Empires & Dynasties

Many empires and dynasties ruled Anatolia, and each left buildings you can still walk through. Istanbul was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire before it became the Ottoman capital. Our short history of Istanbul follows both. On the Black Sea, the Empire of Trebizond kept a Byzantine court alive in Trabzon.
The Turkish dynasties came from the east. Our page on the Anatolian Seljuks covers their portals and caravanserais. The Ottomans began in Bursa, which UNESCO records as their first capital in the early 14th century. From there, read about Mehmed the Conqueror and Suleiman the Magnificent.