Beykoz Wood Istanbul

This large area of forest, located on the hillside between Pasabahce and Beykoz , was originally known as Abraham (Avram) Pasa Wood and was laid out in the 19th century during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II.  Abraham Pasa (1830-1918) was a very rich Armenian civil servant, gambler and hunter and owned the famous Cercle d’Orient in Pera, which is now in the Emek Pasaj , along with large areas of land on the northern Bosphorus .  

He constructed a house in the woods to hold grand and lavish parties and later, when in debt, had to sell it and move to his yalı in Buyukdere .  Unfortunately the house burnt down in 1937, was reconstructed in 2007 when it opened to the public and has a nice restaurant inside.