President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday commemorated the 573rd anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul, rejecting calls that question its historical status.
Speaking at a ceremony titled “From the Conquest of Istanbul to the Conquest of Hearts” at the Haliç Congress Center, Erdoğan criticized those who challenge the legacy of the conquest, saying they were uncomfortable with Islamic symbols associated with the city’s Ottoman heritage.
“Whoever says Istanbul’s status should change cannot accept the Quran recited at Topkapı Palace or the call to prayer heard at Hagia Sophia,” Erdoğan said.
Erdoğan noted Istanbul has been a Turkish city since 1453 and remains a source of pride for the nation. He argued that some critics, both inside and outside the country, still have not accepted the city’s conquest centuries later.
The Turkish leader said the conquest of Istanbul in 1453 brought renewal and prosperity to the city.
“The conquest of Istanbul was the reconstruction and revival of a city whose places of worship, including Hagia Sophia, had been plundered, whose neighborhoods had turned into swamps,” Erdoğan said.
The president’s remarks came during celebrations that coincided with the Eid al-Adha holiday, which he said strengthened the event’s spiritual significance.
Addressing the audience, Erdoğan extended holiday greetings to Türkiye’s 86 million citizens and to people living in more than 150 countries. He emphasized the values of solidarity, charity and unity associated with Eid al-Adha, saying the holiday reinforces bonds among Muslims worldwide and strengthens social cohesion.
The conquest of Istanbul by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II in 1453 marked the end of the Byzantine Empire and remains a significant milestone in Turkish history.
