Palaians drifted into north and northwest Anatolia during the second half of the 3rd millenium BC. Also entering Anatolia were the Luvians (south and west) and Hittites (central).
Luvians drifted into south and west Anatolia during the second half of the 3rd millenium BC. Also entering Anatolia were the Palaians (north and northwest) and Hittites (central).
Founded in the 8th cent BC in the Sangarius Region, the Phrygian kingdom (750-546 BC) was one of three major Anatolian kingdoms founded in the first half of the 1st millennium BC along with Lydia (west) and Urartu (east). Phrygians were Indo-European nomads that entered Anatolia via Thrace toward the end of the 13th cent BC. At its peak, Phrygian hegemony extended to the Euphrates river in the east, Afyon in the west, Samsun (Amisos) in the north and Burdur in the southwest.
| Period or Event | King | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Phrygian Kingdom | The first king was Gordias and the Phrygian capital was established at Gordion. Phrygians worshipped the Mother Goddess Cybele and her lover Attis. Burials of kings, lords and nobles included tumuli and monumental tombs cut into natural rocks. Peasant burials included small tumuli, pits and pethos. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gordias | The first king of the Phrygian kingdom. | ||
| Midas | Late 8th Cent BC | Phrygian power peaked under Phrygian king Midas. | |
| Cimmerian Invasion | Early 7th Cent BC | Heralding from the Caucasus, the Cimmerians invaded and destroyed the already weakened Phrygian kingdom. | |
| Late 7th Cent BC | Small Phrygian municipalities endured while dominated by the Lydian kingdom. | ||
| Collapse | 545 BC | Phrygians their independence to the Persians in 545 BC. | |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Opening to Turks | 1071/08/26 | After the Battle of Malazgirt, Anatolia opened its doors to the Turks. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Ottoman Conquest | 16th & 17th Cent AD | Mesopotamia came under Ottoman hegemony and was split into three provinces based on the towns of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. Tension between the Sunni Ottomans and Shi’i Safavid shahs of Persia led to fragmentation and diminished control from the central Ottoman government in Istanbul. Initiative and power lay with those who could command forces. |
|---|---|---|
Tripp, Charles. A History of Iraq: New Edition.
The Sanctuary of Demeter at Knidos was built amidst the refounding of Knidos in ~350 BC. Demeter was worshipped at the Sanctuary together with Hades, consort of her daughter Persephone. The Sanctuary consisted of a long platform terraced into the acropolis, giving it a magnificent view of Knidos and the Mediterranean Sea. Mostly fragments remain of the sanctuary’s impressive collection of marble sculptures, although the cult statue of Demeter herself remains notably intact. Also excavated were: lamps and glass bottles from ~350 BC to the Roman period; and terracotta figures.
Amorites were mobile pastoralists perhaps living in North central syria near the jumble-bishree. After entering Assur, their commercial ambitions led them to form the colony Karum Kanesh (aka Kanis or Kanes) a few hundred miles north of Assur on the Anatolian plateau. Most of our knowledge of early Assyria is from Karum Kanesh, as Assur is relatively devoid of evidence during this period.
The Lower City (aka Old City) of Hattusha stretched from the northwestern wall bounding the modern village of Bogazkale all the way southeast to the tip of Büyükkale. The the south and southwest, the Lower City is bound by the Postern Wall.
