Taksim Maksem
Taksim means division, partition, distribution in Turkish, Arabic, Persian and Urdu. As in every settlement, the vital problem in Istanbul was water. Sultan Mahmud I provided the water resources in the Belgrad Forests to be given to the beginning point of Istiklal Caddesi (1732-1733) via Levent-Mecidiyekoy; the system of sculptures, scales and arches, which brought water from the majestic forests in the northern part of the city, was ending here, and the stored water was partitioned into various directions from a stone reservoir located at the square. The Taksim Square was originally the point where the main water lines from the north of Istanbul were collected and branched off to other parts of the city (hence the name.) The square takes its name from the Ottoman era stone reservoir which is in this area. There is a verse written on one facade of the Maksen saying "We gave life to everything with water." Today, Taksim Maksemi is still standing
Taksim Republic Monument
The Republic Monument is a notable monument located at Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey to commemorate the formation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Built in two and half years with financial support from the population and unveiled by Dr. Hakki Sinasi Pasha on August 8, 1928, it was designed by Italian sculptor Pietro Canonica. The 11 m (36 ft) high monument portrays the founders of the Turkish Republic, prominent are depictions of Kemal Ataturk, who commissioned the work, his assistant Ismet Inonu, and Fevzi Cakmak. The monument has two sides, the side facing northward depicts Ataturk at an earlier period and the other one facing Istiklal Caddesi has Ataturk and his comrades dressed in modern, western-European clothing, symbolizing him in both his roles, as military commander-in-chief and as statesman. Mikhail Frunze, an important leader of the October Revolution, and Kliment Voroshilov, a Marshal of the Soviet Union,are among the group behind Ataturk. Their presence in the monument, ordered by Ataturk, points out to the military aid given by Vladimir Lenin during the Turkish War of Independence in 1920. "Cumhuriyet Aniti" is an important site, where official ceremonies on national holidays are being held.
