Istanbul (tur. İstanbul) (Constantinople and Istanbul) is a city in Turkey, in the Vilayet of Istanbul. The city is located on the Bosphorus Strait and is a former capital of three great empires: Roman (330-395), Byzantine (395-1453) and the Ottoman (1453-1923). After the formation of the modern Turkish Republic, the capital moved to Ankara (Angora), and in 1930 gets its official name Istanbul. Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and its cultural and economic center, and also the only city that lies on two continents. According to the data from 2011 Istanbul has a population of 11.25 million, which is the second largest city in Europe, after Moscow. In Istanbul lives around 20% of the Turkish population and only 28% of the city residents are natives. The number of foreigners in Istanbul is relatively small, about 43 thousand (2007).

The earliest name, Byzantium, was assigned to Istanbul by Greek colonists from Megara. The position of Byzantium has motivated Constantine the Great on the foundation of New Rome, that is Constantinople. According to the legend, a prophetic dream showed him the location of the town, and in the year of 330, he founded the city called New Rome. When Constantine the Great made the city the capital of the Eastern Empire, the city was called the Second Rome, and from the 5th century, name New Rome was used. Title Istanbul was first mentioned in the 10th century in the Armenian and Arabic and then in the Turkish sources. The name comes from the Greek term "εἰς τὴν Πόλιν" or "στην Πόλη," meaning "in the town." In eastern and southern Slovenian languages was and is still used the name Constantinople. This name is a combination of Slovenian words "Emperor" and "City," which comes from the Greek term Βασιλέως Πόλις (lat: Basileus Polis), which means "the city of an emperor" (or king).

Neolithic objects, which were discovered at the beginning of the 21st century, suggest that the peninsula where Istanbul is located was inhabited even from the 7th century BC. This early settlement lasted for almost a thousand years.

The earliest known settlement named Semistra at the location of Istanbul was founded by Thracian tribes around the 1000 year BC. With Thracian harbor Ligos, these two resorts were the only two villages on the European side of Istanbul, while the town Halkidon on the Asian side was founded around the year 680 BC.

Constantinople became and remained the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantine Empire until its fall in 1453.

The convenient location of the city between Europe and Asia was crucial for the development of trade and culture. Istanbul, as the capital of the Byzantine Empire, was the largest city in Europe. Emperor and vassals of the Eastern Roman Empire never in its history called themselves Byzantines, neither they called their country Byzantium. They were Romans throughout their history.

Thanks to the good position at the crossroads of the mainland and sea routes, and because it was a capital of the greatest country during that time, Istanbul is developing very quickly and soon is becoming the largest and richest city in the then world.

After the fall of Rome and the Western Roman Empire, the city became the only capital of what historians today call the Byzantium or the Byzantine Empire. This empire was influenced by Greek culture and has become a center of Orthodoxy, after separation from the Roman Church. There were many churches in the kingdom, including Hagia Sophia (St. Sophia), the world's biggest church. The city is still a resident of ecumenical patriarch, a spiritual leader of the Orthodox church.

Ottoman Empire - After blockade and siege that lasted for 53 days, on 29th May 1453, Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror entered the Istanbul through the large hole in the Theodosian Walls that was pierced by his top. In 1453, Constantinople became the third capital of the Ottoman Empire. Last Byzantine emperor, Constantine Dragas, was killed in the city defense.

Constantinople as the capital of the Ottoman Empire is experiencing a major change from the Byzantine to Ottoman city.

During the reign of Suleiman, the country is experiencing great artistic and architectural development.

Today, Istanbul is the center of the same named area, while part of the city, known as Fanar, is the center of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

Turkish cuisine is one of the best cuisines in the world, because Turkish recipes are filtered in all cuisines across Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa.

Istanbul has a humid continental climate.

What to visit in Istanbul:

Istanbul is a city where you meet many civilizations whose traces are visible throughout the city with following as the most interesting ones:

1) Topkapi Palace - the palace is a residence of a former Ottoman Empire that was turned into a museum, and a beautiful exhibition of Islamic art with lavish gardens bordered with detailed hand painted tiles. Second largest diamond in the world is located in the treasury.

2) The Church of St. Sofia (Hagia Sophia) - Hagia Sophia is located opposite to Topkapi Palace and was initially a church turned into a mosque. Mosque was later turned into a museum that preserves many ancient mosaics.