| # | Structure | Time Period | Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Abschnittsmauer |
In use during the Hittite empire, the abschnittsmauer was an inner city wall that protected the Great Temple and adjacent settlement. It was 7m thick and adhered to the box system (kasternmauer): an outer and an inner wall (each ~1.5-2m thick) were connected every several meters by transverse walls, forming enclosed box-shaped spaces that were then filled with rubble. Each 20-25m segment of curtain wall was adjoined by a tower that was 3-4m thicker than the curtain wall and protruded at the front. For security reasons, Hittites kept limited access to their city walls. Only every sixth or seventh tower had a door to get in from the ground outside. Every tower had two doors on its upper story to access the adjacent curtain walls; the curtain walls were only accessible from the towers. Tall rectangular windows were built into the towers on the front, back and two sides protruding from the curtain walls. The tower roofs were accessible via a ladder. To stabilize each story of the towers, an encircling anchorage of large timbers (ringanker) was installed; in the reconstruction, this is visible as a bulging line between each story. The roof was made of a dense layer of poplar logs, covered by a layer of mud, covered by a 10-12cm thick layer of impermeable earthen çorak. The outer surface of the roof was divided into sections, each slightly sloped to guide rain water to drains. Drains were made of timber halves. These kinds of roofs are still used in Anatolian villages. After heavy rains they require re-sealing and re-sloping; snow must be quickly removed or else trapped melted water will permeate the roof. |
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| 2 | Reconstruction | 2005 – ? | Sponsored by JT International, a 65m long section of the abschnittsmauer was reconstructed during eleven months, broken into three campaigns between 2003 and 2005. No original brickwork of Hattusha’s city walls remains. Instead, the reconstruction relied upon clay models from the Hittite period and preserved mudbricks elsewhere in Hattusha. To build the bricks, clay-rich soil, straw and water were mixed in large pits; the straw was a temper to prevent cracking during drying. Wood slats were arranged into a grid of 45×10 rectangles; the mixture was poured into the frame; the surfaces were smoothed; and the frame was removed. The bricks were left in the sun to dry for 10-12 days. This prepared mud bricks of the same average size as those preserved in burnt ruins at Hattusha. Approximately 64,000 bricks were produced for the reconstruction of the wall. Mud bricks are sturdy yet rain-sensitive. The walls were dampened and a thin layer of plaster (the same mixture used for the bricks) was hand-applied. With each brick weighing ~34kg, and the weight of the mortar and plaster, nearly 2500 tons of material was used to reconstruct the mud brick wall. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Lower City | 3rd/2nd MIll BC – ? | The oldest traces of settlement in the Lower City date to the Late Early Bronze Age (straddling the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC) by Hattians of local origin. Also excavated were remnants of a karum of the 19th and 18th cent BC. When the Hittites established themselves in the lower city, they built a temple with storerooms, and an adjacent residential area. The residences’ house walls were built of sun-dried mud-bricks partially supported by a timber frame; their flat roofs were made of timbers plastered with mud. These multi-room houses contained ovens, open fireplaces and sometimes even clay bathtubs. Water for consumption was carried from neighborhood fountains. A drainage system whisked away sewage via mains beneath streets and alleys. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Temple 1 |
Temple 1 (Great Temple) is the largest building structure in Hattusha. The temple itself is 65×42m; including its storerooms it is 14,500m2. Its construction date is unknown, but it was likely in use during the Hittite Empire. The Temple Building lacks a staircase, indicating it was only one story. Monolithic doorsills mark doorways, aiding to determine the Great Temple’s 82 ground-floor rooms. The storage depots likely had stairwell access to two or even three stories, meaning the storage magazines contained a maximum of 200 storerooms. Some of the Great Temple’s wall socles were fashioned out of limestone blocks up to 1.5m high and up to 5m long, weighing 20 tons or more. The walls themselves were timber frame construction filled with mudbrick. They were then covered with mud plaster, in areas worked into designs in relief and likely painted lavishly. The roof was made of timbers sealed with mud. Many dowel holes remain, as do the low sills of large windows. The Great Temple was likely kept shuttered, however, due to its sanctity. |
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| Temple 1 Features |
