TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Cities

When did Istanbul become Ottoman?

Istanbul (Constantinople) · Today: Turkey

469years under Ottoman rule

Istanbul came under Ottoman rule in 1453; it remained an Ottoman city until the end of the empire. It was the Ottoman capital from 1453 until the sultanate was abolished in 1922.

Istanbul
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1453–until 1922 · 469 years

Chronology

  1. 1453
    Became Ottoman

    Mehmed II conquered the city on 29 May 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire; Istanbul became the Ottoman capital.

    Sultan: Mehmed II
  2. 1918
    Note

    On 13 November 1918 an Allied fleet arrived and landed troops; the occupation began (the Ottoman government stayed in the city).

    Sultan: Mehmed VI
  3. 1923
    Note

    The occupying forces left on 2 October 1923; on 6 October the Turkish army entered Istanbul.

How the total is counted: years of actual Ottoman rule are added up. Temporary occupations shorter than a year (that were reversed) are not subtracted; they appear as notes in the chronology.

In the atlas

On the atlas map the city lies in the region “Istanbul and the Straits”. Map colours work at region level, so the city's own dates may differ from the region's by a few years.

Open the map in 1453

Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “İSTANBUL” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.