Istanbul
Turkey
- Turkish:
- İstanbul
- Formerly:
- Constantinople
- Ancient:
- Byzantium
Recent News
May 21, 2024, 10:20 AM ET (AP)
Turkish Airlines resumes flights to Afghanistan nearly 3 years after the Taliban captured Kabul
May 14, 2024, 2:43 AM ET (AP)
A US museum curator was detained in Turkey on claims of spider smuggling. He says he has permits
May 12, 2024, 12:15 AM ET (AP)
Wary of wars in Gaza and Ukraine, old foes Turkey and Greece test a friendship initiative
May 6, 2024, 3:09 PM ET (AP)
Turkey formally opens another former Byzantine-era church as a mosque
May 2, 2024, 1:38 AM ET (AP)
Pro-Palestinian banners. Blazing Olympic rings. Workers' May Day rallies confront turbulent times
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)