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| 6 | House on the Slope | ?-13th Cent BC | In the Old City of the Hittites there were many structures terraced into the slope between the royal citadel of Büyükkale to the Great Temple. One such structure is the House on the Slope, which was a two-storied 32×36 m structure. One room alone in the upper story measured 13×17 m. This grand scale suggests it had an official use. The building was destroyed by fire at the end of the 13th cent BC. Remnants of the mudbrick walls have survived to present. A comprehensive clay tablet archive was recovered from the ruins of the first story. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Kesikkaya | Kesikkkaya (meaning cut rock) is a rock outcropping with a natural cleft. A Hittite structure once stood atop it, as evidenced by step-like ledges and rows of bore holes. Kesikkaya was used as a source of stone for the Lower City; Roman and Byzantine quarrying is evidenced by scarring high up Kesikkaya. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Postern Wall | 16th Cent BC – ? | The oldest fortification of Hattusha is the Postern Wall, which protected the Lower City on the south and southwest. It followed the valley’s natural contours all the way up to Büyükkale. The Postern Wall was likely erected by Hittite king Hantili, as a tablet from Hattusha’ cuneiform archives alleges that he built fortifications for Hattusha which “earlier had no protection whatsoever” — this likely meant that his fortifications paled earlier attempts. In typical Hittite fashion it was built with casemate walls. Eight posterns beneath the wall were situated 70-180m form each other to connect the inside to the outside. The posterns were of corbeled masonry. Their precise function is unclear, although they have been sally ports; postern is from Latin posterula, meaning back- or side-door). The Postern Wall was renovated and remodeled in the centuries after its construction. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8a | Grain Silo | Old Hittite Era – ? |
In the Old Hittite Period a subterranean grain silo was built next to the Postern Wall (note that Büyükkaya is home to a separate silo). The complex was ~118m long and 30-40m wide, containing two rows each containing 16 compartments. The walls (but not floors) were made of ~1.5m thick mud-brick tiles; outside surfaces were insulated with thick layers of clay to keep out moisture. The compartment was then lined with a thick layer of straw. Grain was poured up to the rim of the compartment. Atop this was placed straw and then loamy soil to create a hermetic seal. Though the height of the compartments is unknown, though their capacity was realistically 7-9,000m3. This could suffice 20-30,000 people for a year (barring beer brewing) and must have served as not just a reserve, but as a treasury important to the Hittite king’s economic power. During the 16th cent BC the silo complex was engulfed in flames that consumed exterior structures. Some grain burned, but due to low oxygen levels much of it was just charred. Excavations not only uncovered preserved mud-bricks, but also layers over one meter thick of preserved grain, the only find of its kind in the ancient Near East. Most of the grain was barley, but various seeds of weeds and other plants were also present; these likely grew in the fields and made their way into the harvest. |
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| 9 | Kizlar Kaya | Kizlar Kaya (Maiden’s Rock) gained its name by a rumor of a relief of a young girl on the rock face. Roman and Byzantine masons removed stone blocks from Kizlar Kaya, though its configuring is largely preserved. Atop Kizlar Kaya is a platform with bore holes, benches and altar-like spaces that indicate a structure may have existed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Lower West Gate | Hittite Empire | The West Gates are part of the west side of the Upper City fortification wall. However, they are more proximal to the Lower City. Unlike the gates in this fortification — the Lion and King Gates — these West Gates have no aesthetic other than attractive parabolic arches. The Lower West Gate is atop a street that runs parallel to the Postern Wall, indicating that the path was in use during the Old Hittite Period long before the West Gates were actually built. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Upper West Gate | Hittite Empire | The Upper West Gate accessed to a high ridge of the Upper City that has not been fully excavated. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Seeher, Jürgen. 2006. Hattusha Guide: A Day in the Hittite Capital. Ege Yayinlary: Istanbul. (also available online) |
| Period or Event | King | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Paleolithic | Very few traces of civilization in any of northern Anatolia | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesolithic | Very few traces of civilization in any of northern Anatolia. | ||
