The Ottoman Period Settlement on the Istanbul Historical Peninsula

Abstract

With the Marmaray-Metro excavations carried out in 2004, it was revealed that the settlement date of the Istanbul Historical Peninsula goes back to 8000-8500 BC. According to the sources, the first name of the city was Byzantion and it was founded in 658 BC. From this date until 196 it was the Megaras period, after which, the city passed to the Roman Empire between 196-395, becoming the capital of the empire in 330. After the separation of the Roman Empire in 395, the city continued its existence as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium) until 1204. In 1024 the city was invaded by the crusader army and remained under the rule of the Latin Crusader Empire until 1261. The city again fell under the rule of Byzantine families (Kommenos) from 1261 to 1453 and afterwards, with the conquest of Istanbul, it became the capital of the Ottoman Empire (Payitaht) lasting from 1453 to 1923. It has maintained its presence as the most important city of the Republic of Turkey since 1923.In this study, in order to understand the city of Istanbul, which has been home to different civilizations since its establishment and developed under the influence of many different cultures, the settlement and architectural traditions of the past were investigated. In this context, the factors affecting the settlement of the Historical Peninsula in the Ottoman period after the conquest were examined. The main settlement areas of administrative structuring (palaces, civilian mansions - large dwellings where official state activities were carried out by their owners - and military facilities) and Socio-cultural development related structuring (religious, ethnic, commercial) were determined and the changes they went through over time were revealed.

Keywords

• i̇stanbul
• historical peninsula
• mansions
• military areas
• jannisary
• barracks
• settlement