History of Istanbul
What is now called Asian
Istanbul was probably
inhabited by people as
early as 3000 BC.
Eventually, in the 7th
century, Greek colonists
led by King Byzas
established the colony
of Byzantium, the Greek
name for a city on the
Bosphorus. Byzas chose
the spot after
consulting an oracle of
Delphi who told him to
settle across from the "land
of the blind ones."
Indeed, Byzas concluded,
earlier settlers must
have been deprived of
their sight to have
overlooked this superb
location at the mouth of
the Bosphorus strait.
This proved an
auspicious decision by
Byzas, as history has
shown Istanbul's
location important far
beyond what these early
Greek settlers might
possibly have conceived.
Byzas gave his name to
the city: Byzantium.
In the early 100's BC,
it became part of the
Roman Empire and in 306
AD, Emperor Constantine
the Great made Byzantium
capital of the entire
Roman Empire. From that
point on, the city was
known as Constantinople.
The mid 400's AD was a
time of enormous
upheaval in the empire.
Barbarians conquered the
western Roman Empire
while the Eastern, also
called the Byzantine
Empire, kept
Constantinople as its
capital. In 532 during
the reign of Justinian
I, antigovernment riots
destroyed the city. It
was rebuilt, and
outstanding structures
such as Hagia Sophia
stand as monuments to
the heights Byzantine
culture reached.
The attribute that made
the city so desirable,
its incomparable
location for trade and
transport between three
continents, was also its
nemesis. For the next
several hundred years
Persians, Arabs, nomadic
peoples, and members of
the Fourth Crusade (who
for a time governed the
city) attacked
Constantinople.
Finally, weakened by
almost constant battle,
the Ottoman Turks lead
by Sultan Mehmet II
conquered Constantinople
in 1453. Renamed
Istanbul, it became the
third and last capital
of the Ottoman Empire.
It was the nerve center
for military campaigns
that were to enlarge the
Ottoman Empire
dramatically. By the mid
1500's, Istanbul, with a
population of almost
half a million, was a
major cultural,
political, and
commercial center.
Ottoman rule continued
until it was defeated in
WWI and Istanbul was
occupied by the allies.
When the Republic of
Turkey was born in 1923
after the War of
Independence, Kemal
Ataturk moved the
capital to the city of
Ankara. But Istanbul has
continued to expand
dramatically; today its
population is
approximately 13 million
and increases at an
estimated 700,000
immigrants per year.
Industry has expanded
even as tourism has
grown. It continues to
be a city that creates
its own history at the
intersection where both
Continents meet.
There are many
interesting museums,
castles, palaces,
mosques, churches, and
historic hammams. Some
of the interesting
districts of the city
are: Haydarpasa, Uskudar,
Eyup, Galata, Perapalas,
Ortaköy, Bosphorus,
Taksim, Eminönü and
Sultanahmet. Princess
Islands are a popular
summer resort for local
people.
Hagia
Sophia
Video
