Atatürk Botanik Bahçesi

About Atatürk Botanik Bahçesi

Atatürk Botanik Bahçesi (Atatürk Botanic Garden), also known locally as Atatürk Bahçesi, is a municipal park at the southern entrance to Keçiören. Keçiören Municipality says it was built in 1996 and covers 42,600 square metres, and OpenStreetMap places it in Kavacık Subayevleri Mahallesi. It should not be confused with the Ankara Botanik Parkı below Atakule in Çankaya. The garden is planted with what the municipality counts as 69 kinds of plants, about 8500 in all. The published plant list includes ginkgo, magnolia, Judas tree, silk tree, Himalayan cedar, Taurus fir, blue spruce, plane, lime and horse chestnut, along with roses, lilac, lavender, butterfly bush and seasonal flowers. The main draw for regular visitors is an 800 metre (there and back) running track, and the municipality says the park is a favourite with people who exercise in the morning. Other features listed are a waterfall and a well-shaped ornamental cascade, 13 gazebos, tables and benches, a set of fitness equipment, a children's play area and a monument to the Kazakh poet Mağcan Cumabay (Magzhan Zhumabayev). Practical notes: the municipality lists toilets, separate prayer rooms (mescit) for men and women, tea gardens and drinking fountains in the park. Opening hours are not published on the municipal page.