Istanbul the capital of empires is among the oldest cities of the world. What about a historical tour of this unique city, in which every street, every avenue you come across has deep impacts of old history?

Pre-Byzantium

The first marks of communal life in Istanbul and it's around dates back to thousands years ago. The excavations point out that the first marks go back till 6000 BC, and that some communities continued their lives in caves both in Anatolian and European sides.

The first communities that lived in Istanbul continued their lives first as nomads and semi-nomads, and later on developed lifestyles depended on fishing, agriculture and raising livestock. The excavations in Fikirtepe put out that animals like dogs, sheep, goat, cattle and pigs were tamed and fishing existed after 6000 BC.

The Constantinople Era

The foundations of current Istanbul were established by Megarians from Greece in 7 BC, which is also called "The Byzantine Era." Megarians, who reached Istanbul after crossing the Marmara Sea in 680s BC, established a city called Khalkedon in present Kadikoy.

In 660s BC, another group of Megarians founded another city in present Sarayburnu. According to legend, Megarians, having sailed to found a new city, consulted the Oracle in Delphi Temple. The advice of the oracle was interesting: "Establish your city across the Land of Blind!"

Having reached Istanbul and liked current Sarayburnu due to both its high position and being surrounded by sea from its three sides, the Megarian colony recognized Khalkedon right across and thought: "The ones who established their cities on the other side while there is such a perfect place must be blind"

Megarians, who believed that the place the Oracle pointed must be Istanbul - Sarayburnu, established the first foundations right here. They named the city "Byzantium", after the name of the commander Byzas.

Byzantium faced the attacks of Germen tribes from the west in 278 BC. Romans expanded their sovereignty to Balkans and the Little Asia after the Macedonia Wars in 146 BC, and Byzantium got subjected to Rome.

In 330, the Roman emperor Constantine I declared Byzantium as the new capital. The city was reconstructed and was named "Constantinople." The city became one of the most important religious and political centers during the reign of Constantine I. In 395, Roman Empire got separated officially as Western and Eastern. In 476, Ostrogoths dethroned Romulus Augustus, the emperor of Western Roman, and surrendered the empire to Zeon, the emperor of Eastern Roman. As a result, the Western Roman Empire became past. But at the same time Constantinople became the only capital of the The Roman Empire. Eastern Roman Empire became the Byzantium Empire, and out of a Roman city Constantinople turned into an Orthodox city, peculiar to east.

The Latin Invasion

Istanbul met the Crusaders first in 1096. In this period, there was a struggle for the throne. Taking advantage of this, the Crusaders entered the Golden Horn with the help of Venetians. The attacks began on 9 April, and the city was conquered on 13 April 1204. After this period, Istanbul got smaller and poorer. The aristocrats and riches of the city migrated to Iznik. In 1254 the Latin Empire was besieged all around.

Again the Byzantine Rule

The Second Byzantine Era started when the Palailogos Dynasty took Istanbul back from Latins in 1261. But during this period, the city never got back its old importance and peculiarity. The Second Byzantine Era is also known as the period when Istanbul was gradually encircled by Ottomans and was conquered slowly. While Istanbul started to pay tribute in 1373, Sultan in 1393 Yildirim Bayezit, in 1422 Sultan Murad II besieged Istanbul, but there was no result.

The Ottoman Era

The preparations to conquer Istanbul started in 1452. While The Rumeli Fortress was built to control the Bosporus, huge cannons were constructed. The number of soldiers was doubled. While all preparations continued on land, a huge navy of 16 galleys was constructed for the attacks from sea.

To prevent the helps to Byzantium, all the supply roads were taken under control, and the neutrality of the Galata under the rule of Genoese was ensured. And on 29 May 1453 the Ottoman advance guards took their places at the fronts of Istanbul. The Ottoman army began a huge attack both from sea and land. Entering the city from all around, Turks destroyed the Byzantine defense. Towards the noon Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror entered the city from Topkapi and visited Hagia Sophia first.

The conquest of Istanbul had important outcomes for the history of Turk, Islam and world. The most important is that the Middle Age ended and The New Age began with the conquest of Istanbul.

As the first thing to do, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror ordered reconstruction of the places damaged after the war. His first serious reconstruction order was the repair of city walls that were destroyed during the conquest.

Now the new capital of the Ottoman Empire was Istanbul.

A new age begins!

After the conquest, Istanbul was under control rapidly. It was declared that Rums were free to practice their religion and lifestyle. Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror ordered the election of someone by the community as the patriarch for the Orthodox Patriarchate, a vacant position in that period. The Jewish community, whose affirmative attitude during the conquest was acknowledged, was allowed to have their own synagogues, and the rabbi was praised. A sanctuary in the area of Arpacilar Small Mosque was given to The Karayim Community, a Turkish - Jewish community.

As the first job Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror ordered the repair of many damaged places after the war. The repair of city walls that were destroyed during the conquest was the first reconstruction order. While the reconstruction of Istanbul went on, new settlement areas were formed to improve the city. Vacant properties were given free to the poor as well as to the ones who served in the conquest.

The migration of Muslims in Anatolia and Rumelia to Istanbul was encouraged. As this wasn't enough, the banishment of a certain amount of people from every class to Istanbul was ordered with a firman sent to all provinces. Christians and Jewish from various areas were also brought to the city and settled to certain districts.

Towards the end of 1457, new migrants came to Istanbul after the big fire in the former capital Edirne. In 1459 Istanbul was divided into four administrative units, each of which had different demographic characteristics, and fifty year after the conquest it became the biggest city of Europe.

Entering to the 16th century as a big city, Istanbul was damaged severely after the Small Apocalypse, the earthquake on 14 September 1509. Thousands of buildings were demolished during the earthquake, which lasted with the intervals of 45 days. In 1510 Istanbul was almost reconstructed with the employment of 80 thousand people by Sultan Bayezid II.

The Lawgiver Era

Istanbul had been a privileged city during the eras of all sultans that ruled the Ottoman Empire, new works were added to its structure, and all the works belonging to the communities living in the city were protected carefully. Especially the period of 46 years between 1520 and 1566 when the Kanuni Sultan Suleiman ruled can be acknowledged as the "ascending period" of Istanbul as well as of the state.

During the era of Sultan Suleiman the Lawgiver numerous works were constructed in Istanbul. In this period, the city got a new face especially with the works by Mimar Sinan the Architect. The Suleymaniye Mosque and Complex, the Sehzadebasi Mosque and Complex, the Sultan Selim Mosque and Complex, the Cihangir Mosque, mosques built in the name of Mihrimah Sultan in Edirne, the Haseki Complex and the Haseki Turkish Bath that are built in the name of Hurrem Sultan are among the important works built in this period.

In this era Istanbul became a more expansive city at the same time. While new migrations to the city were prevented, construction around the city walls was prohibited, the put of shutter in every window of the houses and the usage of stone in every construction in Galata were compelled.

The Republic Era

After the Ottoman Empire lost the World War I with its alliances, Turkish people started "the Independence War", free from the empire, under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Winning the struggle against the invaders in the country, Turkish people established the Turkish Republic governed with democracy, ending the regime of empire. The commander-in-chief of the Independence War, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk became the first president of this new established republic.

With this new era, Istanbul got a new identity together with the whole country. The capital of three empires that led the history of humanity, Istanbul left its title of "capital" to Ankara in this new era. But the city continued to exist as the most important historical value not only the new Turkish Republic owns, but also does the whole world.

Today, defined as the door of Turkey to the West, Istanbul is in the position of a centre that provides an important part of incomes of the country both from industry and commerce and from tourism at the same time.