12000 av. J.-C.

First traces of settlement in Southwest Anatolia. In the region bordering Syria, in the south-east of Turkey, you can admire the oldest temple in the world: Göbekli Tepe (the navel hill).

1000 av. J.-C.

The Greeks settled on the west coast of Asia Minor and founded colonies along the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea. At the same time, the Phrygians arrived in Anatolia and founded a kingdom ruled at its height by the legendary King Midas.

750 av. J.-C.

The Lydians settled on the Mediterranean coast and extended their influence after the fall of the Phrygians. It was during this period that the first traces of civilization were recorded in the Istanbul region. Thirty years later, the Byzantine sailor, following predictions from the oracle of Delphi, settled on the rocky promontory of the seraglio, which he named Byzantium.

330: birth of Constantinople

While Rome was sacked by invasions and civil war, Emperor Constantine I reunited the Empire and decided to transfer his capital to Byzantium, which became New Rome and took the name of its founder. Christianity is the official religion.

391

Emperor Theodosius fortified the city of Constantinople with walls, still visible today.

476

Fall of Rome and the end of the Western Roman Empire

537

Emperor Justinian inaugurates the Basilica of Saint Sophia, which becomes the centre of the Christian world. This period is considered to be the Golden Age of Constantinople. Trade develops (the western end of the Silk Road), and the Empire expands. The influence of the Byzantine Empire lasted for five centuries.

1096: the time of the crusades

The first three crusades were guided by the faith of the Christian rulers, but the fourth was aimed only at looting the Empire's wealth.

1362

Turkish nomadic peoples enter Andrinople (Edirne) and impose themselves in the Balkans.

1300 : birth of the Ottoman Empire

Anatolia, which corresponds to present-day Turkey, is divided into several beylicats, small principalities governed by vassal families of the sovereign. One of them, located in the north, is particularly ambitious and shows a desire for expansion. It is the principality of the Ottomans led by the bey (lord) Osman who will found the dynasty and give it his name. The beylicate spread widely throughout Anatolia and made Brousse (Bursa) its first capital, the starting point for the conquest of the West. The Byzantine capital was then isolated, because Constantinople remained a strategic place that would allow the Ottoman Empire to expand and unify its territory.

1453: the capture of Constantinople

Mehmet II, direct descendant of Osman, managed to gather more than 100 000 men led by the janissaries (elite corps). Constantinople was led by its emperor Constantine XI who, for his part, had 8,000 men: a drop in the bucket compared to the army of Mehmet II! But the city is very well protected, both by the Sea of Marmara and by the Golden Horn. Moreover, under the threat, the emperor made tighten a chain thus preventing the boats from crossing the Bosphorus. It is thus impossible to reach the city neither by the sea nor by the ground with the wall which defends it. But the audacity will prevail. Mehmet II makes cross the hill to his boats by making them slide on logs of wood and, in this way, it reaches the Golden Horn and opens a new front. Constantinople did not resist and fell on May 29, after a siege of 52 days. This event marked the end of the Eastern Roman Empire and was a real turning point in world history. Every May 29, the Turks celebrate the anniversary of the capture of Constantinople.

Mémorial du Sultan Mehmet II à Istanbul. (c) Evdoha_spb - shutterstock.com.jpg

1457

Mehmed II transferred the capital of the Ottoman Empire from Brousse (Bursa) to Constantinople, which took the name of Istanbul. Mehmed II introduced major administrative reforms and established the office of Grand Vizier (Prime Minister). The reconstruction of Istanbul is undertaken on the remains of the Roman ruins and the first major works are the imperial mosque of Fatih (1470) and the Topkapı Palace (1475). The city and the Ottoman Empire reached their peak during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1522-1566). The capital is enriched with real architectural jewels, including the numerous mosques of the famous architect Mimar Sinan, the Grand Bazaar, the new rooms of the Topkapı Palace. The Ottoman Empire was particularly tolerant of the religious minorities living within it and important administrative functions were entrusted to Christians. The Turks having conquered North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans, all the communities of Europe and the East are represented there, all the languages are spoken.

