Day of the capture of Istanbul

Signature (tugra) of Suleiman the Magnificent, whose sultanate personified the flourishing of the PorteOn May 29, 1453 Constantinople fell. The capital of the Byzantine Empire was captured by the Turks. The robbery of the city lasted three days. More than 60,000 of its inhabitants were taken prisoner. The last emperor of Byzantium, Constantine XI Paleologus, died in battle, and the church of Hagia Sophia, the main shrine of the Orthodox Church at that time, was converted into the Aya Sofya mosque.

Fragment of Early Christian Mosaic of St. Sophia Cathedral

After five and a half centuries, this tragedy remains a cause for celebration. City officials organize fireworks and even reconstructions. Scientists and public figures hold discussions. There are demonstrations on the streets. And every year the enthusiasm of the Turks at the celebration of this anniversary increases.

Recently, writer Nadym Gursel caused a storm of protests in the Islamist press with his novel The Conqueror’s Novel. It states, in particular, that the intoxication with bloody slaughter is a “collective pathology” that has nothing to do with the pride of the descendants of the Ottomans. This statement looks strange to say the least. Holding Istanbul affects the Turkish people’s sense of identity and Islam, as does any monotheistic religion that prioritizes universalism.

To be sure, the victory of the Justice and Development Party in the 2002 parliamentary elections contributed significantly to the growth of Islamic assets in Turkey. There are many more women wearing hijabs in cities than in earlier times. Informal fraternities have always been popular. Even the eighth president of the Turkish Republic in 1989-1993, Turgut Ozal, was the abbot of the powerful Sunni sect Nahshibandi. Nevertheless, May 29 is so magnificently found for reasons far from confessional disputes.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is called not only the Father of all Turks, but also the Liberator. Between 1919 and 1922, Greek troops occupied half of Anatolia. If the Greeks found themselves on the teeth of the original Turkish territory, one can imagine how easily they would have received a multinational Istanbul. Actually, the capital of the country was moved from the latter to Ankara due to the fact that in March 1919 the Entente armies entered Constantinople. Some Turkish historians claim that if it were not for Kemal’s struggle against the interventionists, the Turkish people would have tasted the fate of the stateless Kurds. Thus, marking the attack of the city, which occurred almost six hundred years ago, the citizens of Turkey prove not so much to themselves as to their northern neighbors that they still have gunpowder in the powderboxes.