The Armenian community in Constantinople, dating back to the fourth century, contributed to the cultural and material development of the imperial city, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, known in Armenian as Kostandnupolis or Bolis, today’s Istanbul.
Constantinople served as a major cultural center for Armenians, as successive invasions compelled them in growing numbers to migrate westward to the Byzantine Empire or being forced to do so by the Byzantine rulers in furtherance of their imperial objectives.
Under Ottoman rule, Armenians in the capital registered impressive cultural and economic achievements despite their legal status as second-class citizens, and they witnessed an enlightenment and cultural reawakening in all spheres of literature and arts led by such intellectuals as Bedros Turian, Hagop Baronian, Srpuhi Dussape, Zabel Essayan, Rupen Sevag, Taniel Varoujan, and Siamanto, the last three falling victim to the genocidal policies of the Young Turk regime. The military and economic decline of the Ottoman Empire, however, caused severe tensions between Turks and Armenians, further exacerbated by strains in international relations. The Armenian massacres of 1894-96 and 1909 culminated in the Armenian Genocide beginning in 1915 during World War I. Still, the Armenian community in Istanbul today and Armenians across the world remain the beneficiaries of the rich cultural legacy inherited from the generations of the Armenian enlightenment.