La pièce du trône dans le Palais de Topkapi. (c) Zzvet - shutterstock.com .jpg

1529

The failure of the siege of Vienna marked the beginning of the decline of the Ottoman Empire

1889

Birth of a clandestine and nationalist movement: the Young Turks. They advocate the abolition of the Sultanate.

1908

The Young Turks succeeded in gaining power through a military coup, leaving the Sultans (Abdülhamid II, then Mehmet V) on their throne, but without real power.

1912

Beginning of a decade of almost permanent war that reached its peak during the First World War when the Empire, led by Enver Pasha, signed an alliance treaty with Germany against Russia.

1915-1916

Genocide of the Armenians, which resulted in 1,200,000 victims. It is still not recognised by the Turkish authorities at present.

10 août 1920

The Treaty of Sèvres removes from Turkey its Arab provinces, the Aegean region, the East and the Southeast.

1945: the post-Atatürk era

Opposition parties are allowed for the first time. The economy is becoming more liberal and the principles of kemalism are becoming more flexible.

1960

Coup d'état, establishment of military power. A liberal constitution, which recognized in particular the right to strike, was promulgated, and Süleyman Demirel became Prime Minister.

1971

Second military coup, the army intervened again in political life to obtain Demirel's resignation and the establishment of an exceptional regime.

1980

Third military coup d'état. The army took over power and established a military dictatorship regime that broke with democratic freedoms.

1983: rise of the religious movement

Turgut Özal becomes Prime Minister and will be the leading figure in Turkish political life for ten consecutive years. A convinced and practising Muslim, he was also a supporter of economic liberalism and began to open up the economy to the private sector and the outside world. On the other hand, there are many people who are left out and the social gaps are widening. The general context favours the rise of religious radicalism, in the underprivileged classes but also in the highest strata of the State.

1991

Reform of the Constitution in order to be eligible for entry into the European Union.

2002

The death penalty is abolished and the state of emergency is lifted for the first time, fifteen years after its establishment to fight the Kurdish rebellion in south-eastern Anatolia. This measure is part of the European Union's conditions for the opening of negotiations on Turkey's accession. The AKP (Justice and Development Party) won the parliamentary elections

2003

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan becomes Prime Minister. At the same time, Istanbul's economic growth is exploding and its cultural aura is booming.

2013

Despite economic and cultural advances, Istanbul's youth are taking to the streets to denounce the wild urbanization and totalitarian drift of the government with the Gezi movement.

2014

The era Erdoğan. The latter is elected President of the Republic.

2016

Failed coup attempt. On the night of 15-16 July 2016, a group of soldiers supporting the ideology of Imam Fethullah Gülen and acting on behalf of the Turkish army general staff tried in vain to seize power. Since then, support for Erdoğan has been unravelled, especially since the incarceration of more than 50,000 people (including opposition MPs), the dismissal of more than 100,000 public sector employees, the implementation of security reforms and the elimination of about 100 media outlets. Turkey is now more divided than ever.

2017

Another victory for the AKP, which won the referendum on a reform of the presidential system giving Erdoğan even more power.

2018

Erdoğan was re-elected in the first round of the presidential elections for a five-year term.

2019

Municipal elections, the AKP obtained the majority of votes, but lost the country's largest cities. Claiming cheating, the government cancelled the Istanbul elections. But in the new elections, it was again the candidate of the opposition party (CHP), Ekrem Imamoğlu, who won the election. This is a double defeat for Erdoğan's party, which used to claim, "To win Istanbul is to win Turkey."

2022

Turkey is experiencing record inflation which is hitting the population hard. The Turkish lira has never been so devalued in 20 years. Between 2019 and 2020, more than one and a half million Turks fell below the poverty line. Presidential elections are scheduled for the spring of 2023.