Timeline of Istanbul

The following is a timeline of the history of the town of Istanbul, Turkey.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Prior to 4th century

See also: Byzantium

• 657 BC – Byzantium founded by Greeks.
• 196 – City taken by Septimius Severus.
• 203 – Hippodrome built (approximate date).

4th-15th centuries

See also: Constantinople

• 330 – Constantine relocates seat of the Eastern Roman Empire to Byzantium; renames it "Constantinople".
• 365 – City taken by forces of Procopius.
• 381 – First Council of Constantinople held in Hagia Irene church.
• 390 – Obelisk of Theodosius installed.
• 413 – Theodosian Walls built.
• 476 – Basilica Cistern rebuilt (approximate date).
• 532 – Nika riots.
• 537 – Hagia Sophia church built.
• 543 – Column of Justinian erected.
• 626 – Siege of Constantinople (626) by Avars, Slavs and Sassanid Persians.
• 674 – Siege of Constantinople (674–78) begins.
• 717 – Siege of Constantinople (717–18).
• 813 – City besieged by Bulgarian forces.
• 821 – City besieged by forces of Thomas the Slav.
• 860 – Siege of Constantinople (860).
• 907 – Siege of Constantinople (907).
• 941 – Siege of Constantinople (941).
• 1100 - Paper in use.
• 1203 – Siege of Constantinople (1203) by the Fourth Crusade, in which Alexius IV was able to usurp the throne after Alexius III fled to Thrace.
• 1204 – Siege of Constantinople (1204) by the Fourth Crusade, in which the Byzantines were overwhelmed and the city thoroughly sacked.
• 1348 – Galata Tower built.
• 1376 – City besieged by forces of Andronikos IV Palaiologos.

15th–19th centuries

• 1410 – June: Battle of Kosmidion.
• 1411 – Siege of Constantinople (1411).
• 1422 – Siege of Constantinople (1422).
• 1453
  • 6 April-29 May: Final Siege of Constantinople; City besieged by Ottoman forces; Mehmed II in power.
  • Capital of the Ottoman Empire relocated to Constantinople from Edirne.
  • Hagia Sophia (mosque) in use.
• 1460 – Grand Bazaar built (approximate date).
• 1459 – Topkapı Palace construction begins.
• 1478 – Galata Mosque in use.
• 1491 – Firuz Ağa Mosque built in Fatih.
• 1509 – 1509 Constantinople earthquake.
• 1520 – Suleiman the Magnificent becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
• 1554 - Coffee house in business.
• 1558 – Süleymaniye Mosque built.
• 1577 – Observatory of Taqi al-Din built.
• 1584 – Çemberlitaş Hamamı (bath) built.
• 1616 – Sultan Ahmed Mosque built.
• 1746 – Kalenderhane Mosque consecrated.
• 1766 – Earthquake.
• 1821 – Constantinople Massacre of 1821.
• 1844 – Naum Theatre opens.
• 1845 – Galata Bridge built.
• 1856 – Dolmabahçe Palace built in Beşiktaş.
• 1861 - Al-Jawâ'ib begins publication.
• 1863 - First painting exhibition sponsored by Sultan Abdul Aziz
• 1870 - June 5: Fire in Pera.
• 1871 – American College for Girls established in Arnavutköy.
• 1880 – Yıldız Palace built.
• 1883
  • School of Economics established.
  • Orient Express (Paris–Istanbul) begins operating.
• 1890 – Kum Kapu demonstration.
• 1891 – Imperial Museum founded.
• 1894
  • 10 July: an earthquake in the Gulf of İzmit kills about 1,300
  • Pando's Creamery in business.

