Istanbul: From Mythology to History

 

     From Byzantium to Constantinople and from then on to Istanbul,this fabled city, divided by the Bosphorus strait lies both in Europe and Asia. The European side is seperated into two by a scimitar shaped gulf called Golden Horn:the old sprawls along one side, with its Byzantine ramparts and Ottoman palaces facing the Marmara Sea, the nPropontis of antiquty; on the other side,one can see the ancient Genoese port of Galata and more modern quartes beyond, with the legendary Bosphorus winding its way up to the Black Sea, the Pontus Euxinus of antiquity. It is this garland of waters which makes Istanbu, whose seven hills are crowned with imperial monuments, a unique city.

     The legend of the foundation of Istanbul is derived from classical mythology: Zeus fell in love with Io, daughter of Inachus, King of the City of Argos and God of the River of Argos. The King of the Gods temporarily transformed his beloved in to a heifer in order to protect her from the wrath of his wife, Hera, Queen of the Gods. In her wanderings, Io crossed the Bosphorus, giving the strait name ("Boos -Foros", "Heifer Ford"). After reassuming her orginal form, she gave birth a girl, Keroessa. Later, Keroessa bore the son of Poseidon, grandson Gaea 8Mother Earth)and Uranus (Father Sky) son of Cronus,elder brother of Zeus and sovereign deity of all seas and waters from the pillars of Hercules to the Helles Pontus. Poseidon was the God of Earthquake as well,thus bearing the title of "Earth-Shaker". Keroessa's son, Byzas the Megarian, in time became the founder of Byzantium and named the Golden Horn (Chyrsokeras) after his mother.

     Following the advice of the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi, Byzas established a colony at the of the Istanbul peninsula, today known as Seraglio Point, the Promentorium Bosphorium of antiquity; where the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn meet and flow in to the Marmara (667 B.C.). Plinius relates the existence of a settlemet called Lygos on the same spot, in time immemorial. Almost a millenium after Byzas, during the Roman Emperor Constantinus, Byzantium was renamed Constantiople (330 A.D.). When captured by Mehmet the Conqueror; the city became the capital of the Ottoman Empire, assuming its present name, Istanbul (1453 A.D.)

Istanbul was besieed numerous times over the centuries by Persians, Macedonians, Lombards, Slavs, Avars, Bulgarians, Russians, Goths, Huns, Pechenegs, Crusaders, Arabs and Ottomans.

Arap commanders included Abdullah Ebu Şerh (655 AD), Zeyd bin Şeceret’irRehavi and Halid bin Abdülmelik and Abdullah bin Tayyip (715 AD). The FİNAl Arap attempt to capture Istanbul took place under command of Harun ür Raşid (782 AD)

Ottoman Sultan Yıldırım Beyazıt besieged the city for seven months (1391 AD). The Byzantines accepted certain conditions which included paying an annual tribute of 10.000 gold pieces. Upon the rejection of the conditions by the Byzantines,yıldırım Beyazıd’s army onc more surrounded Istanbul. As the blockade turned in to a siege, news reached the Sultan that Crusaders were marching towards the Balkans. Yıldırım Beyazıd lifted the siege and led his troops in to the Balkans to confront the enemy (1395 AD). Having defeated the crusaders, Yıldırım Beyazıd had the Anatolia Fortress (Anadolu Hisarı) constructed at the narrowest point of the Bosphorus on the Asian side. Finallyi the Byzantines accepted to pay an annual tribute of 30.000 gold pieces (1397 AD). As the Byzantine Emperor asked the Crusaders for assistance, Yıldırım Beyazıd surrounded Istanbul. Just then, Timur of Samarkand, the Mongolian King (Timur-i Leng “Timur the Lame”), began sacking Eastern Anatolia. Once more, the Ottoman Sultan had to divert his army away from Byzantium (14000 AD).

The feud between the two heirs to the Ottoman throne, Prince Musa and Prince Mehmet, served not only to weaken the Ottoman Empire but to further strengthen Byzantium’s position, şf only temporarily. As Prince Mehmet attacked his brother’s forces. Thus, the siege had to be lifted (1412AD)

Murat II laid a siege the moment he became Suktan. A        major rebellion broke out in Anatolia, started by a pretender to teh Ottoman throne,Sultan Murat’s younger brother, Prince Mustafa. Once more,as brother marched against brother the Byzantines were left to their own devices (1422 AD)

The final siege of Istanbul was carried out during the reign of Mehmet II, historically known as Mehmet the Conqueror. He had the Rumeli Fortress (Rumeli Hisarı) constructed the European shore of the Bosphorus, directly across from the Anatolia Fortress (Anadolu Hisarı) The entire siege and battle took place between April 6 and May 29, and on this final day, Istanbul, once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, fell to the Turks. Mehmet the conqueror, Sultan of Ottoman Empire, was 21 years of age and the city was 2120 years old (1453 AD)

 

Reference 

Jack Deleon (2000), “100 İstanbul” Remzi Kitabevi. Istanbul. ISBN975-14-0765-6