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.
Conquest message from Saadet Party leader Temel Karamollaoğlu;
In the 566th year of the conquest of Istanbul, I commemorate the conquering architect, the great statesman Fatih Sultan Mehmet and all the glorious and veterans with respect, mercy and gratitude.