| Neolithic | Very few traces of civilization in any of northern Anatolia’s mountainous and forested geography. However there are traces in the south, for example in Catal Huyuk and the Konya Plain. | ||
| Chalcolithic | 6000-3000 BC | First settlements include one on the Büyükakaya ridge and near Yarikkaya. Settlement across northern Anatolia increased very slowly. | |
| Early Bronze Age | 3000-2000 BC | Coherent zones of habitation with trade were established. Toward the end of the Early Bronze Age a Hattian settlement was established at Bogazkale, beginning the site’s continuous occupation. Remnants of Hattian settlements have been found under the fill of the Hittite Lower City, and on the high ridges of Büyükkaya and Büyükkale. | |
| Middle Bronze Age aka Karum Period |
2000-1700 BC | Fortifications were laid out on Büyükkale, indicating this is where the Hattian rulers lived. Hattian settlement stretched from the slope of Büyükkale to the area where the Great Temple of the Hittites was later erected. Hattian occupation grew to the point that an Assyrian karum was established sometime in the 19th/18th centuries BC just to the north. This was one of several at Hattian centers. The Assyrian traders kept their residential quarters separate from the Hattians, although the Assyrians were nonetheless protected and taxed by the Hattian rulers. With the Assyrians arrived writing (Akkadian cuneiform) as business necessitated documentation. Transactions were recorded on tablets, along with the name of the Hattian city Hattush. | |
| Destruction of Hattush | ~1700 BC | At the start of the 2nd mill BC, Central Anatolia saw frequent conflict between the autochthonous Hattians and immigrant Hittites seeking to consolidate their power. A ~1700 BC burn layer at Hattush is corroborated by an inscription by King Anitta of Kushar, describing his defeat of King Piyushti of Hattush: “At night I took the city by force; I have sown weeds in its place. Should any king after me attempt to resettle Hattush may the Weathergod of Heaven strike him down” 2. | |
| Old Hittite Kingdom | ~1650-1400 BC | Heralding from Kushar, in ~1650 BC the Hittite king Hattushili I chose to preside from Hattian Hattush, marking the beginning of the Hittite Hattusha 1. Hattushili reintroduced cuneiform writing, which had fallen out of use when the Assyrian trade network disintegrated, thus ensuring a legacy of 30,000 clay tablets spanning laws, contracts, correspondences, cult procedures, oracular prophecies and ancient Near East literature. | |
| Destruction of Hattusha | 1400 BC | Under the reign of Hittite king Tudhaliya III the city “was burned to the ground” according to a cuneiform text 3. This is contemporaneous with a recension of Hittite power, the extent of Hittite hegemony contracting to just the Central Anatolian plateau 1. | |
| Hittite Empire | 1400-1180 BC | Hittite king Shupiluliuma I led the Hittites to defeat the Mitanni, their mighty opponent straddling north Mesopotamia and south Anatolia. | |
| Shupiluliuma I | |||
Yazilikaya (written rock) is the largest known Hittite rock sanctuary. It may have been a place for celebrating the arrival of the New Year each spring. It was established in its present form by Hittite king Tudhaliya IV.
| Feature | Overview |
|---|---|
| Building | A substantial building blocked outside entrance to Chamber A. |
| Chamber A | Chamber A was carved in high relief with the Hurrian Pantheon. It depicts two processions, with male deities on the left (two exceptions) and female deities on the right. Luwian hieroglyphs provide each deity’s name above its projecting hand. The two processions meet at the back wall at Chamber A’s main scene, a meeting of the Storm God Tesup and the Sun Goddess Hepat. Opposite the main scene is the largest relief in the chamber, a portrayal of Hittite king Tudhaliya IV. |
| Chamber B | Through a narrow passage is Chamber B, a late 13th cent BC memorial dedicated to Tudhaliya IV by his son Supiluliuma II. Chamber B was buried until the late 19th cent, keeping its reliefs well-preserved. The Chamber B reliefs depict: the 12 Gods of the Underworld; Nergal, god of the Underworld; a cartouche with the name of Tudhaliya IV; and the god Sarruma guiding Tudhaliya IV. The limestone block near the entrance was likely a base for a statue of Tudhaliya IV. Niches in the chamber could have held offerings. |
Kadesh Treaty, ~1269 BC. Akkadian on Terracotta from Hattusa. Museum of the Ancient Orient Bo. 10403+6549+6674. Image by L. M. Clancy, 2009/08/28.The Kadesh Treaty was established ~1269 BC between Hittite king Hattusilis III and Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II, and is the earliest known equitable peace treaty. Ramses II’s reign began with hostility against the Hittite Empire, culminating in the mutually devastating Battle of Kadesh. The overextended Hittites lost the critical Mitanni region; and Egypt’s defeat prompted its Levantine vassals to revolt. Nearly six years after the Battle of Kadesh, Egypt and the Hittites allied for: non-aggression to avoid further ruin; and mutual military aid to thwart the encroachment of the Sea Peoples.
