The Historical Monuments of Istanbul
Istanbul is the one of the greatest cities that has a settlement that reformed was for 15 centuries. Istanbul has had many names in the history depending on the cultures and the religions of the rulers. Some of these rulers of Istanbul included Byzantium, The Greeks and The Ottoman Empire. Constantinople and Istanbul are still examples that are known in history; it was also known as the second Rome or New Rome named by Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. It had also become the Roman Empires Christian capital. The city was also nicknamed The Seven Hills because of its peninsula, the oldest part of the city which was built by Constantine to match the Seven Hills of Rome (Wikipedia 2).
The Ottoman Empire became interested in Istanbul during the 14th century. Before many Muslim populations were siege from the city. Istanbul was the target of all the civilizations because of its logistic position. Istanbul’s geographic position today is in the middle of Asia, Europe and the Middle East. It connects the Middle East to the Balkans (South East Europe) with the waterways of Marmara and Bosporus. Until the Ottomans conquered it was the Byzantium Empire’s capital. In the 6th of April 1453 the first attack was held by the Ottomans and some fortresses were destroyed. Eventually there were other attacks. Finally the Byzantium Empire couldn’t keep up and all the fortresses were destroyed. Istanbul is very important for trade and business purposes. Many countries trade their goods through the Bosporus. Countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Bulgaria are trading with the cargo ships. The history of Istanbul is very extensive. The settlement in Istanbul started in 3000BC in the 7th century (Sansal 2). Now, Istanbul is under Turkish government’s control. The Republic of Turkey was established in 1923 by visionary Ataturk and the Ottoman Empire was abolished. Ataturk was the first Turkish president in 1921. He made many contributions to Turkey to become a more modernized and educated country (Heroes of the 20th century 1). Istanbul is one of the most visited countries in the world. Tourists come from all around world to see the beautiful city and the historical monuments. Most people are curious about the Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar. Turkish economy is primarily based on tourism and the tourist capital investments. However, I still feel that not enough people see the city, so I think the Turkish government should start to advertise all around the world.
The Topkapi Palace
The Topkapi Palace is one of the well known handiwork architecture of Istanbul. It is very unique. When Fatih Sultan Mehmet took Istanbul he ordered a contraction of a new palace for the capital. Topkapi Palace was home to all Ottoman Sultans, Until the Abdumecid I (1839- 1860) came into the power. The Palace went over renovation; some were destroyed because of the earthquakes. It reflected the styles and the taste of the western cultures. The building structure is made up of three or more buildings, it has unique figures on the walls and it was hand loomed. After the abolishment of Ottoman Empire, the palace was transformed into a museum. Many great historical, cultural belongings present at the Topkapi Palace, such as Prophet Muhammad’s collar and Prophet Ali’s sword represented in cuffs. There are also some Byzantine cisterns at the palace next to the archeological museum. It was used to be the water storage that kept most of the Empire’s waters in the cistern. They provided maximum security for the cistern because it was the only safe place to provide the kingdom with water. If the king were to drink water he would be the only one to use the cistern. Back then there was only one toxin that could be soluble with the water. Thus for water not to be contaminated they kept it underground only the king had the key for it (Belge 138). There were also kings Harem Hall, and women could be part of the loyalties. The Ottoman culture was very modern from other Empires, the king kept the harem for the guests. The Southeast corner of the palace was made up of Mosques and religious classes that the sons of the loyal sultan’s family attended and were trained. The Ottomans built mosques at every corner of the palace, humongous gates, and fortresses with axes and towers; it would not disappoint the visitors because it is inquisitive. The Topkapi Palace is more than a museum it’s full of adventures that takes visitors through the ages (Guler 140).
