Turkey marks 562nd anniversary of Istanbul's conquest by the Ottoman Empire in massive ceremony

Turkey commemorates 562nd anniversary of Istanbul's conquest by the Ottoman Empire in a massive ceremony in Istanbul's Yenikapı district public arena on Saturday afternoon.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu attended to the ceremony to mark the conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1453.

Erdoğan started his speech by reading verses from Al-Fath (Conquest) sura of the Holy Qu'ran.

Turkey's largest stage has been constructed for the event which will also have a 500 square meters LED screen installed to display the stage for the people in the arena.

The Turkish Stars, Turkish Air Forces' aerobatics team, performed during the event, which a crowd of two million people attended.

The Ottoman military band, or 'mehter takımı', of Turkish Armed Forces, which consists of 84 members, performed along with a historical military unit of 478 members, totaling the number to 562 members in memory of the 562nd anniversary. The band wore fourteen different uniforms of different periods and military classes.

Nine giant screens were also established to ensure the performances can be viewed comfortably by the crowd.

A team of 450 prepared the area for the ceremony, while 600 healthcare staff and 70 ambulances were kept ready for possible health problems in two hospital tents and 10 health posts.

The speeches during the event were translated to English, Arabic, Spanish, French and Russian.

Istanbul, previously capital of the Byzantine Empire and known as Constantinople, was conquered by the Ottoman Empire, under leadership of Sultan Mehmed II, on May 29, 1453. The conquest was not regarded as an ordinary fall of a city, but rather, it was a turning point both in the Turkish history and the history of the world.