ANATOLIA UNTIL THE TURKS

Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia, came on the throne in October 336 BC at the age of 20. He conquered the Persian empire, subdued most of Anatolia’s kingdoms, like Sardis, Miletus and Halicarnassus and covered all the territories of the ancient world, as far as India. He died at Babylon in 323 BC.

Hellenistic age is the period between the death of Alexander the Great and the Roman conquest of Anatolia. Hellenistic civilization is the result of the mixture of Greek and Anatolian cultures. In this age, many independent states arose in Anatolia like Bithynia, Cappadocia, Pergamum and Pontus. These states were absorbed by the Roman Empire in the 1CBC.

A Roman administrative reorganization brought the Roman culture to Anatolia and the Kingdoms of Pergamum, Bithynia, Pontus and Cappadocia fell under Roman domination. The architecture of Anatolia was greatly developed by the Romans. In this age Anatolia was covered with architecturally well designed cities. Bridges, theatres, agoras, stadiums, gymnasiums, baths and fountains were built in all over the country.

St.Paul of Tarsus (c.1-67 AD), the leader of the early Christian movement, was born in Tarsus of Cilicia in Anatolia. And the Seven Churches of Revelation, the first Christian important churches, are all located in the western part of Anatolia; Ephesus (Efes), Smyrna (Izmir), Laodicea ad Lycum (Goncali), Sardis (Sart), Pergamum (Bergama), Philadelphia (Alasehir) and Thyatira (Akhisar).


The Byzantine Empire, one of the longest-lasting empires in world history, was the successor state to the Roman Empire . The Byzantine Empire flourished in the eastern Mediterranean area for more than 1,000 years until its fall in 1453. Byzantines used Greek as a principal language. The Byzantine period came to an end with the conquest of Istanbul in 1453 by the Ottoman Turks, who pronounced Constantinople (Istanbul) to be the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Many traces of the Byzantine Empire can be found in Anatolia. One of these is the Tekfur Palace in Istanbul which is representing today the Byzantine palace architecture.


House of Virgin Mary in Bülbüldağı near Izmir is also a very important site. It is believed that Virgin Mary (Meryem Ana) spent her last years in this place, many Christians visit this site every year.


The Hagia Sophia Basilica and the Koimesis Church in Nicea (Iznik), the Dark Church near Yalova and Sardes Basilica in the Aegean part of Turkey are other important architectural works of Byzantine Empire in Anatolia. Trabzon was an important Byzantine centre in Anatolia. The Hagia Sophia of Trabzon is a very important structure of late Byzantine Period of the region. The structure was transformed into a mosque in the period of Ottoman Empire. However, the most important of all of the Byzantine remains of this region, is the magnificent Sumela Monastery.


Constantinople (today Istanbul), the capital of the Byzantine Empire , was the bridge between eastern and western cultures. There are many Byzantine monuments existing today in Istanbul. Among these remains of Byzantine Empire in Istanbul, the Chora Monastery contains the finest examples of Byzantine mosaics. The Basilica Cistern, a well-preserved underground reservoir which once served the city and the Hippodrome, the heart of the Byzantine Empire are the other important traces of Byzantines in Istanbul.


The Basilica of Hagia Sophia, today called the Ayasofya Museum, was built by Constantine the Great and reconstructed by Justinian in the 6th century. This architectural site in Istanbul is unquestionably one of the finest buildings of all time.