Antiquity Modern Çatalca partly lies on the site of
Ergisce or
Ergiske (), a Greek city in
Thrace, located in the region of the
Propontis. According to ancient texts, it was named after
Ergiscus (), a son of
Poseidon through the
naiad (nymph)
Aba (), presumed in
Greek mythology to be a daughter of the river
Hebros. Under
Roman rule, the city was named
Metrae or
Metre () and was important enough in the late
Roman province of
Europa to become a
suffragan of its capital
Heraclea's
metropolitan archbishop, yet was to fade.
Modern period charge at the "Battle of Çatalca" Çatalca was settled throughout the
Ottoman period and according to the Ottoman Official Statistics of 1910 the majority of the area were
Greeks. The
Crimean War caused a
mass exodus of
Crimean Tatars towards Ottoman lands. A few Crimean Tatars settled in Çatalca. In the
First Balkan War the
Bulgarian army had driven the
Turkish forces back from the border, but the Turkish forces retreated to the prepared positions at Çatalca where on 16–17 November 1912 they defeated the Bulgarians at the "
First Battle of Çatalca". The Çatalca fortifications formed a line across the peninsula, the "Chataldja line", which became the armistice line of 3 December 1912, There were a large number of
journalists who reported on the military actions at Çatalca, whose accounts provide rich details about this event. According to the
Ottoman population statistics of 1914, the
kaza of Çatalca had a total population of 30,165, consisting of 16,984
Greeks, 13,034 Muslims, 53
Jews, 44
Armenians, 40
Bulgarians and 10
Roma people. Before 1930, Çatalca also covered present districts of
Arnavutköy,
Beylikdüzü,
Büyükçekmece, western parts of
Başakşehir, rural parts of
Eyüp and
Sarıyer. In 1930 county (bucak) of Kilyos was part of district of Sarıyer, used to be part of
Beyoğlu. At same time, villages of Odayeri, Ağaçlı, İhsaniye and Kısırmandıra (Işıklar after 1987) were passed to Kemerburgaz county (formerly part of Beyoğlu district) of Sarıyer. In 1963, villages as Arnavutköy, Bolluca, Hacımaşlı, Haraççı and İmrahor of Boyalık (its center was Hadımköy) county part of district of
Gaziosmanpaşa, formerly part of Eyüp. In 1972 Tayakadın village of Boyalık county and Yeniköy one of it were passed to Gaziosmapaşa. In 1987 county of Büyükçekmece was separated and become district. Finally in 2009 remainder of Boyalık county was passed to Arnavutköy, was part of Gaziosmanpaşa and Muratbey village was passed to Büyükçekmece. == Population ==