The History Of Istanbul

Istanbul's history dates back 300,000 years. During excavations in Yarımburgaz cave, near Küçükçekmece Lake to the west of the city, traces of early human culture were found that are thought to belong to lakeside settlements from the Calchotithic and Neolithic eras.

It is estimated that, starting from 5000 BC, the population density grew in various parts of Istanbul, including present day Kadiköy, Fikirtepe, Çatalca, Dudullu, Umraniye, Pendik, Davutpaşa, Kilyos and Ambarlı.
The foundations of today’s Istanbul were laid in the 7th century BC. The city was rebuilt in the 4th century by Byzantine Emperor Constantine I, who designated it the capital. From that time on, for nearly 16 centuries from Roman and Byzantine times to the Ottoman rule, Istanbul remained a capital. The city was one of the most important centers of both Christianity and Islam. Istanbul has stood as a symbol of greatness, a confluence of peoples, languages, religions and continents.

Milestones in the History of Istanbul
Settlers from the city-state of Megaria crossed the Marmara Sea in around 680 BC, reached the area of today’s Kadikoy on the Asian shores of Istanbul and built a city they named Khalkedon. In around 660 BC, another wave of immi­grants, under the leadership of Thrace-born Commander Byzas, founded a city on the peninsula across, which was named Byzantium, today’s Saraybumu.
This Raty state, under the threat of Macedonians in 202 BC, demanded i help from Rome and thus fell under I Ihe influence of the Roman Empire, ending its city state status. In 193 BC,Roman Emperor Septimus Severus besieged Byzantium in response to internal strife in the Empire and destroyed the city walls. He then rebuilt the city, repaired the walls and started build­ing the Hippodrome, with a 100,000 people capacity, which became one of the important monuments of the city. Many statues were placed along the 480-meter long walls of the giant Hippodrome. (Much later, during the Christian Crusades, the Latins who invaded and sacked the city transferred these statues to St. Mark's Cathedral square in Venice.) In the 4th century, in the period when the Rome was losing its grip and the empire was splitting into two, Constantine, known in history as Constantine the Great, embraced Christianity. Byzantium was renamed Nea Roma, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, thus marking the beginning of the city's rise to an important role in world culture and politics. In 330, Constantine rededicated the city as Constantinopolis. He built the first church in the city, Hagia Irene Church. Probably Istanbul's most famous landmark, the Hagia Sophia (also spelled Ayasofya) was built by Emperor lustinian I in the year 537. The completion of Hagia Sophia, the great domed cathedral, established Istanbul's fame as a capital of Christianity. After the breakup of Western Roman power, Constantinople continued as the capital of the Empire. The city was besieged countless times by Sassanids, Avars, Bulgarians, Arabs, Russians and the Crusaders. After it was invaded and ruled over by the Latins until 1261.
Istanbul was besieged at various times by the Ottomans starting from 1391, but owing to the protection of its high city walls, Byzantine power continued within the limited area that is today's historic peninsula. Fatih Sultan Mehmet (Sultan Mehmet the who was determined to take the city, built great cannons, gathered together a powerful navy with 16 galleys and conquered the city on May 29,1453. This was the beginning of a new era for Istanbul: the Ottoman Empire. Sultan Mehmet first set to work repairing old buildings and walls that had lost their splendor during the declining years of Byzantine rule. Gradually, the principle Ottoman buildings rose on old Byzantine infrastructure. The Ottomans protected important Byzantine works, facilitated a development in line with the city's new identity and declared Istanbul their capital within 50 years after the conquest, Istanbul had become the largest city of Europe. During the rule of Süleyman the Magnificent (1520 - 1566), Istanbul gained many more important buldings as well as a city plan, of which traces still can be seen.

The great Architect Sinan built many important buildings for the city. From 1718 to 1730 (known as the "Tulip Era"), under the grand vizier-ship of Damat Ibrahim Pasha of Nevşehir, flowers were cultivated and planted throughout the city. This was also a time of flowering for Istanbul in culture, the arts, music and literature.

After World War I, on November 13,1918, Istanbul was invaded by the Entente Powers, and remained under occupation until after Turkey won its independence. Upon the foundation of the republic in the same year, Istanbul lost its status as the capital, but continued to be the nation's most important city. Today, Istanbul is the heart of the Turkish economy and has the largest population. Declared European Culture Capital of 2010, the city hosts numerous international organizations every year and sets the nation's agenda in business, arts, sports and fashion. Istanbul is one of the world's most lively metropolises with international fairs, congresses and conferences, film, music and theater festivals, the biennal, which has become one of the most important activities of contemporary art in the world, and international sports competitions. Physically it connects two continents, but with its vast history, unlimited development potential and inclusiveness, Istanbul is an important junction of all continents and all humanity.