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is an extreme masterpiece of the Byzantium architecture; mosaics and the engravings of the religious figures are still standing. It was dedicated to Emperor Constantine. Sophia served as the bishop and the patriarchal seat of the Greek and Roman Orthodox Church. The dome of the church is 131 feet high and the width is 160 feet long. The interior and the exterior of Hagia Sophia is designed with the most expensive handmade marbles; after the period of Iconoclasm the design of the figures were changed on the ceilings after the 13th century (The Columbia electronic encyclopedia 3). The cross in the dome and the sealing is made from gold. After the earthquake in 936 the dome was destroyed, as a result the Byzantium government sent an Armenian architect to fix the church. The architect was named Tirad. There were many attacks on the great city of Constantinople because it was the central place for the Christians and the Muslims. The Ottomans wanted to destroy Hagia Sophia. In 1453 after the Ottomans conquered the church of Hagia Sophia, it was transformed into a Mosque. The structure was harshly damaged. It remained a Mosque for almost 7 centuries and in 1935 with the republic of Turkey's president Mustafa Kemal Ataturk it was turned into a museum. It still remains r as the Ayasofya museum. The touring agencies get numerous requests from the tourist for a tour of the museum. It is one of the most viewed sites in Turkey. In 1928 the world’s historical monuments organization declared Ayasofia as a historic site and it was the nominee for the Seven Wonders of the World (Evans 263).
The Grand Bazaar
The Grand Bazaar which is also known as The Covered Bazaar was built during the years of (1451-1483). A Turkish architect who was 32 years old built the bazaar. Its main purpose was to unite the business owners and attract customers to the covered bazaar rather than split markets; it is the ancient mall. It is located at the northeast of Golden Horn. There are various goods made and sold at The Grand Bazaar such as luxurious items, jewelry, carpentry, fur makers and also some artisan workshops such as slipper makers, shoe makers, mirror makers, wash - cloth makers, fez makers, comforter makers, silk - thread makers and polishers. There are two sections at the Ottoman’s Bazaar called the Bedesten. The sections were made because there were four entrances to the bazaar. It extended to Nurosmaniye Mosque to Beyazit. The Grand Bazaar was very safe for the storage of luxurious goods "domed masonry structure designed for safe storage and sale of luxury goods" (Gursoy 1). The Grand Bazaar had gone through many fire incidents and earthquakes. Markets and stores were destroyed and burned because of the fire in 1635. It went through the process of renovation. All wooden sidings and store decorations were burnt including the wooden houses in the street. In 1652 all the stores and houses became masonries. There are still local stores existing in The Grand Bazaar; currently the stores have gone up to 3000. The Grand Bazaar controls the foreign currency exchange, jewelry wholesale, carpet wholesale and the garnishing tools wholesalers market in Istanbul. All retail based stores are shop from these wholesaler's. The Turkish economy is an open market, the prices could be competitive. There is no control over the prices so it’s open to the public. Many tourists become the potential buyers from these wholesalers (Gursoy 4).
Istanbul is the most precious and valuable thing left to Turkey from the Ottoman Empire. I strongly feel that the most valuable thing that the Ottoman Empire left for Turkey was Istanbul. Besides being one of the most visited cities in the world, Istanbul is facing the danger and the demolition of the historical cites and the historical monuments because of the natural disasters and over population. Istanbul's population now is reaching ten million. People need more buildings and new housing to dwell, and this causes the historic outlook of the city to shift from its natural belonging to the history. As the city becomes more civilized the more terrible it becomes. Traffic and transportation is the most difficult part of Istanbul's residents, and the standard of living in Istanbul is very high. People cannot afford to live in a mansion rent and the revenues are very high. Even though life standards are very high and living in Istanbul is very difficult, the city contributes tremendously to the country’s economy because of the historical influences. The historical sites bring many tourists into the country each year having a massive effect on the economy.
Works Cited
Belge, Murat. The Topkapi Palace. Skylife. 138 ed. 18 October 1994.
Conquest and Istanbul. Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. 1998 - 2005. 16 April 2007.
Evans, Helen. Byzantium: Faith and Power.Exhibition catalogue. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.Gülersoy, Çelik. Story of the Covered Bazaar. Istanbul: Istanbul Booklet. 1990.Hagia, Sophia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 2001-2005. 19 April 2007.<http://www.bartleby.com/65/ha/HagiaSop.html>.Istanbul. Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. 2007. 19 April 2007.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul>.Sansal, Burak. The Ottomans and Their Dynasty.2007. 17 April 2007.