Tez özetleri Astronomi ve Uzay Bilimleri Anabilim Dalı

Examination of the Historical Palace Gardens in İstanbul from the Point of Lanscape Architecture

As well as they are unprecedented resources all over the world, historical artifacts presented illustrious culture expressions to all humankind. Architectural structures and their gardens cover them have an essential contribution in this impact. As well as these structures reflect the culture of the period where they belong to, they concealed the information belonging to their residents’ lives into details and reflected the period’s application techniques that were in artistic holistic.

In this context, historical gardens that interrelate yesterday, today and tomorrow amongst all garden arrangements, that come into prominent qua biological based live culture monuments, took their places among the historical artworks. The first and the most beautiful samples of these places that were configured under the sway of outstanding art movements by interpreting with respect to the residents’ desires, appear in historical palace gardens.

Historical palace gardens were configured functionally by considering the climatic and panorama effects toward the aim of capturing the beauty and mystery of the nature. Historical palace gardens constructed before eighteenth century were configured more plain and modest than the ones constructed later, were designed as inner court in geometric form and as outer court in free arrangement. Beginning from eighteenth century, historical palace gardens canalized to a formal arrangement conception by being influenced from Renaissance and Baroque garden art. In the midst of nineteenth century, this art movement dominated all arrangements, at the end of nineteenth century and later, historical palace gardens appeared with picturesque arrangements by the effect of Naturalist movement.

The purpose of this study is specifying the importance of palace gardens that did not only carry the outer place from the past living areas in company with live material to present-day, but also attended as a recreation place to city phenomenon in terms of usage nowadays, investigating their design characteristic, presenting the current situation, interpreting with design principles and all equipage elements in behalf of landscape architecture.

In accordance with this purpose, firstly by considering periodical differences that affect the designs, Topkapı Palace and its garden, Dolmabahçe Palace and its garden, Beylerbeyi Palace and its garden, Yıldız Palace and its garden that are located in Istanbul Metropolis, were selected as sample places. In the study, by introducing literature resources of historical development of historical palace gardens, their current situation was supported by photographs. By preparing layout plan that shows current usage of the gardens, all material usage belongs to landscape architecture was examined. By making general assessments with respect to sample places, the importance of conscious protecting and restoration of the gardens that became of first priority in the city in behalf of cultural and touristic activities were stated and solutions were offered.

The priority in historical palace gardens that became a culture and history treasure should be to transfer the characteristics that they possess to the future in a most accurate way and thus, to build up the historical consciousness. Historical palace gardens that do not only gain importance in their home country but also all over the world should be protected with self expressive designs in a most accurate way. It should be taken care of not to be incongruous with landscape design principles and historical make up in maintenance, restoration and renewal operations of palace gardens that arrived from past to today by regeneration.