Brief History

The Marmara Region, straddling both Europe and Asia, has been a significant crossroads for ancient civilizations. The region’s strategic location between the Balkans and Anatolia facilitated the movement of peoples and cultures. Thracians and Phrygians were among the first to establish themselves in the area, leaving behind traces of their settlements. The Greeks, arriving as early as the 7th century BCE, founded cities like Byzantium, which would later grow into the magnificent Constantinople. The region became a focal point for the expansion of the Persian Empire, which was later overtaken by the Greeks following the campaigns of Alexander the Great. Under the Roman Empire, the region blossomed, especially after the establishment of Constantinople as the eastern capital of the Roman Empire.

Later, the Byzantine Empire controlled the region for centuries, maintaining its status as a cultural and religious center of Christianity. The Seljuks and then the Ottomans, who made Constantinople (Istanbul) their imperial capital in 1453, continued to develop and fortify the region. The Marmara Region remained vital through history due to its access to both the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea, as well as its fertile lands and strategic trade routes.