Two Egyptian and three Akkadian versions of the treaty are known to exist. One Egyptian version was carved into the walls of the temple of Amon at Karnak; another was carved into the walls of the Ramesseum, though it embellished Egypt’s peacemaking role. The three Akkadian versions are much closer to the formal agreement; these were excavated at Hattusha by joint Turkish and German teams (led by Hügo Winckler and Teodor Makridy). One of these Hittite tablets are at Staatliche Museen zu Berlin; two are at the Istanbul Archaeological Museums. Below are excerpts from the treaty:
Treaty of Rea-Mashesha-Mai Amana the great king, the king of the land of Egypt, the valiant, with Hattusilis, the great king of the Hatti land for establishing good peace and good brotherhood worthy of great kingship forever.
These are the words of Rea-Mashasha-Mai Amana: Now I have established good brotherhood [and] good peace between us forever. In order to establish good peace [and] good brotherhood in the relationship of the land of Egypt with the Hatti land forever.
Thus: Behold, as for the relationship between the land of Egypt and the Hatti land, since eternity the god does not permit the making of hostility between them because of a treaty [valid] forever.
| Period or Event | King | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Lands south of the Taurus and distant territories to the south and east of Anatolia were captured from the Hittites by the Mitanni. Attacks of marauding Kashkan tribes living in the northern mountains of Central Antaolia became a direct threat to Hattusha. Hattusha was destroyed in 1400 BC under the reign of Tudhaliya III; a cuneiform text explains, “Hattusha, the city, was burned to the ground and only [ . . . ] and the Heshti-House of [ . . . ] remained standing” 2. Hittite hegemony was limited to the Central Anatolian plateau 1. |
1
p 173-
Seeher, Jürgen. 2006. Hattusha Guide: A Day in the Hittite Capital. Ege Yayinlary: Istanbul.
2
p 175
| Period or Event | King | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Arrival of Hittites | < 2000 BC | Hittites drifted into central Anatolia from the Caucasus during the second half of the 3rd millenium BC. They retained the name Hatti from their land but called their language Neshian. Also entering Anatolia were the Luvians (south and west) and Palaians (north and northwest). | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Hittite Kingdom | 1650-1400 BC | ||
| Hattushili I | Hattushili I built an empire via military campaigns in Central Anatolia and to the south in northern Syria. He re-introduced cuneiform writing into the derelect Hattian site of Hattush when he chose it for the Hittite capital Hattusha. | ||
| Murshili | Murshili continued Hattushili I’s southward campaigns, delving further south in an effort to seize the Mesopotamian trade routes. The Hittites conquered Aleppo and even reached Babylon to topple Hammurabi’s dynasty. Murshili was murdered. |
1
p 173-
Seeher, Jürgen. 2006. Hattusha Guide: A Day in the Hittite Capital. Ege Yayinlary: Istanbul.
2
p 175
The Mausoleum at Halikarnassos was the tomb of Karian governor Maussolos, serving as the etymological root of the modern word for a monumental tomb. The Mausoleum was designed by Pytheos and Satyros. Mausollos may have overseen its early construction but died before its completion. Its construction continued until (perhaps after) his sister-wife Artemisia’s death in 351 BC.
Roman writer Pliny the Elder described the Mausoleum at Halikarnassos as having a peristyle of 36 columns and a stepped pyramid roof crowned with a marble quadriga, giving the structure a height of 140ft. The high podium is a Lykian aesthetic; the pyramid an Egyptian style; and the overall design Ionian Greek.
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Siege of Doppio | 1658/09/03 | The Ottoman Empire began its siege of Doppio Castle |
|---|---|---|
Clockwise: carding wool on a wooden carding comb with iron spikes to clean the wool and parallel fibers prior to spinning; preparing tulum peyniri, sheep’s milk cheese preserved in a specially preserved goatskin; spinning wool for a kilim using a kirman (spindle) with a crossed wood whorl; not shown a woman is sewing a dress for her daughter on a much prized hand-driven sewing machine. Instanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art. Image by L. M. Clancy. Instanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art. Image by L. M. Clancy.Anatolian Black Tents are woven of goathair by female nomads or urban centers’ male weavers. Women set up and dismantle the tents. It takes about an hour to unload the camels, erect the tent and arrange the inside. After this the women can dutifully continue: baking bread; preparing food; making clothes; spinning; milking; etc. An average tent is 5-6.5 m long and 4-5.5 m wide, supported by 3 poles; larger tents require 4 and exceptionally 5 poles. The top is made of 75-80 cm sections sewn together. The sides are attached to the top by wooden or metal pins. Inner reed screens keep out wind and dust. The front and right side can be lifted for ventilation.
