Istanbul people

  How the stars appear    The parents of Tarkan are Turks by origin, but he was born in Alzey, Germany, in 1972, for his family moved there during the economic recession in Turkey. When Tarkan was 13, his father decided to go back to his homeland with his family of 6 children. After moving there, as if the destiny led Tarkan in the right direction: he started to study music in Karamursele, and then his long love to Istanbul started… read more

  Mehmed the Conqueror   In the Ottoman history Mehmed, who seized Constantinople, is described as a brave, noble and resolute soldier, and it is true. However, chroniclers of Mehmed did not add, that the sultan was pathologically ruthless (they would be executed, if they did it). Mehmed was extremely ruthless. When his father, previous sultan, died, Mehmed invited his wife, and while he was civilly talking to her for several hours, the… read more

Piri-reisHe is the first admiral of the Ottoman Empire, who compiled a map of the world, which was one of the most accurate maps of the time. As many grandees of the Ottoman Empire, Piri was a Greek by origin. He was born in 1465 in the North-West of the country, and, due to his outstanding skills as a fleet commander, his career in the Ottoman fleet was very quick. Piri was in command of war ships, but was an explorer by nature. He compiled the … read more

The fact, that women played in the life of the empire a role, equal to that of men, was a peculiarity of Byzantium. Women frequently ruled the empire with the capital in Constantinople. There are the three most famous empresses of Byzantium.  Anna of ByzantiumGreat future was destined for this girl, the daughter of the emperor. Her brother Basil II wanted her to marry one of the Western European monarchs, but in the East a new power — … read more

Globalization is not actually the phenomenon of the last years. Even thousands years ago people wanted to blur out the borders, and this tendency is well seen in dynasty matrimonies. A Russian princess becomes the Queen of France, a Frenchman gets the throne of Poland, and the sister of Napoleon's wife marries a sultan in Istanbul. However, the most interesting matrimony was and is the marriage of the Byzantine princess Mary Draperies. In Istanbu… read more

This man was born in the Ottoman Empire in 1883, when the country was powerful and nothing betokened its collapse in the First World War. Celal Bayar was born in Bursa region, not in Istanbul, a city, so tightly connected with his life. He studied well and got a job in a bank. At that time, it was an excellent perspective. When Bayar grew up, he became interested in politics, as many other young people. The result of this interest was his joining… read more

The story of Mahmud II birth is very amazing. It began in … Latin America. A ship with the family of a planter was returning from the French colonies in America to his historical homeland, when in the Mediterranean it was attacked by the pirates-Muslims. The pirates saw on the ship a very beautiful girl, who was sold to the sultan’s harem. The girl became the most loved wife of the sultan, and gave birth to the future ruler of the Em… read more

  Turkish aviator Sabiha Gokcen lived more than eighty years and flew up to the last year of her life. In gratitude for all that she has done for Turkish people, the government named after Sabiha the airport in Istanbul.   The history of this amazing woman began back in 1913 in the town of Bursa, known today as a tourist center in Turkey. Little Sabiha was born there in a town destroyed during the First World War and suffering from hung… read more

Contrary to the poor natural qualities, Michael II has not only captured Constantinople but also founded a whole dynasty of Emperors.   Different people in different ways became the Emperors of Constantinople, as Istanbul was named during the Middle Ages. Most often it happened by right of succession. But it also happened that a new dynasty was formed as a result of rebellion or a palace coup. Michael II, known as tongue-tied, was the found… read more

The famous commander who for the last time conquered Sicily for the Byzantine Empire was an incredibly tall person.George Maniakes, famous indeed as a great commander in the Byzantine Empire and as a terrible invader in Sicily lived in the 11th century. Historically he remained one of the last conquerors of the Eastern Roman Empire which was already experiencing the first signs of decay. The empire was pressed by enemies extensively. Only George … read more