The park was laid out in the mid-19th century on the site of a marshy lake, to designs by the German landscape architect Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Meyer. Its name comes from the Turkish word for the official who looked after the city's public fountains.
In summer the lake is busy with rowing boats, and in winter part of it becomes an ice rink. Along the paths you will find old trees, a Roman-style circle with busts of Romanian writers, small cafés and plenty of benches.
The gardens lie between Elisabeta Boulevard and Știrbei Vodă Street, a short walk west of Calea Victoriei and the Old Town, making them a good break between sightseeing stops.
