istanbul history
amet eros

Istanbul is one of the largest, most important and most beautiful cities in the world. The extraordinarily beautiful hills spread on both sides of the Bosphorus constantly fascinate the inhabitants and visitors of the city. Napoleon, one of the most important commanders and statesmen in world history, said, "If the world were a single state, Istanbul would be the capital." This is indeed true. Therefore, in order to understand the importance of Istanbul, we need to look at history.

Istanbul

Istanbul: Maiden's Tower and Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque in the background

Byzantion

The history of Istanbul goes back thousands of years, but the first known settlement dates back to BC. It happened in the 7th century. At that time, there was a city-state called Megara among the city-states in the ancient Greek peninsula. These city-states were the most advanced states of that period economically and culturally. One of the most important reasons for their economic development is their colonization efforts. Byzas, the king of the city-state of Megara, went to the temple of Apollo (the god of wisdom in Greek mythology) in Delphi to find a new colony and consulted the oracle about the most suitable place to colonize. The oracle tells him that he must go to the lands opposite the land of the blind.

Byzas sets out to find this country. When he comes to today's historical peninsula (Sultanahmet region), he sees that there is a settlement (Chalcedon) in the region where today's Kadıköy is located on the Anatolian side. When there is such a beautiful region, he is surprised that people set up settlements on the opposite shore. He thinks that the people living next to him are blind. What the oracle said comes to his mind and he establishes a colony in the region. This colony takes the name of the king and becomes Byzantion / Byzantium.

Constantine and Constantinople

Byzantion, MS. It remained an insignificant city until the 4th century. The fate of Byzantion changes when Constantine becomes Emperor in 312. Constantine's mother Helena is a good Christian. She constantly talks about Christianity to her son and prays for him. Before Constantine's last battle for the throne, he began to take a warm interest in Christianity because of a vision he saw. He then signs the Edict of Milan, which will grant religious freedom to Christians. With this edict, the 300 years of persecution of Christians comes to an end, and this is one of Constantine's greatest achievements.

Constantine has another big project. This project is to move the capital of the empire to another place. This is because Rome was vulnerable to barbarian raids from the north. In this direction, he thinks of Nicomedia, which is today's Izmit region, Troy and Byzantion, which is today's Istanbul. Constantine decides on Byzantion. One of the biggest reasons for deciding on Byzantion is Byzantion's location. Being a peninsula due to the Sea of Marmara, the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn, consisting of seven hills like Rome, and its unique advantage in controlling trade routes, were effective in Constantine's decision. The fact that the city is open to growth, change and development is another motivation. Because instead of destroying Rome's pagan heritage, there is a chance to build a new capital directly as a Christian city.

Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Byzantion in 330 and named the city Nova Roma, New Rome. After Constantine's death, the city takes the name of Constantinople. Constantinople becomes the new capital of a new age.

Hagia Sophia

map of old Istanbul

Istanbul and the History of Christianity

Istanbul represents a new era at the end of the dark period that lasted for 300 years and Christians were persecuted constantly. Istanbul, which started with Constantine and became the capital of the Roman Empire under the rule of Christian Roman Emperors, becomes one of the most important cities in the history of Christianity. It was held during the period when Istanbul was the capital in councils accepted by all Christians today (the Council of Iznik, the Council of Chalcedon (Kadıköy) and the Council of Constantinople).

During the reign of Emperor Theodosius, Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire with the Edict of Thessaloniki. The capital, Constantinople, gradually turned into a center of Christianity.

You can see many structures from the Roman Empire in Istanbul. The most important ones are Valens Arch (MS.364), Hagia Sophia (AD.537), Basilica Cistern (AD.532), Hagia Eirene (AD.537), Galata Tower (AD.528).

Conquest of Istanbul (1453)

Istanbul was conquered by the Ottoman Army on 29 May 1453 under the command of Fatih Sultan Mehmet. After the conquest, many churches such as Hagia Sophia were converted into mosques. Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who is known for his fondness for art during the conversion of churches into mosques, orders that mosaics and other works of art should not be destroyed and covered with plaster.

Istanbul, which has now become the capital of the Ottoman Empire, remains the capital until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Ottoman Buildings in Istanbul: You can see many Ottoman artifacts in Istanbul. Thousands of mosques, imperial buildings, barracks, schools,