Istanbul, Turkey tourism

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Before the Byzantine Empire

Excavations conducted at Yarımburgaz cave have uncovered evidence of human culture in the region of Küçükçekmece Lake. Collective inhabitation of Istanbul, which would later become one of the most crowded cities in the world, dates back to the Sixth Millennium B.C.E. These societies inhabited caves on both the European and Anatolian sides of the city.

While the first societies to exist in the area of Istanbul were nomadic and semi-nomadic, more culturally-developed groups, whose livelihood relied upon fishing, agriculture, and animal husbandry, emerged over time. Research conducted at Fikirtepe has shown that these societies engaged in fishing and raising such animals as dogs, sheep, goats, oxen, and pigs from the Sixth Millennium B.C.E. onward.

With the arrival of the Third Millennium B.C.E., settlement in Istanbul and the surrounding areas grew rapidly, and city-states began to form. Throughout the area’s entire history, and particularly during this era, the area near Sultanahmet Square—which would later become the seat of three different empires—was an important focus of settlement.

The first societies to reside in and around Istanbul—which is today such an important economic centre in the global arena—were nomadic and semi-nomadic. In the Third Millennium B.C.E., after the establishment of permanent settlements, Sultanahmet Square and the area nearby became an important centre of growth.

The Constantinople Era

The Megarians were the first historical people to settle in the area of present-day Istanbul. In the 680s BCE, they migrated from Greece, passed by the Marmara Sea and founded the city of Chalcedon at the site of the current neighborhood of Kadıköy, on the Asian side. The first inhabitants of Chalcedon were agriculturists, and bear the dubious honour of being known as “The Nation of the Blind”.
In the 660s B.C.E., another group of Megarians founded a city at the present-day location of Sarayburnu. According to legend, these Megarians visited the oracle at the Temple of Delphi before setting out by sea to establish a city. The oracle advised them to settle “directly opposite the Nation of the Blind”.
When they reached the present-day site of Sarayburnu, the Megarian colonists were impressed by its height and by the fact that it was naturally protected on three sides by the sea. After they noticed Chalcedon, directly across the Bosphorus from Sarayburnu, they thought to themselves, “Anyone who could establish a city in view of such a perfect site must indeed be blind!”

The Byzantion period

The Megarians decided that the oracle’s vague advice must have referred to Istanbul – Sarayburnu, and established the first settlement of their city here. They gave the name “Byzantium” to the city, after one of their captains, Byzas.
In this way, the roots of Istanbul were set during the Seventh Century B.C.E. -known as the beginning of the Byzantine Period -by Megarian colonists from Greece.
In 278 B.C.E., Byzantium was besieged by Teutonic tribes who had come from the west. After triumphing in the Macedonian Wars in 146 B.C.E., the Romans took control of the Balkans and Asia Minor; of course, Byzantium, too, became part of the Roman Empire. In 330 C.E., the Roman Emperor Constantine the First proclaimed Byzantium the new capital of the Empire, and began to renovate the city. The city was rechristened as “Constantinople”, and, from that day forward, became one of the most important locations in the Christian World.
The Roman Empire was officially split into two parts, the East and the West in 395 C.E.  In 476 C.E. the Ostrogoths removed the Western Roman Emperor Romulus Augustus from the throne and thereby returned the entire Empire to Zeno, the Eastern Roman Emperor. This transfer of power marked the downfall of the Western Roman Empire and Constantinople’s establishment as the single imperial capital.  Thereafter, the Eastern Roman Empire became known as the Byzantine Empire, and Constantinople became a uniquely eastern Orthodox city.

• The Latin Occupation

The Crusaders first reached Istanbul is 1096 C.E. After learning of the controversy over the Byzantine throne, the Crusaders decided to take the opportunity to enter the city.
With the help of the Venetians, they were able to enter the Golden Horn, and took the city on 13 April 1204 C.E.  Immediately following their arrival, they began to exploit and impoverish the city; Constantinople’s nobles and wealthy classes had fled to the city of Nicaea to the east.

• Return to Byzantine

The Second Byzantine Period began in 1261 with the retaking of Istanbul from the Latins by the Palailogos Dynasty. However, the city was never to return to its former importance and glory. Throughout the Second Byzantine Period, the city began to be surrounded slowly by the Ottomans, and, eventually, the inevitability of its fall became clear. From 1393 onward, the city was forced to pay a tribute to the Ottomans. Although it was surrounded in 1393 by Sultan Yıldırım Bayezid and in 1422 by Sultan Murat the Second, neither of them was able to take the city completely.
In the year 330 C.E., the Roman Emperor Constantine the First declared Byzantium the new capital of the Empire.  He had the city renovated, and, the city was rechristened “Constantine” in his honour.

