KARMAworks
TRACE OF WATER IN ANKARA: A FORGOTTEN LAYER OF MEMORY
Competition
Competition: Foreign Affairs Martyrs' Memorial and Memorial Site Idea Project Competition
Period: 2025
Type/Program: Cultural And Public
Location: Ankara, Turkey
Team: Özge ZABUN(M.Arch.- Lead Architect), Hande ZABUN ESER(M.Arch.), Handenur DEMİRARSLAN(Arch.),
Biray AKKUŞ(Assistant-Arch. Student),Ceren ÖZEREN(Assistant-Arch. Student)
Ankara has long been a settlement shaped by water; with its streams, creeks, and valleys, it bore the identity of a “city of waters.” The decision to establish the city was formed around water sources such as İncesu and Tabakhane, and these water veins were considered the main spine of the landscape in early planning efforts. As emphasized in the Lörcher and Jansen plans, these streams were designed to form the city’s natural green belts, introducing lines of greenery as nature’s gift to Ankara’s otherwise barren appearance. In the early years of the Republic, these waterways—once vital for recreation and subsistence—were gradually rendered invisible by urban development. Roads, boulevards, parking lots, and markets were built over them; today, these water traces are remembered only during floods and exist in the collective memory of the city’s residents only as faint impressions. Yet this invisibility does not negate water’s impact on spatial memory. In Ankara, water is a powerful layer of memory that carries past public experiences and the relationships forged with the city. As a result of the desire to make these forgotten traces visible once more, this project focuses on the element of water in Botanical Park. In the past, this valley was fed by surrounding streams and rainwater, but the construction of Atakule and the covering of nearby streams interrupted its flow. In this context, while Botanical Park is addressed conceptually, water is regarded not only as a physical element but also as a symbolic and narrative founding component.
TIME HIDDEN IN THE CITY: MEMORY AND TRANSFORMATION IN BOTANICAL PARK
With the passage of time, societies—and thus the spaces they inhabit—inevitably undergo processes of transformation. Each new value emerges after the society internalizes past accumulations, renewing and evolving with a desire for development. This process of change and reinterpretation ensures the continuity of cultural identity and requires updating every element inherited from the past to meet contemporary needs. In this context, public spaces, as spatial reflections of societal transformations, are fundamental structures that carry both cultural continuity and collective memory. Change must be assessed not only through physical form but also through experiential and performative layers.
Since its creation, Botanical Park has been subject to these processes of change; its spatial identity and content have transformed over time, yet its place in memory remains significant. As a public area that has never ceased to attract visitors, serving as a place of togetherness and sometimes even a retreat in the heart of the city, it sustains its presence in the collective memory of residents. However, this continuity has occasionally been interrupted by structural interventions and functional deficiencies. Despite being registered as a protected site, certain interventions, the greenhouse taken out of service, and other elements—such as the exile of various plant species from the park and the never-established Botanical Institute envisioned for scientific research—have prevented it from realizing its full potential as a botanical park.
Amid these spatial traumas, traces of memory regarding Botanical Park’s past are still strongly felt. For a capital city, this public space holds prestige; it is a value that must not only be preserved but also revitalized through reinterpretation. In this context, the proposed design aims to create a spatial framework that connects traces of the past with contemporary needs and projects into the future.
THE MONUMENT AS A TIME RIBBON: MEMORY, REVERENCE, AND REFLECTION
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Martyrs’ Monument represents not merely a physical intervention but a symbolic offering of respect directed toward the city, the place, and memory itself. In this light, the monument is conceived as a “ribbon of reverence.” This ribbon manifests as a linear, ascending sequence of stone blocks that honors and commemorates Turkish diplomats who lost their lives while serving abroad—paying tribute to them both in time and space.
Each stone block is crafted from natural stone sourced from the country where the corresponding diplomat was killed, forging a tangible bond between each martyr and that nation’s geography. This choice of material goes beyond an architectural preference; each stone is conceived as a diplomatic memory object, transforming individual losses into elements of a universal memory map. In turn, the monument establishes both a temporal narrative line and a spatial mosaic, forming a “memory wall” pattern grounded in temporal continuity and geographic diversity.
This sequence of stones is placed upon a water surface that quiets all noise, blurs boundaries, and fluidifies forms. Here, water is not merely an aesthetic element; it symbolizes the transience of time, the fragility of remembrance, and the metaphysical connection to the beyond through its reflective quality. The interaction between the massive, heavy stone masses and water amplifies the monument’s symbolic power, endowing it with an almost threshold-like quality. This threshold connects visitors to the past, loss, and reverence—not only physically but also on a symbolic level.
Consciously introduced voids within the stone sequence represent the temporal intervals during which the assassinations occurred. Though these blocks vary in size, they share equal surface areas. This choice emphasizes the equal significance of each loss while spatially expressing the unique life and character of each individual through the variety of stone dimensions. Thus, the monument not only carries collective memory but also offers a multilayered memory plane that respects each personal narrative.
This multilayered structure elevates the monument beyond a mere commemorative structure, transforming it into an experiential space that invites the visitor to think, feel, and interact with memory. The reflections on the water surface, combined with the stones’ temporal continuity and inter-country references, create a symbolic trajectory that keeps alive the memory of those who died in diplomatic service in the collective consciousness.
