#istanbul #history #documentary
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According to legend, the origins of the city that would one day become Istanbul date back to around 660 BC, when a Greek explorer named Byzas led colonists from the city of Megara to establish a new settlement at the entrance of the Bosphorus. It was there, on a triangular peninsula, that Byzas established the city of Byzantion — the ancient predecessor of modern Istanbul.
This site, with its natural harbour—the Golden Horn—and its position between Europe and Asia, made Byzantion an invaluable nexus of commerce and strategy. Over the centuries it grew prosperous, coveted by rival powers such as Persia, Athens, and later Rome.
A decisive transformation occurred in 330 CE when Emperor Constantine the Great chose Byzantion as the new capital of the Roman Empire, refounding it as Constantinople. Within decades it became the political and spiritual centre of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire. For over a thousand years, Constantinople stood as one of the world’s great cities—cosmopolitan, wealthy, and magnificently fortified by the Theodosian Walls, which repelled waves of invaders. Inside these defences flourished a sophisticated society: scholars safeguarded classical texts, artisans created exquisite icons and mosaics, and monumental architecture such as the Hagia Sophia showcased imperial grandeur.
Its fortunes shifted dramatically in 1204 when crusaders of the Fourth Crusade brutally sacked the city, shattering its wealth and weakening Byzantine power. Although the Byzantines retook Constantinople in 1261, it never regained its former dominance. The city’s fate was sealed in 1453 when Sultan Mehmed II and his Ottoman forces conquered it after a 53-day siege. This moment marked the end of the Byzantine Empire and the rise of Istanbul as the glittering capital of the Ottomans.
Under Ottoman rule, Istanbul became the epicentre of a vast empire spanning Europe, Asia, and Africa. Its skyline was reshaped with grand mosques by architects like Mimar Sinan, including the Süleymaniye Mosque, and the Topkapı Palace evolved into the administrative and ceremonial heart of imperial life. The city thrived as a multicultural hub where Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and many others lived, traded, and contributed to its vibrant character.
By the 19th century, however, the empire faced internal decline and external pressure. Istanbul became a theatre of reformist movements, political intrigue, and foreign influence, culminating in the upheavals of the early twentieth century. During the First World War, the city endured hardship and a short period of Allied occupation.
With the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, the capital shifted to Ankara, but Istanbul remained—and still remains—the cultural, economic, and symbolic heart of the nation. Today it is a dynamic metropolis where traces of Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman civilisations stand side by side, reflecting its extraordinary history at the crossroads of continents.