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The Ottoman Era

Among all cities in the area, Istanbul was a unique prize desired by all major states and empires nearby, both for its beauty and for its strategic important. The Ottoman sultans Yıldırım Bayezid and Murad the Second had surrounded the city in 1393 and 1422, respectively, but neither of them was able to take it. In the wake of these unsuccessful attempts, Fatih Sultan Mehmed began more thorough preparations to conquer the city in 1452. In addition to building Rumeli Fortress in order to take control of the Bosphorus, he also commissioned the casting of giant cannonballs to be used in the siege. The number of soldiers in the army was increased twofold. While carrying out these rapid preparations for the attack by land, Mehmed also ordered the formation of a powerful fleet of sixteen galleys to be used in a naval attack on the city.

After taking control of all of the routes by which the Byzantines might receive foreign support, the Ottomans made sure that the Genoans, who were in control of the Galata Tower, remained neutral. Following all of these preparations, the Ottoman Army mounted a fearsome attack by both land and sea. The Turks breeched the city from all sides and destroyed all of the Byzantine defenses. Around noon on 29 May 1453, Fatih Sultan Mehmed entered the city through the Topkapı gate and immediately paid a visit to Ayasofya.

The Conquest of Istanbul changed the world history
Order was returned to Istanbul quickly after the conquest. It was immediately announced that the inhabitants of the city would be able to continue practicing their own religions and traditions without interference. Sultan Mehmed, who took on the title of “Conqueror” (Fatih) after the conquest, ordered that the Greek community choose a head for the Orthodox Greek Patriarchate, which was without a patriarch at the time. The city’s Jewish community, whose positive behaviour during the conquest had been noticed, retained the right to maintain their synagogues. İ

Furthermore, a house of worship was appointed for the Turkish-Jewish Karayim Community at the site of the Arpacılar Mosque. Istanbul had become a world city containing a mosaic of different religions.

Fatih Sultan Mehmed’s first action after the war was to begin the repair of damaged areas in the city. The first major reconstruction effort involved repairing the city walls, which had been seriously damaged during the conquest. As the work of the city’s reconstruction continued, several new areas of settlement were also formed. Furthermore, property that had been abandoned was given to those who had served in the conquest.

In order to increase the Muslim population in the city, Muslims living in Anatolia and Rumeli were encouraged to migrate to Istanbul. When this did not suffice, a sultanic decree was sent to the empire’s provinces that required a certain number of people from every class to relocate to Istanbul. Christians and Jews from a number of different regions were also brought to the city, where they settled in several specific neighborhoods.

Near the end of 1457, a large fire in the former Ottoman capital of Edirne caused new migrants to come to Istanbul. In 1459, the city was divided into four administrative districts, each one with unique demographic features. Within fifty years after the conquest, Istanbul had become the largest city in Europe.

Although Istanbul entered the Fifteenth Century as a large city, it suffered significant damage in the earthquake of 14 July 1509, which is known as the “Minor Doomsday”. Aftershocks of the earthquake continued over forty-five days, and, in total, thousands of buildings in the city collapsed. In 1510, Sultan Bayezid the Second employed around eighty thousand people to rebuild the city yet again.

The Rise of Istanbul during the Reign of Süleyman the Lawgiver
Throughout the history of the Ottoman Empire and under the administration of every sultan, Istanbul remained the privileged first city of the empire. New works and monuments were continuously added to the city, and the historical monuments of every period and people were protected with care. In particular, the forty-six year period between 1520 and 1566, when Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver witnessed the “Era of Ascendance” for both Istanbul and the empire as a whole.

During the reign of Süleyman, a large number of important architectural works were built in Istanbul. In particular, the works of The Architect Sinan, the most important architect in the history of the Empire, provided the city with a fantastic new appearance.

Among the most important works that were built during this period—almost all of them Mimar Sinan’s buildings—are the Süleymaniye Mosque and Dome, the Şehzadebaşı Mosque and Dome, the Sultan Selim Mosque and Dome, the Cihangir Mosque, the two Mihrimah Sultan Mosques, built in Edirnekapı and in Üsküdar, and the Haseki Dome and Haseki Hamam, which were built in the name of Hürrem Sultan.

Throughout the era of westernization, which began in the Eighteenth Century, the face of Istanbul began to change under the influence of European cities. The process of modernization continued and even increased in the Republican period.

When the capital of the Ottoman Empire was transferred from Edirne to Istanbul, the city became an imperial capital for the third time.