3) Sultan Ahmed Mosque or Blue Mosque - One of the three largest mosques in Turkey, and only one together with a mosque in Mecca with six minarets, outstanding both inside and outside. It is one of the architectural and historical wonders of the world. The mosque was named 'Blue' because the interior is lined with thousands of handmade İznik style ceramic tiles, which are specific for cobalt-blue color.

4) Suleymaniye Mosque - High on the hill of the Old Town rises the Suleymaniye Mosque, one of the most recognizable sights in Istanbul. It was built by Suleiman the Magnificent. It was built in the period 1549-1575. It is surrounded by a garden with the cemetery where lies Sultan Süleyman and his wife Haseki Hurrem Sultan, known as Roxelana in the west.

5) Hippodrome - arena decorated with depictions of chariot race was the center of the Byzantine Empire. You can see the remains of three major monuments: Theodosius Obelisk, Serpentine Bronze Columns, and Columns of Constantine. The square shaped wall that surrounds hippodrome is a museum under the open sky.

6) Basilica Cistern - Roman underground water tank is located across the Hagia Sophia. This enormous underground hall, similar to a palace, backed with 336 columns arranged in 12 rows, once served as a well from which water was supplied the city center even since Byzantine times. Constantine the Great began the construction, and Emperor Justinian finished it in the sixth century. The pillars are carved, and the most famous ones are the so-called. Medusa pillars in the northwest corner of the cistern, carved with the visage of Medusa.

7) Galata Tower and Galata Bridge – the whole Istanbul can be seen from the tower. It was built by the Genoese in 1348 since they have a colony in the placed called Galata.

8) Dolmabahce Palace – it was constructed by the Sultan Abdülmecid I in 1854, so he could move the residents to Dolmabahce Palace from Topkapi Palace. The gardens are full of fountains and flowering shrubs, while the interior is pure splendor and the luxury of Turkish Renaissance style. The interior is a mix of rococo, baroque, neo-classical and Ottoman style, with giant crystal chandeliers, gilded objects, French style furniture and beautiful frescoes on the ceilings. Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the creator of the Turkish Republic, spent last days of his life in the palace.

9) Beylerbeyi Palace – is located on the Asian side of the Bosphorus, just north of the Dolmabahce Palace, and right below the first bridge that connected Asia with Europe. It is small, but a beautiful example of Ottoman architecture.

10) Mosaic Museum - Near the Topkapi Palace is a museum of mosaics where are displayed many exponents not only from Turkey but also from the Middle East, which takes us through a long and rich history of this region. It consists of three parts: Museum of the Ancient Orient, the main Archaeological Museum and The Pavillion of Mehmed the Conqueror, in which there is a vast collection of ceramic exponents.

11) Prince Islands – are an archipelago of nine islands located in the northeast end of the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul. It has been a popular tourist destination ever since the Byzantine era, where pretenders to the imperial throne were sent into exile. They’re away from Istanbul from 19km to 28km and are connected to Istanbul with regular ferry lines that operate within the public transport. Use of motor vehicles is prohibited on the islands, and the main form of transport are horse-drawn vehicles. There are several Orthodox monasteries on the islands, Academy of the Turkish Navy and closed Greek Orthodox schools.

12) Misir Carsisi Egyptian Bazaar- the so-called. Spice Bazaar. Most of the money that financed the construction of this market came from the taxes that the Ottoman government charged on the Egyptian products and therefore "Misir Carsisi " actually means "the Egyptian market" in Turkish.

13) Grand Bazaar (Kapalıçarşı) - a large covered market is the first shopping center in the world; surrounded by thick walls it takes an entire city block and is located between the Nuruosmaniye Mosque and Bayezid Mosque.

14) Taksim Square and Istiklal Street - Taksim Square is the core of modern European part of the city. In the southwestern part of the square is the Republic Monument, where it starts spacious Istiklal Avenue, which crosses the entire Beyoglu district and leads to the medieval Genoese quarter. Istiklal is a three-kilometer long pedestrian zone, full of prestigious boutiques, restaurants, cinemas, art galleries, cafes and clubs with live music. Avenue is surrounded by buildings of unique Ottoman architecture of the 19th century: European consulates, Catholic and Orthodox churches, synagogues, it was a meeting place of Ottoman and European artists and intellectuals. In 1923., with the Proclamation of the Republic, street received its current name, which means "independence."