| The
acropolis of the city named Byzantion
was located in the area where today
the Topkap Palace stands. Today
its agora coincides with present
day Ayasofya. A hippodrome was built
in the yaer 196 on some flat land
terracing down to the Marmara Sea,
which was later known as At Meydan
(Square of the Horses). The city
walls were passing just outside
the palace. During the reign of
Constantinus I, when significant
construction activities were undertaken
in the city, the old city walls
were brought down and new ones were
built which bounded a larger area.
The city which continued its growth
in subsequent years eventually spilled
out of these walls. This led Emperor
Theodosius II to build part of the
city walls of stanbul which have
lasted up to present times.
In
that period, houses were located
on the sections of the area surrounded
by the walls which faced either
the Golden Horn or the Marmara
Sea, while commercial facilities
were located around the Sirkeci
area and administrative, religious
and commercial centers concentrated
at Sarayburnu, Beyazt, Aksaray,
Cerrahpaa and Yedikule. A new
settlement area had developed
on the other shore of the Golden
Horn at Galata. The majority of
the inhabitants of this settlement,
which was called Sykai (Sycae)
were Venetians and the Genovese.
Surrounded with later built city
walls, the area became a rich
commercial center.
The
first bridge on the Golden Horn
was built by Justinien, a connection
between Ayvansaray - Kasmpaa
to make Skyai easily accessible.
Galata was given to the administration
of the Genovese in 13 th century
and sustained its commercial significance
for centuries. In the 5th century,
the city was one of the major
cities of the world, with its
population reaching 100 thousand.
When 14 th century was reached,
Constantinopolis was the administrative
center of an empire whose boundaries
had shrunk considerably and whose
inhabitants were mostly involved
with agriculture. Its population,
which was around 50 thousand when
conquered by the Ottomans, became
more than 100 thousand when the
Muslim and non - Muslim groups
removed from Anatolia and Thrace
and beyond (Rumeli) During this
period, the majority of the Muslim
population was living outside
the peninsula were the old city
was located. During the Ottoman
period the population of the city
grew even further, and the city
also expanded physically. Skyai
also bursted from the city walls
and grew towards the Pera area
(currently Galatasaray)
In the 19th century, significant
developments were seen in Galata.
While this section of the city
preserved its importance as a
commercial center, it started
to achieve the characteristics
of a European city, as foreign
embassies, foreign banks, and
foreign insurance firms and commissioners
concentrated here and recreational
facilities started to increase
in number. The move of Ottoman
Sultans from Topkap Palace to
the Dolmabahe palace near Galata
also took place in this century.
Later, other palaces were built
both in this area and on the shores
of the Bosphorous. New settlement
areas were also established around
Kadky and skdar.
Feshane,
(the fez factory) which was the
first significant industrial establishment
of its times, was commissioned
in the Golden Horn area. In the
19th century, the city had new
means of transportation such as
railways, trams, and a mini -
metro, (the tunnel) both at the
urban and intra - urban scale.
While the port was being modernized,
ferry operations were started
along the Bosphorous. Railway
connections were made to zmit
and Edirne, and suburban lines
were being provided to connect
the city to its immediate surroundings.
The bridges connecting the two
shores of the Golden Horn were
also built in this century. In
1854, the Municipality of stanbul
was established.
Taking
the rapid urbanization the city
displayed into consideration,
several plans were drawn up for
the city during the Republican
Period. When these plans allocated
the areas around the Golden Horn
and the Bosphourus to industry.
Starting in 1940, these areas
were filled with factories and
business activities. Due to the
exodus to the cities which started
at a major scale in 1950s, reaching
larger dimensions with the arrival
of migrants from Balkan countries,
these industrial districts started
to be surrounded by squatters.
The same trend was experienced
on the Anatolian side, around
Maltepe, Kartal and Pendik.
The expansion of industrial and
settlement areas has drastically
changed the visual look of stanbul
over the past 30 years. With a
rapidly growing population and
constantly changing settlement
boundaries, establishment of numerous
new administrative districts became
inevitable. The Central District
which has become a dense commercial
area, losing its residential functions,
now experiences an incredible
fluctiation betwen its day time
and night population also lost
its administrative significance.
Hence stanbul does not posses
an administrative central district
similar to those seen in Ankara
and zmir.
The
major educational institutions
located in stanbul are the Boazii,
stanbul, stanbul Technical,
Marmara, Mimar Sinan and Yldz
Universities. stanbul is a cultural
center of international character,
and each year several festivals
are organised including film and
drama festivals and major concerts
are given.
Istanbul
also has the honour of being the
cradle of the innovative mode
of urban transportation called
"dolmu" (shared taxi)
Turkey which is also seen in other
cities of Turkey and some cities
of the world.
|
|
