Capital City Of The East Roman Empire example essay topic

If you ever take a look at some of the related publications presenting Istanbul, you will see that almost every passage begins with such phrases as "the gateway between Europe and Asia", "the crossroads of many important routes since centuries", "a bridge between ages, nations and civilizations". Istanbul has captivated generations of travelers. Writers and poets as diverse as Lady Mary Montagu and Lord Byron, Lamartine and Pierre Loti, have eulogized its forested shores sprinkled with palaces and ancient timber mansions. It stands on the shores of the uniquely beautiful Bosphorous where the waters of the Black Sea combine with those of the Sea of Marmara and the Golden Horn. Istanbul is a province designed to be the capital, and it has been the capital of three empires that used to dominate the world. Even today, after decades of rampant urbanization, its remaining imperial residences, summer embassies and pashas' houses paint a convincing picture of the city's glorious imperial past.

The artistic history of Istanbul is very rich and goes back to the beginning of the human civilization. The Hittites rose to prominence in Istanbul and Anatolia (central part of nowadays Republic of Turkey) in 1800 BC and reigned until 1200 BC. They were experts in metalwork and had left behind delicate statues made from gold, bronze and copper, particularly of the fertility goddess they worshipped. Many examples of these relics are on exhibition at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Istanbul.

Metal tablets written in Hittite hieroglyphics give us some clues about the daily and ceremonial lives of the Hittites. The capital of the Hittites, Hattusas, still preserves the remnants of the temples, the "Royal Gate" and especially the "Lion Gate", from which you can sense the splendor of the Hittite Empire. The intensity and the quality of the remains from the Greek and Roman Empires in Istanbul impart the feeling that you have traveled through a time machine and arrived in the Hellenistic Era. The remaining artistic and architectural pieces provide us with information about the daily life of the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Most of the cities have museums preserving the artifacts, such as sculptural relieves, statues, jewelry, household utensils, frescoes, and mosaics. Besides these artifacts, the ruins of the period still standing in Istanbul exhibit their treasures as an open-air museum. By the fourth century, the Roman Empire had been divided into East and West, and Christianity was firmly rooted in both, giving rise to the numerous churches and monasteries spread all over the country. Istanbul became the capital city of the East Roman Empire, mostly known as Byzantine Empire.

Istanbul at that time had a name "Constantinople". The Byzantine churches have their own style that is an integration of Roman and oriental influences and they are termed as "basilica". The great Saint Sophia in Istanbul, built during the reign of emperor Justinian, is the largest Christian basilica on earth. Its interior is made of marble and decorated with mosaics of various colors like deep blue and red. The Sume la Monastery is another important Byzantine ruin situated on the shores of Istanbul. During its lifetime, Istanbul endured no fewer than twenty-two sieges, of which only six resulted in capture.

The most celebrated siege, led by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror in 1453, brought eleven centuries of Byzantine rule to an end and established Constantinople as a new capital of the growing Ottoman empire. After that, successive sultans embarked on an ambitious building program, redesigning the city to suit the needs of its conquerors. To raise the economic fortunes of the city, sultans of the Ottoman Empire built "Kapali Carsi", the Covered Bazaar, which was to remain the labyrinthine commercial heart of Istanbul until the middle of twentieth century. Nowadays, Kapali Carsi is the place of traders, jewelers and travelers from all over the world. The milestone of the Ottoman Empire architecture is Topkapi Saray, "Cannon Gate Palace". From the outside Topkapi Saray lacks the grandeur associated with European palaces.

It is an inward-looking complex, concerned essentially with its own private world, shut off from outside by imposing gateways and mammoth stone walls. Entering through the Gate of Perpetual Delight, every person feels himself immersed into the mysterious world of Ottoman intrigue, the secrets of the sultan's harem, and the most extensive example of Ottoman civil architecture ever built. During the mid-nineteenth century the shores of Istanbul witnessed a radical shift in architectural style. The classical Ottoman and Turkish architecture was rapidly abandoned in favor to a European-based classicism. While Mehmet the Conqueror's Topkapi Palace hides behind the mammoth walls, Dolmabahce Palace, a marble bulk of neo-classical proportions, makes its presence felt by setting squarely on the water edge of the Bosphorous.

The Dolmabahce Palace is an impressive building facing the sea with very high walls on the side facing inland. The main building is surrounded by magnificent palace gardens. The palace itself is a three-storey building, with two main storeys rising over a half sunken floor. It contains 285 rooms, four grand salons, six galleries and six baths.

The vast reception salon, with more than fifty columns and a huge crystal chandelier weighing four and a half tons and lit by 750 lights never fails to astonish visitors. At the center of the palace lies one of the largest throne rooms in Europe. Designed by best French decorators and architects, the throne room is an awesome example of baroque excess. It is a heavily articulated room of piers and arches reaching to a towering dome supported by Corinthian columns in group of four and five.

The dome is decorated with foliate sculptures and paintings; within this circular composition, the gorgeous windows look out onto a blue sky and fair-weather clouds. The beauty of the room is completed with the European-style oil paintings, primarily landscapes and city scenes. Istanbul is one of the richest cities in historical background, as well as one of the most beautiful, enchanting and alive cities of the world. It has an atmosphere of its own lifestyle, people and numerous attractions. In Istanbul you will have to be generous with time since it has so much to show. The former capital of three successive empires - Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman - today Istanbul honors and preserves the legacy of its past while looking forward to its modern future.