Chrysopolis

Üsküdar (Turkish pronunciation: [ysˈcydaɾ]) is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; with Karaköy, Kabataş, Beşiktaş, and the historic Sarayburnu quarter of Fatih facing it on the opposite shore to the west. Üsküdar has been a conservative cultural center of the Anatolian side of Istanbul since Ottoman times with its landmark as well as numerous tiny mosques and dergahs.

Previously known as Chrysopolis and Scutari, present-day Üsküdar is a major transport hub, with ferries to Eminönü, Karaköy, Kabataş, Beşiktaş and some of the Bosphorus suburbs. Üsküdar is a stop on the Marmaray rail service at the point where it starts its journey under the Bosphorus, re-emerging on the European side at Sirkeci. Via Marmaray, Üsküdar is linked to Gebze on the Asian side of the city and Halkali on the European side. Üsküdar is also a stop on the M5 Metro line to Çekmeköy. Buses run along the Bosphorus shore all the way up north to Anadolu Kavağı in Beykoz district. A bus service also operates to the summer town of Şile on the Black Sea.

Etymology

Üsküdar was previously called Chrysopolis (Greek: Χρυσόπολις, 'Golden City') and later Skoutarion (Byzantine Greek: Σκουτάριον) during the Byzantine Empire. This may commemorate the leather scutum shields used by guards since the word scutari means 'raw tanned leather'. Invading Persians, Slavic tribes, Arabs, and Crusaders called the city Esküdar or Escutaire.

Administration

From 2004 to 2024, Üsküdar was governed by the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and was seen as one of the party's strongholds in Istanbul. This changed in the 2024 local elections, when Sinem Dedetaş of the Republican People's Party (CHP) won the mayoralty, ending two decades of AKP rule in the district.

In July 2026, Dedetaş and several municipal officials were detained as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in building and occupancy permits, part of a wider crackdown on opposition run municipalities. The CHP called the charges politically motivated; the government maintained that the judiciary was acting independently.

Chrysopolis

Üsküdar was founded in the 7th century BC by ancient Greek colonists from Megara a few decades before Byzantium was founded on the opposite shore. It was originally called Chrysopolis (Ancient Greek: Χρυσόπολις, 'Golden City'). According to an ancient Greek geographer, the city received the name Chrysopolis because the Persian empire had a gold depository there or because it was associated with Agamemnon and Chryseis' son, Chryses. On the other hand, according to an 18th-century writer, it received the name because of the excellence of its harbor.

The city was used as a harbor and shipyard and was an important staging post in the wars between the Greeks and Persians. In 410 BC Chrysopolis was taken by the Athenian general Alcibiades, and the Athenians used it thenceforth to charge a toll on ships coming from and going to the Black Sea. Long overshadowed by its neighbor Chalcedon during the Hellenistic and Roman period, it maintained its identity and increased its prosperity until it surpassed Chalcedon. Due to its less favorable location with respect to the currents of the Bosporus, however, it never surpassed Byzantium.

In AD 324, the final battle between Constantine I, Emperor of the West, and Licinius, Emperor of the East, in which Constantine defeated Licinius, took place at Chrysopolis. When Constantine made Byzantium his capital, Chrysopolis, together with Chalcedon, became suburbs. Chrysopolis remained important throughout the Byzantine period because all trade routes to Asia started there, and all Byzantine army units headed to Asia mustered there.

During the brief usurpation of the Armenian general Artabasdos, his eldest son, Niketas, was defeated with his forces at Chrysopolis by the army of Constantine V, before Artabasdos was finally deposed by the legitimate emperor Constantine and blinded. For this reason, and because of its location across from Constantinople, it was a natural target for anyone aiming at the capital. Also, in the 8th century AD it was taken by a small band of Arabs, who caused considerable destruction and panic in Constantinople, before withdrawing. In 988, a rebellion that nearly toppled Basil II began in Chrysopolis, before he was able to crush with the aid of Russian mercenaries.

Skoutarion, Scutari

In the 12th century, the city changed its name to Skoutarion (Greek: Σκουτάριον), the name deriving from the Emperor's Skoutarion Palace nearby. In 1338 the Ottoman leader Orhan Gazi took Skoutarion, giving the Ottomans a base within sight of Constantinople for the first time.

In the Ottoman period Üsküdar was one of the three communities outside the city walls of Constantinople (along with Eyüp and Galata). The area was a major burial ground, and today many large cemeteries remain, including Karacaahmet Mezarlığı, Bülbülderesi Mezarlığı, and a number of Jewish and Christian cemeteries. Karacaahmet Mezarlığı is one of Istanbul's largest cemeteries. The Bülbülderesi cemetery is next to Fevziye Hatun mosque.

During the WWI, Üsküdar suffered several times in 1918 due to the British bombing of İstanbul.

The neighborhood suffered during the ethnic-religious violence of the 6 September 1955, Istanbul pogrom. Turkish rioters looted Greek and Armenian Christian shops and many Greeks and Armenians subsequently fled the country.

Ottoman era paintings and drawings of Üsküdar