What was istanbul formerly known as

For a few months, it looked as though the Greeks were maybe going to win. Then, on 23 August, the Greek and Turkish forces confronted in the Battle of Sakarya, which went on for twenty-one days. By the time the battle ended on 13 September, it had become a resounding Turkish victory that turned the tide of the war in favor of the Turks and basically crushed Greek hopes of conquering Asia Minor.

The Greek invaders were forced into retreat. Upon reassuming control, Turkish forces began to slaughter the Greek and Armenian inhabitants of the city and set fire to homes and businesses owned by Greek and Armenian civilians.

On 13 September, a great fire began to blaze out of control in the city. The inferno completely destroyed the Greek and Armenian quarters of the city and killed somewhere between 10, and , Greek and Armenian civilians.

Somewhere between , and , additional Greek and Armenian civilians were forced to flee their homes and take refuge in the waterfront, where they were forced to remain for weeks under harsh conditions.

In the end, somewhere between , and , Greek and Armenian refugees were evacuated, while 30, able-bodied Greek and Armenian men were deported to work camps in the Anatolian interior, where many of them died as a result of the harsh conditions or were executed.

Meanwhile, the Turkish nationalists celebrated their victory. On 1 November , the Grand National Assembly of Turkey declared that the Ottoman state was abolished and that a new era in Turkish history had begun. Under this new treaty, Turkey retained control over all of Asia Minor, as well as control over Constantinople and Eastern Thrake.

On 4 October , the last Allied forces left the city of Constantinople and, on 6 October, Turkish forces entered the city with a triumphal ceremony. Despite the Turks regaining Constantinople, they chose to keep their capital at Ankara for symbolic reasons, to show that the old Ottoman way of governing was over and that the new government would be doing things differently. The new Kemalist government requested all foreign countries to stop using the name Constantinople and instead begin using the Turkish name İstanbul.

From onwards, the Turkish post office began sending back all mail addressed to the city of İstanbul by any name other than İstanbul. Why did they do this? Well, there are probably two reasons. One is because the Kemalists were nationalists and they evidently thought that the name İstanbul was more Turkish than the name Kostantiniyye— even though both names are actually of Greek etymology.

Using a supposedly more Turkish name also helped the Turks to counter Greek irredentist claims about İstanbul being a rightfully Greek city. The second reason is probably because, by this point, many Turks had come to inextricably associate the name Constantine with King Konstantinos I of Greece, who had led multiple invasions of Turkey and was widely reviled throughout the land. This is more out of tradition and force of habit than out of irredentism.

I'm Spencer McDaniel! I am currently a student at Indiana University Bloomington pursuing a double major in classical studies and history. I am obsessed with the ancient world and I write about it constantly. My main area of study is ancient Greece, but I also write about other areas of history as well.

View all posts by Spencer McDaniel. I read this with great interest. About 40 odd years ago I studied Classics at university and it has always remained a subject of enormous fascination to me although in my later years I have indulged my passion for the Roman Republic and rather neglected the rest.

Very many thanks. First settled in the seventh century B. In A. Constantinople stood as the seat of the Byzantine Empire for the next 1, years, enduring periods of great fortune and horrific sieges, until being overrun by Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire in In B. Thanks to the pristine natural harbor created by the Golden Horn, Byzantium or Byzantion grew into a thriving port city. Over the following centuries, Byzantium was alternately controlled by the Persians , Athenians, Spartans and Macedonians as they jockeyed for power in the region.

After defeating his rival Licinius to become sole emperor of the Roman Empire in A. Constantine set about expanding the territory of old Byzantium, dividing it into 14 sections and constructing a new outer wall. He lured noblemen through gifts of land, and transferred art and other ornaments from Rome for display in the new capital. Its wide avenues were lined by statues of great rulers like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar , as well as one of Constantine himself as Apollo.

The emperor also sought to populate the city through offering residents free food rations. With a system of aqueducts already in place, he ensured access to water through the widening city by the construction of the Binbirdirek Cistern. It would be governed by Roman law, observe Christianity and adopt Greek as its primary language, although it would serve as a melting pot of races and cultures due to its unique geographic location straddling Europe and Asia. Justinian I, who reigned from to A.

He launched successful military campaigns that helped the Byzantines reclaim territories lost with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fifth century, expanding its borders to encircle the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, Justinian established a uniform system of law with the Justinian Code, which would serve as a blueprint for civilizations to come.

He was the first emperor of the Isurian dynasty. Similarly, Basil I who ruled from to A. Constantinople endured for more than 1, years as the Byzantine capital in large part due to the protective wall completed under Theodosius II in A double set of walls was added after a series of earthquakes in the mid-fifth century, the inner layer standing some 40 feet high and studded with towers that reached another 20 feet.

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This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more. TRT World. Watch Live TV Schedule. It continues to be the commercial and cultural center of Turkey. Let your self experience a great city where the Continents meet. Museum Pass You can buy the "Museum Pass" for foreigners which is valid for 3 and 5 days in various museums of Istanbul. Museums open 7 days The museums in Istanbul will operate 7 days a week, except Topkapi Palace.

History of Istanbul First inhabitants of Istanbul are dating back to second millennia BC, they were settled on the Asian side of the city. Hope to see you soon in Istanbul.