THE DECLINE OF CAIRO UNDER THE OTTOMANS

Abstract

The Ottomans conquered Constantinople in the afternoon of 29 May, 1453. It only took the army a number of hours, starting at dawn, to take the Byzantine capital. The victorious Mehmed II toured the city, entering the Church of Hagia Sophia and declaring it the city’s congregational mosque. He also announced that the city would become his capital. It was still called Constantinople, but became popularly known as Istanbul. He vowed to establish Islamic rule over the lands stretching from the Euphrates to the Danube river, as well as the whole of the Byzantine Empire.