Sarayburnu

Sarayburnu (Turkish: "Sarayburnu", meaning "Palace Point"; known in English as the Seraglio Point) is a promontory separating the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkey. The area is where the renowned Topkapı Palace and Gülhane Park stand. Sarayburnu is included in the historic areas of Istanbul, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. [ [http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/356 UNESCO | Historic Areas of Istanbul] ]

History

The first settlement on the Sarayburnu, named "Lygos", was founded by Thracian tribes between the 13th and 11th centuries BC, along with the neighbouring "Semistra",cite encyclopedia |last=Vailhé |first= S. |encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopedia|title=Constantinople |url= http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04301a.htm|accessdate=2007-09-12 |year= 1908 |publisher=Robert Appleton Company |volume=4 |location= New York] of which Plinius had mentioned in his historical accounts. Only a few walls and substructures belonging to Lygos have survived to date, near the location where the famous Topkapı Palace now stands. During the period of Byzantion, the Acropolis used to stand where the Topkapı Palace stands today.

In 667 BC ancient Greek settlers from Megara (near Athens) under the command of King Byzas established Byzantion at the Sarayburnu. Earlier, in 685 BC, the Megarans had established Chalcedon (present-day Kadıköy) on the Anatolian shore, across the Bosporus. Actually the oldest settlements in present-day Istanbul are found on the Anatolian side; such as the Fikirtepe mound which dates from the Chalcolithic period (Copper Age), with artifacts dating from 5500-3500 BC. In nearby Kadıköy (ancient Chalcedon), a large port settlement dating from the Phoenicians (which predates the Megaran settlement) has been discovered.

In antiquity there were two natural harbours in the area close to Sarayburnu where the present-day Sirkeci and Eminönü quarters stand (the harbours of "Prosphorion" and "Neorion", which scooped into the coastline of the Golden Horn.) Because of this formation, the point of Sarayburnu was more conspicuous than it is today. In later periods the area was the convergence point for the Sea Walls of the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara. In the Byzantine period, the area was known as "Hagios Demetrios".

During the railway construction of the late Ottoman period, in 1871, the city walls of the Sarayburnu area were partially demolished, but they are still intact in some areas - especially close to the Topkapı Palace which was built in the 15th century for the Ottoman Sultans. The notable Gülhane Park is located right next to the palace.

References

* Istanbul Travel Guide & Information - [http://www.istanbulholidayapartments.com/CityGuide.html "Istanbul: Where the Continents Meet"]

ea also

* Topkapı Palace
* Gülhane Park

External links

* Turizm.net - [http://www.turizm.net/cities/istanbul/index1.html "Brief history of Istanbul"]
* Köroğlu, Gülgün. "İstanbul'daki Bizans İmparatorluk Sarayları". OB Archive & Research Center, 2006. PDFlink| [http://www.obarsiv.com/pdf/vct_0607_gulgunkoroglu.pdf "web page"] |360 KiB