Yıldız Park

This guide to Yıldız Park in Istanbul opens on July 21, 1905, outside Yıldız Mosque, where a timed bomb waited for Sultan Abdulhamid II to finish Friday prayers. From there it steps back into the sultan's world on this hilltop: his retreat from the exposed Dolmabahçe Palace, the secret tunnels linking his pavilions, and the network of spies that watched everyone inside the walls, including his own advisors. Twelve thousand people once lived here for his safety alone; walk the same paths under the old trees today.