Possessions are stored in alacuval, woven sacs with vertical sumac weave decoration. Alacuval are piled at the rear of the tent as a comfortable and attractive wall for visitors to lean against. Alacuval are oft woven in pairs for loading onto camels. Sumac weave styles are Alyanak, Göklüaya and Kirkbudak. Spatial arrangement is strongly conserved.
| Side | Arrangement |
|---|---|
| Left | Kitchen and food storage. |
| Back | Bedding and then alacuval sacs, forming a single row. |
| Right | Usually kept free. Occasionally storage space. |
| Front | Kept free, except in evenings when there is oft a fire and tea kettle. |
| Center | Bedding covers the whole center in the evening. |
In antiquity, Iznik was a settlement important for its prolific ceramics industry. In 1331 Iznik became part of the Ottoman Empire; from the mid-14th to the end of the 17th century it was the Turks most successful and vital ceramics production center in Anatolia. Iznik’s earliest ceramics were produced under Seljuk influence, vessels of red clay and glazed with a single color. Tiles of the Seljuk period are decorated with mosaic, tinted glaze and compositions of yellow, turquoise, white rumi and palmetto on underglaze, usually with a dark blue background.
| Ceramics | Time-Frame | Overview |
|---|---|---|
| Miletus Ware | Late 14th – Early 15th Cent | Mainly plates and bowls from coarse red clay. Coloration is dark blue, turquoise, purple and cobalt blue on a white slip. Designs are simple, often radial lines, geometric design, vegetal motifs and/or animal figures. These vessels were erroneously titled Miletus Ware although their production was later traced to Iznik. |
| Blue & White Ware | Late 15th – Early 16th Cent | Tiles and vessels made of fine, hard, white clay and decorated in different shades of blue on transparent underglaze. Hexagonal form was used, particular in early tiles. |
| Golden Horn Ware | 1530s-1550s | Variation of Blue & White Ware. |
| Blue & White Ware with Turquoise |
Early-Mid 16th Cent | Turquoise used together with blue. |
| Damascus Ware | 1540-1550 | Green and purple use for the first time, together with cobalt blue and turquoise. Precursor to use of many colors. |
| Polychrome Ware | Mid 16th – End of 17th Cent | The longest and most successful period, Polychrome Ware was made of hard white clay with designs in soft green and coral red on a lustrous transparent underglaze. |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| ~2500 BC | Mounds: Karadin, Çiçekli, Yügücek and Çakirca reveal Iznik’s history begins at ~2500 BC. | |
| Helikare | The settlement was known as Helikare before the arrival of Thracian immigrants. | |
| Thracian Immigration | 7th Cent BC | |
| Phrygian Renovation | 4th Cent BC | The settlement became known as Antigoneia following its renovation by the Phrygian Governor of the Macedonian Kingdom. |
| Lysimachus’ Capture | After 332 BC | After the death of Alexander the Great, Antigoneia was captured by Lysimachus, the ex-governor of Thrace, and its name was changed to Nicaea. The name Nicaea was ascribed to Lysimachus’ wife Nike. |
| Bithynian Capture | 293 BC | The Bythinian Kingdom annexed Nicaea. Great architecture arose in the city and it became home to a gold coin mint, thus earning it the nickname of Golden City. |
| Earthquake | 123 AD | An earthquake devastated Nicaea. |
| Roman Capture | The Romans battled the Bithynian Kingdom for many years before capturing the capital Nicaea and reconstructing it. The city at this point was surrounded by 4,970 kilometer city walls and had 4 main and 12 subordinate gates. | |
| Christianity | The Apostle St. Peter introduced Iznik to Christianity. Roman Emperor Constantine I abolished all prohibitions relating to Christianity. | |
| 1st Ecumenical Council | 325 AD | The 1st Ecumenical Council gathered in the palace at Iznik in the presence of Roman Emperor Constantine I. One of the subjects at hand was the debate between Alexandrian priest Arius’ thesis and that of the bishops. Arius held that Jesus Christ was not eternal and was subordinate to God the Gather. The bishops’ view was that Jesus Christ was one of substance with God the Father. After much debate the latter view was accepted and the Council formulated Nicene Creed and 20 canons as well as agreed on the date of Easter. |
| 7th Ecumenical Council | 787 AD | The 7th Ecumenical Council was held in the Asasofya Church at Iznik. |
