Turkey Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Turkey appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 38 different states, among them Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Roman Empire.
TurkeyExplore the history of Turkey in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Turkey as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Turkey, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Historic cities in Turkey
Famous people of Turkey
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 484 BC – 425 BC | Herodotus | Historian |
| 1207 – 1273 | Rumi | Poet and Sufi mystic |
| 1336 – 1405 | Timur (Tamerlane) | Founder of the Timurid Empire |
| 1432 – 1481 | Mehmed II | Ottoman sultan |
| 1494 – 1566 | Suleiman the Magnificent | Ottoman sultan |
| 1881 – 1938 | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk | Founder of the Republic of Turkey |
Battles and historic sites
| Year | Battle or site |
|---|---|
| AD 378 | Battle of Adrianople |
| AD 431 | Ephesus |
| 1071 | Battle of Manzikert |
| 1402 | Battle of Ankara |
| 1915 | Gallipoli Campaign |
Landmarks
Mausoleum at HalicarnassusLost · 350 BC
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Turkey?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Turkey belonged to Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Byzantine Empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Roman Empire, Achaemenid Empire, along with 32 other states.
What was Turkey part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Turkey lay within Byzantine Empire.
What was Turkey part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Turkey lay within Ottoman Empire.
What was Turkey part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Turkey lay within Ottoman Empire.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.