ANKARA / YALOVA, Türkiye
Türkiye’s first living tree museum, the Ataturk Arboretum in the Termal district of northwestern Yalova province, is home to over 1,500 trees from 66 different species brought from around the world and is maintained with meticulous care by teams on site.
Established on the order of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on Aug. 19, 1929, the 1.08 million square meter (11.6 million square feet) arboretum was designed by renowned French architect Henri Prost, with landscaping by chief gardener Pandelli Roketas.
Thanks to Ataturk’s vision and love for nature, the arboretum still stands today as a peaceful and green space.
It is operated under the authority of the Health Ministry’s Thermal Springs Administration and continues to welcome visitors in its 96th year with the same beauty and spirit it had when it was first founded.
Built in a region that served as a healing center during the Byzantine, Ottoman, and Republican periods, the arboretum includes tree species such as Atlas cedar, Japanese maple, windmill palm, yew, and paulownia.
The on-site greenhouses also allow for the cultivation of saplings.
‘A living laboratory of trees from across the globe’
Mehmed Burhan Topsogut, director of the ministry’s Thermal Springs Administration, told Anadolu that the facility is located within a designated conservation forest and offers a unique natural experience.
According to historical sources, the area was once covered with Mediterranean scrubland. Topsogut said tree planting began after Ataturk’s 1929 visit to the region.
“Ataturk sent letters to foreign ambassadors requesting saplings,” he said. “In response, ambassadors sent trees native to their countries.”
“Using those saplings, Ataturk ordered the establishment of Türkiye’s first arboretum,” he said, adding: “Those trees planted back then are now nearly 100 years old.”
“Today, many forestry students come here on technical visits and are able to see tree species from around the world,” he stated.
“From the US to China, from Argentina to Albania, this place is like a living laboratory of global trees.”
Topsogut also noted that rare species found in Türkiye can be observed at the arboretum.
‘Ataturk’s favorite hydrangeas spread from Termal to rest of Türkiye’
Vasfiye Balci, the landscape architect responsible for the care and propagation of rare species in the arboretum’s greenhouses, said she was amazed by the diversity of trees when she first visited as a student.
Now working at a place she first came to visit as a student, Balci said: “There are 66 species here. Each one is pruned and maintained at specific times.”
“The hydrangeas, which were Atatürk’s favorite, spread throughout Türkiye starting from Termal,” she said, adding: “There is a tree known as a ‘western plane’ here that is nearly 320 years old. Also, the eastern plane located inside the Cinar Cafe is almost 270 years old.”
She added that the team uses natural methods whenever possible to care for the arboretum’s diverse species.
