Turkey marks 567th anniversary of conquest of Istanbul

Turkey on May 29 marked the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul on its 567th anniversary with a series of events.

Sultan Mehmet II conquered the city from where the Byzantines ruled the Eastern Roman Empire for more than 1,000 years.

The conquest transformed the city, once the heart of the Byzantine realm, into the capital of the new Ottoman Empire.

"I congratulate the 567th anniversary of the Conquest of Istanbul, one of the most spectacular victories in history, which closed one era and started another era. I commemorate all of our heroes, who have made this land home to us, especially Fatih Sultan Mehmed Han [Mehmed the Conqueror], with mercy, gratitude and respect," President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan wrote on Twitter.

Erdoğan also greeted the boats, decorated with Turkish flags, which passed through the Bosphorus to mark the historic occasion.

Mehmed II, the Ottoman emperor who conquered Istanbul and thus earned the title "conqueror," was only 21 years old when he sent the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire to the dusty pages of history and leveled up a Turkish state into an empire that would rule regions in multiple continents for centuries to come.

A series of event were also planned throughout the day on May 29 in the city, which is now home to some 16 million residents.