20th century

• 1905 – 21 July: Yıldız assassination attempt.
• 1908 – Istanbul declared a province with nine constituent districts.
• 1912 – Gülhane Park opens.
• 1913 - Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum opens.
• 1914 – Darülbedayi theatre founded.
• 1915 – The 20 Hunchakian gallows hanging occurs in Beyazıt Square.
• 1918 – 13 November: Occupation of Constantinople by Allied forces begins, per Armistice of Mudros.
• 1919 – Sultanahmet demonstrations.
• 1923
  • City becomes part of the newly formed Republic of Turkey.
  • Turkish capital relocated from Istanbul to Ankara.
• 1924 – Airport opens in Yeşilköy.
• 1930 – City renamed "Istanbul".
• 1933 – Istanbul University established.
• 1938 – 10 November: Death of Atatürk.
• 1940
  • Baghdad Railway begins operating.
  • Atatürk Bridge built.
  • Population: 789,346.
• 1947 – İnönü Stadium opens in Beşiktaş.
• 1950 – Population: 1,000,022.
• 1955 – 6–7 September: Istanbul pogrom.
• 1958 – Küçük Emek cinema opens.
• 1964 – Harbiye Muhsin Ertuğrul Stage opens.
• 1965 – Population: 2,293,823 (districts of Adalar, Bakırköy, Beşiktaş, Beykoz, Beyoğlu, Çatalca, Eyüp, Fatih, Gaziosmanpaşa, Kadıköy, Kartal, Sarıyer, Silivri, Şile, Şişli, Üsküdar, Yalova, and Zeytinburnu).
• 1969 – Bloody Sunday (1969).
• 1973
  • Bosphorus Bridge built.
  • Istanbul Festival begins.
• 1975 – 30 January: Airplane crash
• 1977 – 1 May: Taksim Square massacre.
• 1979 – Istanbul Marathon begins.
• 1982 – International Istanbul Film Festival begins.
• 1984 – March 23: Municipality of Greater Istanbul established.
• 1988 – Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge built.
• 1989
  • Istanbul Metro begins operating.
  • Kadıköy Haldun Taner Stage in use.
• 1994
  • Galata Bridge rebuilt.
  • Recep Tayyip Erdoğan becomes mayor of greater Istanbul.
• 1995 – 1995 Gazi Quarter riots.
• 1996 - United Nations Conference on Human Settlements held.
• 1999 – 1999 Istanbul bombings.

21st century

• 2000
  • City expands to include districts of Avcılar, Bağcılar, Bahçelievler, Esenler, Güngören, Maltepe, Sultanbeyli, and Tuzla (approximate date).
  • Population: 10,018,735.
• 2003
  • Istanbul Pride begins.
  • November: 2003 Istanbul bombings.
  • Miniatürk park opens.
• 2004
  • City boundaries become coterminous with those of Istanbul Province.
  • Kadir Topbaş becomes mayor of Greater Istanbul.
  • March 9, 2004 attack on Istanbul restaurant.
  • June: City hosts 2004 Istanbul summit.
• 2005 – Sabancı Performing Arts Center opens in Tuzla.
• 2007
  • April: Republic Protest.
  • Süreyya Opera House in Kadıköy.
• 2008
  • Istanbul expands to include districts of Arnavutköy, Ataşehir, Başakşehir, Beylikdüzü, Çekmeköy, Esenyurt, Sancaktepe, and Sultangazi.
  • 1 February: 2008 Istanbul fireworks explosion in Davutpaşa.
  • July: 2008 Istanbul bombings.
  • Labour strike in Tuzla.
• 2009
  • City districts increased from 32 to 39.
  • Istanbul Congress Center built.
  • Depo art space founded.
• 2010
  • 31 October: 2010 Istanbul bomb blast.
  • Baklahorani (carnival) revived.
• 2012
  • 26 February 2012 Istanbul rally to commemorate the Khojaly massacre held.
  • Museum of Innocence opens.
  • Population: 13,854,740.
• 2013
  • 28 May: Gezi Park protests begin in Taksim Square.
  • 29 October: the first phase of the Marmaray project opened for public use.
• 2014
  • 29 November: Pope Francis visit to meet with Patriarch Bartholomew I and Muslim leaders.
  • Sancaklar Mosque built in Büyükçekmece.[1]

See also

• History of Istanbul
• List of mayors of Istanbul
• List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, 1450s-1920s

Other cities in Turkey

• Timeline of Ankara
• Timeline of Bursa

References

This article incorporates information from the German Wikipedia and Turkish Wikipedia.

Further reading

See also: tr

Published in the 21st century

• Europe's Muslim Capital by Philip Mansel in the June 2003 issue of History Today

External links

• Europeana. Items related to Istanbul, various dates.