istanbul history : The ottoman empire
THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE In the year 1453, the army of Fatih Sultan Mehmet II (Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror) conquered the city. First of all, the oldest buildings and the formerly magnificent but dilapidated city walls were restored. On the ruins of the Byzantine foundations, the buildings of the basic institutions of the Ottomans were built. The great water system with its huge cisterns was repaired and returned to use. The city had developed its Ottoman identity, resembling its present character. With the addition of the buildings of the famous architect (Mimar) Sinan, the city had again become the capital of a great empire. Together with the remaining population after the conquest, people coming from all over the empire, from all kinds of ethnic origins and religions, created a colorful mixture. In Istanbul - the new Constantinopolis - the cultural variety brought in by the immigrants enriched the cultural texture of the city. The bedesten where the merchants were settled and the many han...