| Prohibitions Lifted | 8th Cent AD | Empress Irene lifts prohibitions on paintings and statues. |
| Ottoman Capture | 1331 | The Ottomans commanded by Orhan Gazi captured Iznik and it became an art, ceramic, tile, trade and culture hub. The Ottoman Period’s first mosque, madrasa and soup kitchen were all constructed in Iznik in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Famous Sufis including Davud-u Kayseri, Ebul Fadil Musa and Esrefoglu Abdullah Rumi lived in Iznik. |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 1388 | The Nilüfer Hatun Soup Kitchen was Built by Sultan Murat I in memory of his mother Nilüfer Hatun. It was the first soup kitchen built with a reverse T-shaped plan. |
|---|---|---|
| End of Soup Kitchen | Late 19th Cent | |
| Greek Destruction | The Greek occupation largely destroyed the structure during the Independence War. | |
| Restoration | 1960 | The structure was restored in 1960 and re-opened as a museum. |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | Constructed by the Emperor Justinian over the ruins of a former church dating back to the 4th century. | |
|---|---|---|
| 7th Ecumenical Council | 787 AD | The 7th Ecumenical Council was held here. |
| Earthquake | 11th Cent | Demolished by an earthquake. |
| Reconstruction | Rebuilt in the shape of a basilica with three naves. | |
| Ottoman Conquest | 1331 | After the conquest of Iznik by Orhan Gazi, the basilica shaped church was made into a mosque. |
| Expansion | Under the reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, the mosque was expanded with a minaret on the front and its walls were decorated by the famous architect Sinan. | |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 1378-1392 | A single-domed mosque built by the architect Haci Musa. Requested by Halil Hayrettin Pasha. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 1333 | The oldest Ottoman mosque in Iznik. Built of hewn stone and brick with a square plan and no minaret, with a dome that is 8m in diameter and covered with roof tiles. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 1442 | Mahmut Çelebi, a grandson of Hayrettin Pasha, had this mosque built in th district centre. It has a single dome and a minaret. There is an inscription over the entry gate. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 15th Cent AD | Ibrahim Pasha, a vizier of Sultan Bayezi II, requested the construction of this mosque and tomb for Sheik Seyh Kudbettin. Only the minaret of the mosque survives. |
|---|---|---|
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| Construction | 14th Cent | Constructed by Yakup Çelebi, the younger brother of Yildirim Bayezid. There is a single domed tomb in the garden. The tomb of Takup Çelebi is not in this tomb but in the tomb of Murad I in Bursa. |
|---|---|---|
| Tomb | Overview |
|---|---|
| Yakup Çelebi Dervish Lodge and Tomb | |
| Seyh Kudbetting Mosque and Tomb | |
| Esref-i Rumî Mosque and Tomb | |
| Kirgizlar Tomb | |
| Sari Saltuk Tomb | |
| Çandarli Hayrettin Pasa Tomb | |
| Çandarli Ibrahim Pasa Tomb and Soup Kitchen |
|
| Çabdarku Halil Pasa Tomb | |
| Huysuzlar Tomb | |
| Ahiveyn Sultan Tomb | |
| Abdülvahap Sancaktari Tomb | |
| Period or Event | Time-Frame | Overview |
| PKK + Turk Fighting Erupts | 1984 | In southeastern Turkey, Kurdish guerrillas led by the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) began fighting with the Turkish army. The death-toll exceeded 20,000 by 1996. |
|---|---|---|
| Massive Earthquakes | 1999 08 17 | Two powerful earthquakes, measuring 6.7 and 7.4 on the Richter scale respectively, hit northwestern and western Turkey, killing about 18,000 people and affecting hundreds of thousands of others. |
| Bingol Earthquake | 2003 05 01 | At least 167 were killed and over 500 others injured when a quake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale hit Turkey’s eastern province of Bingol. |
| Eastern Earthquakes | 2004 03 | A 5.1-magnitude quake jolted eastern Turkey on March 26 2004, leaving at least 9 dead and 46 others injured. Another quake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale in the same region injured 12 people on March 28. |
| Bingol Earthquake | 2005 03 12 | An earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale jolted Turkey’s eastern province of Bingol. No casualties were reported. |
