Bayrak, M. Orhan. İstanbul
Tarihi: M.Ö. 657'den Bugüne Kadar 27 Asırlık Son Roma, Bizans, Osmanlı ve
Cumhuriyet Dönemleri. İstanbul: İnkılâp, 2003, 199pp.

ABSTRACT

A
History of Istanbul: Twenty-Seven Centuries since 657 CE.: Late Roman,
Byzantine, Ottoman and Republican periods

İstanbul
Tarihi: M.Ö. 657'den Bugüne Kadar 27 Asırlık Son Roma, Bizans, Osmanlı ve
Cumhuriyet Dönemleri

In the
introduction, the author explains that this is a history of Istanbul that has
been written without reference to events outside of the city. Despite this
claim, he has not been able to ignore foreign events in this book, as they are
usually inescapable in urban history. He explores the history of the city
following a chronological order, looking respectively at the Roman domination,
the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic.

The book
includes a chronological list of all the sultans and municipal governors. Also
included is some brief, encyclopaedic information on topics such as monuments
built under the patronage of the sultans, tombs of sultans, aqueducts,
neighbourhoods on the Marmara Sea and the Bosphorus, Princes’ Islands and
Ottoman mosques, fountains and palaces.

The work talks
about important foreign diplomats and ambassadors visiting the city, the
palatial weddings and other public celebrations. It also alludes to modern
urbanisation, such as the establishment of a rail network and the use of gas in
lighting. The author explores the ways in which the city was affected by the
change in regime. This period is investigated according to the chronological
order of presidents.

The author has
provided a list of MPs from Istanbul corresponding to the years in which they
were elected, without giving any other information on them. The book includes a
plan of Istanbul’s streets and buildings in the Byzantine period, as well as
various other maps of the city from the fourteenth to the twentieth century.
This is a non-academic study which has utilised some mainstream Turkish
historical sources; it will be of use to readers looking for non-academic,
general information on the city.

Feryal
Tansuğ

Translated
by Aysu Dinçer