Once upon a time, Umraniye was completely covered in forests. Everywhere was forest, trees, and green. Every side was a piece of paradise, lush with trees. This was because the climate was suitable for forest growth. According to historical sources, the first settlers of Umraniye were the Phrygians. The Phrygians, who considered the pine tree sacred, adorned the entire area starting from Little and Great Çamlıca to Alemdağ and Kayış Mountain with pine forests. In the following years, the lands of Umraniye came under the rule of the Romans and Byzantines. Harun al-Rashid reached the outskirts of Krizepolis (Üsküdar) with his armies in 782. After staying here for a year, in 783, he was defeated by the Byzantine Empress Irene’s army; as a result, he was compelled to pay the Byzantines 70,000 gold coins every year.
Our district’s territories were exchanged back and forth between the Byzantines and Muslim armies. The first state that Islamized and Turkified Anatolia was the Danishmendids. The Danishmendids had infiltrated as far as Byzantine lands. They built a fortress above Alemdağ. Sultan Turasan, a friend of Danişment Gazi, fought against the Byzantines at this fortress multiple times and was killed there when he did not receive the expected assistance from Anatolia. The Seljuks reached as far as İznik, and this city was captured and made the first capital. During the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Orhan Gazi incorporated our region into Ottoman territory. It is said that the first name of our district was “Yalnız Selvi” (Lonely Cypress).
In the early 17th century, it was endowed to Sheikh Aziz Mahmut Hüdayi by the Sultan of the era, Ahmed I. Until the Republican period, the area up to Bulgurlu remained a village belonging to this foundation, connected to Üsküdar. The reason why the first name of Umraniye was Yalnız Selvi is due to the presence of a few graves, several cypress trees, and a few houses among the forests. The first settlers in Umraniye came after the Balkan Wars, first from Batum, and then immigrants from Yugoslavia and Bulgaria followed. For this reason, it gained fame for some time as “Muhacir Köy” (Refugee Village). Until 1960, Umraniye remained a village, but after being declared as an Organized Industrial Zone, it experienced a surge in immigration. The municipality was first established in 1963.
Umraniye is an interesting example of urbanization that is rapidly urbanizing and increasing in population, while also preserving the traditions of the village and surrounding areas. With the 1980 coup, the Umraniye Municipality was dissolved and turned into a branch office connected to Üsküdar. The first local elections in Umraniye, which became a district in 1987, were held in 1989. Today, our district has a population of 650,000 (Municipal Population 450,000) and is larger than many Anatolian cities, comprising 14 neighborhoods. Umraniye still has 6 towns and 4 villages, covering an area of 22,000 hectares. Umraniye is a region rich in economic diversity, ranging from small manufacturing industries to apparel, spare parts, and wood products production.
THE MEANING OF ÜMRANİYE: The word Ümran is Arabic. It means happiness, prosperity, and welfare in communities. Its primary meaning is a place that has been developed, improved, and worked on to enhance living conditions. In some sources, Ümran (Arabic) refers to: 1- Improvement, being developed, a place that is fully inhabited and sufficiently cultivated, 2- Civilization, progress, welfare. Umran = Ümran.