List of mayors of Istanbul Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Istanbul
Incumbent Ekrem İmamoğlu since 27 June 2019
Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
Style	None, de facto full (given and family) name.
Term length	Five years, renewable
Inaugural holder	Pepe Salih Paşa (Ottoman Empire) Haydar Yuluğ (Republic of Turkey)
Formation	13 July 1855 11 July 1958 26 March 1984 (As Metropolitan Municipality)

This article is about the people who have been the mayor of Istanbul, a very important city in Turkey. A mayor is like the main leader of a city. They help make decisions about how the city runs, like managing public transport, parks, and other services.

Istanbul has had many different leaders throughout its long history. Before Turkey became a republic, Istanbul was known as Constantinople during the time of the Ottoman Empire. The city's name changed to Istanbul around 1930.

Mayors in the Ottoman Empire
- Early Ottoman Period (1453–1858)
- Modern Mayors Begin (1858–1923)
Mayors in the Republic of Turkey
Images for kids
See also

Mayors in the Ottoman Empire

Early Ottoman Period (1453–1858)

In the early days of the Ottoman Empire, the city of Constantinople was looked after by two main types of leaders. One was called the "Şehremini", who was like a mayor. The other leaders were local religious judges called "Kadı". They helped manage the city's daily life.

After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, the first Şehremini was Hızırbey Çelebi. For many years, until 1858, a total of 422 Kadıs helped govern the city.

Modern Mayors Begin (1858–1923)

Later, people in the Ottoman Empire started thinking about having a city government more like those in Western countries. This idea became stronger around 1854.

On July 13, 1858, Salih Paşa became the first person to hold the new, modern title of Şehremini. This was a big step towards how cities are governed today. Between 1858 and 1923, many different mayors served Istanbul.

Mayors in the Republic of Turkey

After the Republic of Turkey was formed in 1923, the way Istanbul was governed changed again. At first, the city's governor also acted as the mayor. Later, the city started electing its own mayors.

Governors as Mayors (1923–1960)

When the Republic of Turkey was founded, the governor of Istanbul province also took on the duties of the mayor. This meant one person had two very important jobs.

Haydar Yuluğ (1923–1924) was the first leader to serve as both governor and mayor after the republic was declared.
Mühittin Üstündağ (1928–1938) served for a long time. During his term, in 1930, the title of mayor was officially removed, and the governor fully took over the mayor's duties. The city and province councils were also combined.
Lütfi Kırdar (1938–1949) was another important leader during this period.
Fahrettin Kerim Gökay (1949–1957) saw the two councils (city and province) become separate again in 1957.

Mayors During Military Rule (1960–1963)

During a time of military rule in Turkey, the mayors of Istanbul were appointed by the military government.

Refik Tulga (1960, then again 1960–1962) served twice as mayor during this period.

Elected Mayors (1963–Present)

In 1963, a new law made it possible for the people of Istanbul to elect their own mayor. This was a big change, giving citizens more say in who leads their city. The first election for mayor happened on November 17, 1963.

Haşim İşcan (1963–1968) was the very first mayor elected by the people of Istanbul.
Fahri Atabey (1968–1973) served after İşcan.
Ahmet İsvan (1973–1977) and Aytekin Kotil (1977–1980) were also elected mayors.

After another period of military rule from 1980 to 1984, Istanbul's mayoral elections continued.

Bedrettin Dalan (1984–1989) was the first mayor of the newly established "Greater Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality" in 1984. This made the city's government even bigger and more important.
Nurettin Sözen (1989–1994) followed Dalan.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (1994–1998) was elected mayor in 1994.
Ali Müfit Gürtuna (1998–2004) was elected by the city council after Erdoğan's term ended.
Kadir Topbaş (2004–2017) served for a long time, being re-elected twice.
Mevlüt Uysal (2017–2019) was elected by the city council.
Ekrem İmamoğlu (2019–Present) was first elected in March 2019. That election was later cancelled, but he was re-elected in a special re-run election in June 2019 and continues to serve as the mayor of Istanbul.

Images for kids

Haydar Yuluğ, the first leader to serve as both governor and mayor after the republic was declared.
Emin Erkul
Mühittin Üstündağ
Lütfi Kırdar
Fahrettin Kerim Gökay
Haşim İşcan, the first mayor elected by the people of Istanbul.
Bedrettin Dalan
Nurettin Sözen
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Ali Müfit Gürtuna
Kadir Topbaş
Mevlüt Uysal
Ali Yerlikaya, acting mayor in 2019.