| Istanbul |
Istanbul is one of the most important cities in Turkey. It has a vast historical record that dates from 40000 BC. The importance of Istanbul lies in its well established geographical position. It is the only city in the World that forms the boundary between two continents, namely Asia and Europe . It owns one of the most important sea route that extends from the Black Sea through the Bosphorus Stait into the Mediterranean Sea thereby simplifying trade among the continents of Africa, Europe and Asia in all.
İstanbul, during the Byzans period had been conquered many times. Between 4th and 15th Centuries it had been invaded by; Huns, Avars, 11 times by the Sasanids, 6 times by the Arabs and 7 times by the Bulgarians, Seljuks, Peçeneks, the Crusaders and the Ottomans who finally captured it in 1453AD. Mahomet II, after a siege lasting 54 days, took it on 29 May 1453 putting to an end the Byzantine Empire.
Alhough Istanbul, whose former name was “Constantinople”, transformed into “Konstantiniye” was mentioned in offical documents and on coins as such and assumed in the course of the sovereignty of the Empire such other appellations as Darülhilafe (City where the seat of the caliph was “Darüssaltana” (Capital city), “Deraliye” (The Sublime Porte), Asitane” (the threshold ), “Dersaadet” (The House of Beatitude ), “Dergah-i Slatin” (The Sultan’s Court), “Beldetüt Tayyibe” (The Beautiful City), “Islambol” (The city whose muslim population is in the majority), “Darülmülk” (capital of the kingdom) “Payitah-i Saltanat” (The Capital of the Sovereingnty), “Südde-i Saltanat” (The Capital of the Sovereignty), “Sudde-i Saltanat” (the Gateway to the Sultans’s Court finally the name of “Istanbul” remained for good.
Between the XVIth and the XVIIth centuries, monumental works were erected in Istanbul and new development areas were built which created the city of today, During the said period the city covered a large area extending from Edirnekapı and Golden Horn to Beyoğlu (ancient Pera),Galata, Üsküdar (ancient Scutari), Kadıköy and the Bosphorus. To the Beyazıt, Şehzadebaşı, Süleymaniye and Mihrimah mosque and the Sultanahmet Mosque (the Blue Mosque).
A city planin the European style was first drawn during the reign of Mahmut II and in the first half of the XIVth cent historical barracks were constructed, and around them, new settlement areas developed. The residential quarters at Rami Maltepe, Halıcıoğlu, Maçka, Gümüşsuyu, Taksim, Taşkışla and Harbiye drew the city’s new expansion coordinates.
The Sirkeci-Edirine railway which entered the service in 1874 gave an impetus to the development to the west side of Istanbul beyond the city wals, Bridges over the Golden Horn, namely, the one between Unkapanı and Azatkapı, dating from 1838, and the one between Karaköy and Eminönü build in 1845 linked the business centres with each otder.
The DolmabahCe Palace build in 1853 the Beylerbeyi Palace and Yıldız Palace build in 1874 added much to the beautiful appearance of the city. Modernization started as from XIXth cent The first steam ship cruise on the Bosphorus took place in 1829 in 1859 the maritime agency called “Şirket-i Hayriye” started scheduled services with 6 ferry-boats The number of tramcars was 6 in 1869 The coal-gas Installation was set up in 1874 And in 1876 the Sultan received an offer for an underground project which would be extending from Karaköy to Dolmabahçe in the beginning of XXth century the Sirkeci Train Station, the Galata Harbor, the Haydarbaşa Train Station and the Quay took their respective places on the map of Istanbvul The tramcar services coverd now a vast area both on the Asian and the Anatolian coasts The population of the city exceeded 1 million.
As the capital moved to Ankara in the wake of the declaration of the Republic, Istanbul lost its socio-economic and cultural importance. The stagnant period after 1920 lasted throughout the years of the Second World War. The urbanization attempts which followed the said years were the consequence of western influences which made Istanbul a large metropolitan city wich a rich hinterland of cultural, artistic industrial and commmercial values.
|
|
|
