Istanbul Conquest Day

There is a tragic page in the history of this city. Nevertheless, without it this city would not be what it is. This is the day of the capture of Constantinople...

The caption of Istanbul

29 of May... Strictly speaking, this holiday should have been called the conquest of Constantinople. After all, when the Ottoman Turks and soldiers from dozens of subordinate countries had broken the walls, the city was called Constantinople, not Istanbul. But the Turks are great patriots - literally on every house there are flags of Turkey, hung out by the tenants - after all, Turkish name of the city sounds more harmonious... Of course, the day of the fall of Constantinople is a tragedy for both losers and winners who had lost tens of thousands of people. But all this has a deep history. Time has reconciled everybody. Today Istanbul Conquest Day in Turkey is a historic celebration, just as the mock battle of "southerners" and "northerners" during the historical reconstruction in USA.

History

For nearly fifteen hundred years Constantinople was the capital of Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium). For many times the city was on the verge of capture, but it happened only once in its history. During the Fourth Crusade the Crusaders held out in Constantinople for almost fifty years. The city was not captured anymore until his fall in 1453. This happened after years of war with the Ottoman Turks, who conquered Asia Minor and part of Europe. The city was conquered by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. And that was the starting point for the Ottoman Empire.

Celebration

Usually on this day in Istanbul they held festive processions and fireworks. On the streets you can see a lot of little boys in traditional Turkish costumes: long white tunics, turbans, shoes with pointed and curved toes... Their clothing is replete with gold embroidery and their turbans are decorated with beautiful feathers... It is agreed to associate this holiday with the ritual of initiation of boys into men (also known as circumcision). This is a family celebration, which takes several days, and its culmination falls exactly on Istanbul Conquest Day.

Places to see

On the day of the conquest of Istanbul it is better to go to the museum dedicated to this event. It occupies a large area with a panorama of events performed in almost full size. Horses beating in agony, Constantinople soldiers, fighting with the brave Ottomans, cannon-ball breaks, crossed swords... This is one of the most beautiful panoramas in the world. It was created quite recently with the money of Istanbul Municipality. It is also worth to visit pedestrian Istiklal Avenue, where on May, 29 you can usually see masquerades, devoted to the events of 500 years’ prescription.