Geography & Travel
Istanbul
Turkey
Also known as: İstanbul, Byzantium, Constantinople, New Rome
Recent News
Apr. 12, 2024, 9:56 AM ET (AP)
Kremlin says 2022 draft document could serve as starting point for future Ukraine peace talks
Apr. 3, 2024, 12:58 AM ET (AP)
Fire at Istanbul nightclub that was being renovated kills 29 people
Apr. 1, 2024, 12:31 PM ET (AP)
After a huge setback in local elections, which way forward now for Turkey's Erdogan?
Apr. 1, 2024, 5:01 AM ET (AP)
In setback to Turkey's Erdogan, opposition makes huge gains in local election
Mar. 28, 2024, 1:18 AM ET (AP)
Turkey's high-stakes mayoral races are expected to be close. Volunteer monitors will be key
Istanbul, largest city and principal seaport of Turkey. It was the capital of both the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The old walled city of Istanbul stands on a triangular peninsula between Europe and Asia. Sometimes as a bridge, sometimes as a barrier, Istanbul for more than 2,500 years has stood between conflicting surges of religion, culture, and imperial power. For most of those years it was one of the most coveted cities in the world. The name Byzantium may derive from that of Byzas, leader of the Greeks from the city of Megara who, according to legend, captured ...(100 of 6078 words)