The construction of Istanbul’s most extensive public garden on the former aviation hub – Atatürk Airport – has been completed and is scheduled to open during the highly anticipated "Big Istanbul rally" of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on Sunday afternoon.

As per local media reports, the initial phase of constructing Türkiye’s largest public garden, a term used by the government for large urban parks, has concluded. A portion of the garden in Istanbul’s Yeşilköy, spanning an area of 499,000 square meters (5,371,191 square feet), has been finished. Upon completion, the park is expected to encompass approximately 2 million square meters of green space.

The garden, dubbed the "green corridor," is designed to serve the citizens, offering large green areas and various indoor social facilities spanning an impressive 70,000 square meters.

The work on the construction of the garden was initiated with the sapling planting ceremony held on May 29 last year, a historic date marking the anniversary of the city’s conquest by the Ottomans.

Although the decision to build up the garden in the area that served as the central aviation hub for decades in Istanbul stirred adverse reactions, particularly from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and Good Party (IP), the decision to transform the airport into a public garden evolved as a solution for increasing the green-fields area, following the inauguration of the much larger Istanbul Airport in October 2018.

"Istanbul Airport’s cargo area solely is larger than Atatürk Airport and a runway of Atatürk Airport will remain open to serve the needs of a nearby hospital," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan noted during a speech last year.

With the completion of the first phase, some 10,000 trees and approximately 42,000 plants have been planted, as per Anadolu Agency (AA) reports. At the same time, it’s planned that the garden area representing the conquest of Istanbul will once consist of over 145,000 trees, including 350-year-old olive trees, 50-60-year-old linden and plane trees.

It was noted that the national garden would maintain its lush greenery year-round by combining coniferous and leafy trees. It will serve nine separate entrances, offering citizens to obtain natural products that will be grown in greenhouses and orchards located at these entrances.

The garden will also have a 2.5-kilometer-long (1.55-mile-long) artificial stream flowing from its south to its north, observation terraces, picnic and relaxation areas, and bicycle and walking paths along the stream.

‘Emergency-case gathering area’

"Atatürk Airport Public Garden" will be Istanbul’s designated gathering area for disasters and earthquakes. In such emergencies, the garden can accommodate 40,000 tents for those affected and provide emergency shelter for up to 165,000 people.

The Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change has opened 15 national gardens in Istanbul while the construction of 27 national parks continues. Across the country in general, within the scope of the significant green initiative undertaken by the authorities in recent years, the construction of 314 national gardens continues.

While 484 public garden projects have been delivered nationwide, the ministry aims to reach 200 million square meters of green space by 2028.