TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Cities

When did Şanlıurfa become Ottoman?

Şanlıurfa (Urfa) · Today: Turkey

404years under Ottoman rule

Şanlıurfa came under Ottoman rule in 1517; it remained an Ottoman city until the end of the empire. It changed hands in between; there are 2 separate Ottoman periods.

Şanlıurfa
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1517–1919 · 402 years1920–until 1922 · 2 years

Chronology

  1. 1517
    Became Ottoman

    After the Battle of Dede Garkın, Mardin and then Urfa passed to the Ottomans in spring 1517.

    Sultan: Selim I
  2. 1839
    Note

    The city briefly came under the control of Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt.

    Sultan: Mahmud II
  3. 1919
    Left Ottoman rule

    The British occupied the city in March 1919, followed about seven months later by the French.

    Sultan: Mehmed VI
  4. 1920
    Became Ottoman

    After fighting with the townspeople, who rose on 7 February 1920, the French left on 11 April 1920; the city was later given the title 'Şanlı' (glorious).

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 “Diyarbakır–Van–Urfa”. 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 1517

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