Istanbul
The City and the Sultan
This winter from 16 December 2006 till 15 April 2007 one of the most remarkable cities in the world takes centre stage in a major exhibition at De Nieuwe Kerk: ISTANBUL. Crossroads of world civilisations and cradle of culture. The Ottoman dynasty left its mark on this unusual city and gave it sumptuous palaces, mosques and collections. Nearly 300 treasures of the sultans from many museums in Istanbul are coming to Amsterdam, including those from the world-famous Topkapi Museum.
Visiting the exhibition is like strolling through the rich past of the Ottoman sultans. On view will be highlights of Ottoman art such as the sultans' portraits and kaftans, miniatures and paintings of important events in history, carpets, gifts to the sultan, religious relics, marble turbans, mystical objects, great works of literature and science, beautiful calligraphy, ceramics, water pipes and musical instruments. All these striking objects are to be found in more than 10 structures designed by Kossman.deJong and placed inside the majestic medieval church. They are combined with old and new film footage and intriguing musical excerpts.
The city at the centre of the exhibition in De Nieuwe Kerk may not be the oldest city in the world but it is certainly one of the most spectacular, with its superb location on the shores of the Golden Horn, the Sea of Marmara and the Bosporus and its rich history. Today the city has as many inhabitants as the Netherlands, but it began as the small provincial town of Byzantion, founded by Megaras in 650 BC. It became a metropolis when Constantine the Great made it the capital of his empire (early 4th century). He also gave his name to the city: Konstantinoupolis. From the 13th century the city and the Byzantine Empire went into decline. Crusades, wars, plundering: the city never recovered from these disasters. Trade decreased, people moved away and the city slowly decayed. In the same century a very different threat appeared on the eastern horizon: the 'Turks'. They were one of the steppe peoples of Central Asia who were gradually extending the territory they controlled. It was the Osman dynasty above all who rapidly increased her power at the expense of the Byzantines and the neighbouring small Islamic principalities. By the end of the 15th century the Ottomans had occupied all of the Byzantine Empire except for Constantinople. On 28 May 1453 the signal to attack was given. Several hours later Mehmed the Conqueror entered the city. Constantinople had fallen and was renamed Istanbul (derived from the Greek name i poli, the city).
