This magnificent city connects two continents, strategically placing it to become the center of three major civilization. It was the greatest city in the world for centuries. Originally founded by the Greeks, Istanbul became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, joined the Ottoman Empire in 1453, and then part of Turkey (Türkiye) when the country gained its independence in 1922. Although Istanbul isn’t even the capital of Turkey now, it is a popular saying that if the world was one country, Istanbul would be its’ capital.
Legend says that the city, first called Byzantium, was founded in 667 BC by Greek traders who traveled from Megara, northwest of Athens. Because of its location on the Bosporus, they became wealthy on harbor fees and tolls.
In 355 BC, the city gained independence and aligned itself with the Roman Empire. After choosing the wrong side in an internal Roman war of succession, they suffered through a three-year siege in 193 AD, culminating in the destruction of the city. But because of its strategic location, the winning Romans quickly rebuilt it, added a hippodrome, and erected a huge series of city walls. When the Roman emperor Diocletian decreed that the Roman empire be divided into western and eastern territories. Rome remained the western capitol and Byzantine selected as the eastern capitol with Constantine named as eastern emperor. However, the west and east eventually fought each other. Constantine won, reunited the Roman empire, and became the first Christian emperor of the empire.
Even though Rome fell in 476 A.D., the Eastern Roman Empire continued for nearly another thousand years. It finally fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453, led by Mehmet the Conqueror. He immediately instituted major changes in the city, changing its name from Constantinople to Istanbul and converting it to Islam, including changing the Hagia Sophia from a church to a mosque. Istanbul became the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was over 887,000 square miles at its’ peak, reaching over three continents. The height of the Ottoman Empire was the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. Not only did he greatly expand the size of the empire, it was under his reign that the brilliant architect Sinan transformed the city’s landscape. Not only did Sinan build water systems, roads and bridges, but built over 400 spectacular buildings, including the Mosque of Suleyman the Magnificent, much of Topkapi Palace and the Blue Mosque. He is compared to Michelangelo, who was his western contemporary.
The Ottoman Empire ended in 1918 with the end of WWI. Turkey was to be divided between British, Italian, French and Greek forces, with a puppet sultan. However, a nationalist force arose under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal, known by everyone now as Araturk, the father of modern Turkey. The Republic of Turkey was established in 1923 and Araturk instituted sweeping modern reforms, including women’s rights, free education, westernizing the calendar and alphabet and reducing taxes. He is widely revered today and it is very common to see his portrait in shops and homes.
Today, Turkey is a study in contrasts. You will see women in revealing western dress walking down the street next to women in full hijab. Scooters will weave through traffic around men carting garbage in huge hand-pulled carts. Ancient Roman ruins stand next to gleaming modern buildings. It’s a vibrant, exciting place unlike any other.
