Question

What did 15th and 16th century Ottoman sultans do to Constantinople after Ottoman forces captured it in 1453?

• A. They destroyed they city and made Damascus their capital
• B. They allowed leaders of the Orthodox Church to restore and build new churches
• C. They invited Western European architects to direct the rebuilding of the city
• D. They left the original city intact but at a much reduced condition
• E. They restored and beautified it and made it the Ottoman capital

Answer 1

The correct option is E They restored and beautified it and made it the Ottoman capital

After Ottoman forces toppled the much-reduced Byzantine empire in 1453 by capturing Constantinople, Ottoman Sultans quickly began rebuilding the city, making it the capital of their own empire. The original conquering forces under Mehmed II converted the Hagia Sophia, an orthodox church constructed during the time of Justinian, to a mosque.