard University historian Cemal Kafadar, representatives of the Yedikule Gardeners Association and local gardeners. Discussions focused on preserving the area’s historical and natural fabric, sustaining traditional cultivation and strengthening its connection with public life.