THE REMEMBRANCE SPACE: A TERRACE WHERE MEMORY RETREATS
The remembrance space is defined by a memorial wall that serves as a physical boundary, separating it from urban life and offering a quiet area for the visitor’s inner experience. This wall functions as a visual and auditory screen from the main road and sidewalks, temporarily withdrawing the public nature of the space. The area where the remembrance ritual takes place is located on the park-facing side of this wall.
This back face of the wall is not only a physical interface but also a surface where memory materializes in the space. The perforations in the wall represent the countries where the martyrs lost their lives; these spatial openings serve as traces of tragedies that occurred at different points around the world. Through these openings, a world map is integrated into the space, imparting a global context to the remembrance area.
Names and dates engraved on the wall are arranged chronologically with spacing proportional to the time intervals between incidents. This method serves not only as a historical record-keeping system but also as a choreography that allows one to physically perceive the flow of time. At the wall’s base, a planter area enables physical contact as part of the ritual; flowers placed here become a tangible and emotional expression of remembrance.
Seating elements within this space function both as intimate stops for remembrance rituals and as overlooks opening to the park and cityscape during everyday life. In this way, the space becomes not only a locus of memory but also an integral part of the present.
THE PEACE PATH: A ROUTE OF REMEMBRANCE DEEPENED BY WATER
Flowing through the gap between the monument and the memorial wall into the park’s interior, the Peace Path invites visitors on both a physical and mental journey. This path advances in tandem with the water element that begins at the monument’s reflecting pool; cascading channels of water guide the visitor toward a point that was once known as a café corner. Here, water is not just a natural element but also a narrative device that carries the continuity of remembrance.
By preserving the natural topographic slope and replacing intrusive tiered observation terraces with earth fill and reforestation, the design restores this area to the botanical context. This approach maintains the park’s ecological structure while facilitating a smooth transition to lower elevations without undermining the monument’s symbolic power. Through this gentle descent, the visitor is guided from one ritual to the next, from one narrative layer to another.
At the path’s terminus, the area that formerly housed a café has been repurposed as an observation terrace. This cantilevered structure extends gently toward the rock garden, making the park’s water source visible once again. This natural threshold—where water is born—becomes the symbolic final stop of the journey: the origin of both water and memory.
Enveloped by dense greenery and silence, this observation terrace assumes an isolated spatial presence. Free from directional signs and explanatory texts, it allows visitors to be alone with nature and themselves. Here, the experience transcends a simple commemorative ritual to become an introspective journey where personal memory finds its own rhythm. This abstract, quiet section is the final stop, bearing a profound internal theme that follows the monument’s representational narrative.
THE GRAMMAR OF WATER AND SPATIAL CONTINUITY
The cascading pools—dominant design elements in Botanical Park—constitute a fundamental feature that shapes the park’s identity. Originating from a hidden source on the eastern slope, this flow percolates through a rock garden and, via successive pools, reaches the park’s main pond. Each pool transfers water collected at a higher level to the next lower level, creating a continuous, cyclical system. This water cycle is not only a technical infrastructure but also a narrative that carries the park’s ecological memory.
The reflecting pool on which the monument rests is designed as part of this cascade, directly linked to the Peace Path. Through the stepped water channel alongside the path, this flow leads to the point where the park’s water source resurfaces. In this manner, the monument’s water element not only holds symbolic value but also integrates physically into the park’s historic landscape.
The water scheme that begins at the monument establishes both visual and conceptual continuity between the site’s past and present. Here, water is not just a component of space but also a fluid surface that conveys memory and connects with the past. This unity supports the park’s microclimate while offering visitors a sensory and intellectual experience.
CONCLUSION: INTERSECTING LAYERS—MONUMENT, WATER, MEMORY, NATURE
This project is designed to make visible and meaningful the water—a layer once faint in Ankara’s urban memory. Reintroducing water to a historic landscape such as Botanical Park is not merely a physical restoration; it also signifies the repair of the bond with memory. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Martyrs’ Monument creates a memory line through water’s continuity; this line extends spatially into the park’s heart and temporally bridges past and present.
Through its relationship with water, the monument’s symbolic language becomes integrated into everyday life; the public space’s aesthetic, experiential, and historical dimensions converge around this thematic axis. The bond the visitor forms with the monument is not only visual or physical but also emotional, intellectual, and historical. Within the park’s layered structure, the memorial, the path, and the observation areas function as interfaces that transform personal memory into a collective narrative.
In this context, the proposed design hosts not only a monument but also a multilayered relationship with nature, water, and the past. It offers a pause for remembering, a path for reflection, and a surface for experiencing. This space, written in the grammar of water, reclaims its place in the city’s memory as a narrative born from silence.
By engaging the visitor not only through information but also through emotion, the monument draws them into an active process of remembrance. In this way, the design reproduces spatial memory on both individual and societal levels. This framework—combining acts of remembrance, reflection, and confrontation—presents a critical and productive ground not only for the past but also for the relationships to be formed with the future.
