Evliya Çelebi describes Sarıyer, one of the forty imperial gardens, as follows:

Sarıyer is by the sea and is comprised of approximately one thousand prosperous houses with gardens, vineyards, and orchards. Since most of the residents are Anatolian, they are all gardeners. Greeks are all fishermen, barkeepers, and seamen. Within a large river, there is a beautiful rose garden of . . . Çelebi Solak. Upon seeing this garden, when Murad IV said that not even he, the sultan, owned such a paradise garden, the owner wanted to give the garden to the sultan. However, the sultan did not accept this gift, but he bestowed many presents upon the gardener, ordering that he should keep the place prosperous. Other than this one, there are 7,000 orchards. [Sarıyer] is famous for a kind of red, juicy cherry that adorns all its mountains. (Seyahatnâmesi, 1:138a)

Source: Travel Account, 17th century

-Nurhan Atasoy, Seyit Ali Kahraman

Resources:

Evliya Çelebi Seyahatnâmesi: Topkapı Sarayı Bağdat 304 Yazmasının transkripsiyonu (Open in Zotero)

Originally published at: Atasoy, Nurhan, and Seyit Ali Kahraman “Sarıyer.” Middle East Gardens Traditions. Dumbarton Oaks, December 1, 2014. https://www.doaks.org/resources/middle-east-garden-traditions/catalogue/C98. Archived at: https://perma.cc/5UDZ-R9BM.