Ottoman Postal Road Network

Timeline

1. 1501–1505Bursa · TurkeyAlong the post road from Istanbul through Edirne to Ankara and Konya, a station (menzil) was set up every thirty to forty kilometers, stocked with official horses and relay riders. Through the relay system, Bayezid II transmitted decrees to the provinces of Anatolia, requisitioned supplies, and coordinated border defense against Safavid Persia.
2. 1506–1510Damascus · SyriaThe Balkan post road running through Sofia and Belgrade toward Central Europe and the southward post road to Syria and Egypt were linked within the empire. After the great Istanbul earthquake of 1509, the center accelerated the transport of building materials and relief supplies via the relay system; the post roads also carried envoys and military movements, serving as the arteries of imperial administrative integration.