places
a day at
belgrade forest
words & photos by irem
On Sunday mornings if the weather is nice and the temptation of having a glorious Turkish breakfast at home and just chilling in front of the TV isn’t too bad, the Istanbulites are probably at the nearest green field. Finding them is easy, just follow the smoke. Families who arrived too early, like before the sunrise early, and laid down their picnic blanket to claim the best spot smirk at the newcomers while secretly hoping these new temporary neighbours have that important thing –usually it’s salt or sugar or something like that- they forgot at home. It is always such a busy but harmonious sight to watch: men intensely fan a combination of brushwood and firewood to prepare the mangal a.k.a. barbecue, women chop and set aside the veggies, sucuk and millions of other things to be grilled, and kids, who are just too excited to feel hungry at the moment, canvass the area and make plans for the games. There is a couple of favourite spots for a picnic in the city and the Belgrade Forest is one of them. The name and the hype probably made you thought we were going to cross the border and travel through Europe. Alas, that is not the case, although the forest is on the European side of the city. It is in the centre of Istanbul and is the most famous spot for hiking or having a picnic in the city.
Now, why is it called Belgrade? Ottoman Sultans had always considered Belgrade as the first door to Central Europe and worked really long and hard to conquer the city. It took almost a hundred years but the army of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent succeeded and the Turkish Belgrade became a huge trade and commercial centre. Quoting from aboutbelgrade.com: the peace and prosperity lasted for 170 years until the Austrians took a liking towards the city. After that, it went back and forth between the Turks and the Austrians, which doesn’t sound like a nice experience for the locals. Enough with the history lessons, why on earth this forest called Belgrade? When Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent returned home in the 1520s after the conquest, he brought the Serbian slaves captured during the battle with him and located them in a village called “Petra” in Istanbul. The vast forest surrounding this village is named after the residents’ heritage “Belgrade” by the Constantinopolitans.
Once you have arrived, ideally before the sunrise to witness this idyllic forest waking up, there are several ways to spend leisurely time. In Istanbul, you cannot escape history, even in this forest which is famous for its historic aqueducts. In front of the Sultan Mahmud II aqueduct are picnic tables to rest or have breakfast. After the sunrise, small groups of people emerge hiking down the hills, some groups start on their mangals and the forest will lose its quietness. If you hear lots of dogs barking and running down the hills, don’t be alarmed. Most likely, they saw the pick-up truck that always brings big chunks of meat to them. As we watched all these happening from our picnic table while brewing coffee for two and taking out our sandwiches from the containers, it felt weird witnessing the lovely quietness to leave us suddenly. Nevertheless, it was a pleasure to explore the forest and the historic sights. Take your photos, enjoy your walk, and afterwards, if you have still more time, you can also visit the Ataturk Arboretum that is located nearby, as we did.