| Northwestern Earthquake | 2006 10 24 | An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted northwestern Turkey, but caused no casualties or serious damage. |
| Eastern Earthquake | 2007 02 21 | A 5.9-magnitude earthquake jolted eastern Turkey, causing slight damage but no casualties. |
| Bala Earthquake | 2007 12 20 | A 5.5-magnitude earthquake shook Bala town, but caused no casualties. |
| Ankara Earthquake | 2007 12 27 | Quake hit the Turkish capital of Ankara, damaging 945 buildings. |
| Explosives Discovered | 06 2007 | Cache of explosives discovered; ex-soldiers detained |
| Coup Organizers Arrested | 07 2008 | 20 arrested, including two ex-generals and a senior journalist, for “planning political disturbances and trying to organise a coup” |
| AK Party Escapes Ban | 07 2008 | Governing AK Party narrowly escapes court ban |
| Southeast Earthquake | 2008 09 03 | A 5.1-magnitude earthquake shook southeastern Turkey, damaging some houses in the region. No casualties were reported. |
| First Ergenekon Trial | 2008/10 | 86 go on trial charged with “Ergenekon” coup plot |
| Second Ergenekon Trial | 2009/07 | 56 in dock as second trial opens |
| Mediterranean Earthquake | 2009 12 22 | Quake measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale shook Turkey’s Mediterranean region, damaging some buildings. |
| Coup Plot Exposed | 2010/01 | Reports of the alleged sledgehammer plot first surfaced in the liberal Taraf newspaper, which said it had discovered documents detailing plans in 2003 to bomb two Istanbul mosques and provoke Greece into shooting down a Turkish plane over the Aegean Sea. |
| Coup Plot Convictions | 2010/02 | After a week of high drama at the state security court in Istanbul, the judges have almost completed their assessment of the 49 military suspects detained on Monday. Thirty-one officers, among them seven navy admirals and four army generals, have been charged with conspiring to provoke a military takeover in the months following the AKP’s first election victory in 2002. That makes this the most ambitious attempt yet to prosecute armed forces personnel in civilian courts. Three other officers, including the general who allegedly masterminded the plot, are still being questioned. For the once untouchable military the week’s events will have been a humbling experience. But it could have been worse; last night the three most senior officers among the 49 were released. |
| Gul Reassures Turkey | 2010/02/25 | On Thursday, Turkish President Abdullah Gul sought to reassure the country, saying tensions over an alleged military coup plot would be resolved within the “constitution”. The alleged sledgehammer plot was first revealed by the liberal Taraf newspaper. Gul made the statement after meeting the head of the armed forces, Gen Ilker Basbug, along with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey’s military has overthrown or forced the resignation of four governments since 1960 – most recently in 1997 – though Gen Basbug has insisted that coups are a thing of the past. (link) |
| Earthquake Hits East | 2010 03 08 | Fifty-seven people had been killed by the quake, which caused the most deaths in six villages around the epicenter in the Karakocan town of the eastern province of Elazig, the newspaper quoted Karakocan mayor as saying. The quake struck Basyurt region of Karakocan town at a depth of 5 km at 4:32 a.m. local time (0232 GMT), said the Istanbul-based Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute of Turkey’s Bogazici University. Tremors were also felt in neighboring provinces of Tunceli, Bingol and Diyarbakir, said Hurriyet Daily News. The institute has so far reported 27 aftershocks and more are expected over the next hours and days, according to the newspaper. The Turkish Red Crescent had sent 500 tents and foodstuff to the quake zone, while State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek and other senior officials had left the capital Ankara for Elazig, the semi-official Anatolia news agency reported. (link) |
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8538484.stm
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/world/2010-03/08/c_13202150.htm
Urartu (earlier, Uruatri or Biblical Ararat) was a powerful kingdom centered on Lake Van in eastern Turkey. It began as a federation in the Armenian highlands, and during Shalmaneser I’s time it was a loose federation of eight different mountain regions.
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