“Istanbul is ours forever,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on the occasion of today’s 572nd anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople, stressing that today’s Turkey keeps alive the “spirit of innovation of Sultan Mohammed II”, which changed the philosophy of warfare at that time.

“The Conqueror was not only a great military commander and statesman, but also a brilliant scientist who was a pioneer in modern engineering. The guns that were built completely changed the philosophy of warfare of that era and went down in history. Today, we keep alive that knowledge, that spirit of innovation that we inherited from our ancestors in the same way and pass it on to future generations. We continue to change the current philosophy of warfare with drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned submarines and many other technologies,” the Turkish president said, among other things, at a ceremony held in the Beykoz district on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, from where he inaugurated via video call public parks in suburbs of Constantinople.

“Today is the 572nd anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople, one of the greatest epics of our history. On May 29, 1453, a tactical and strategic genius, a victorious commander conquered Constantinople together with an army that believed in and committed to the goal. The 53-day siege ended in a stunning victory under the leadership of the 21-year-old conqueror. May the 572nd anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople be blessed. May Allah be pleased with the soldiers and the commander who conquered it,” Tayyip Erdogan noted.

Elsewhere in his reference to the anniversary of the fall of Constantinople, the Turkish president said: “The Fall of Constantinople is above all a victory of knowledge, perseverance and faith. Constantinople was besieged four times in the past by the Ottoman army, but it could not be conquered. As soon as he came to the throne at the age of 19, he immediately rolled up his sleeves to develop new methods, new techniques, new weapons and began a feverish work. He had the master craftsman Saruka build new cannons to tear down the walls of Constantinople, which were thought to be impenetrable. He first tested these cannons, whose projectiles weighed hundreds of kilograms, in Hadrianople and then transported them to Constantinople. He personally watched every stage of all these preparations.

During the first month of the siege, which began on April 6, the desired result could not be achieved. However, the successes of the last 23 days paved the way to a victory that went down in world history. The Conqueror, who transported the ships by land, had prepared a foretold Fall step by step with ingenious methods. This is very important: When these new cannons called “Shahi” started hitting the walls, the course of the siege changed. The first breach opened at the Gate of St. Roman (Topkapi). The first banner was raised on the walls of Topkapi. From midday on 29 May, Constantinople and Hagia Sophia were now ours forever.”