Fatih Çeşmesi Nature Park

About

Fatih Çeşmesi Nature Park, in the Eyüpsultan district of İstanbul, is one of nine nature parks in the Belgrad Forest and was designated in 2011. It is named after its fountain, where people come to collect drinking water, especially in summer. The 29.50-hectare park is very close to the Irmak and Kirazlıbent nature parks and is reached via the Bahçeköy–Kemerburgaz road. Oak and hornbeam are the dominant trees. Besides sessile oak, Quercus vulcanica and Turkey oak, there are sweet chestnut, cherry laurel, Syrian juniper, ivy, Smilax excelsa and butcher's broom. Nearly 100 bird species have been recorded in the Belgrad Forest; deer, roe deer, wild boar, fox, sparrowhawk, woodpeckers, goldfinch, squirrel, hedgehog and tortoise are among the park's animals. Day-use areas are set up for picnics, and the park has a country restaurant, a café, children's playgrounds and a prayer room. Forest roads and paths are suitable for running and walking, and the terrain also lends itself to orienteering.