ISTANBUL HISTORICALLY CONSTANTINOPLE BYZANTIUM POPULOUS TURKEY COUNTRYS HISTORIC CENTER EURASIA THE BOSPHORUS STRAIT SEPARATES EUROPE ASIA THE SEA MARMARA THE BLACK SEA COMMERCIAL HISTORICAL CENTER LIES THE EUROPEAN POPULATION LIVES ASIAN ADMINISTRATIVE CENTER ISTANBUL METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY ISTANBUL PROVINCE HOSTING THE WORLDS MOST POPULOUS CITIES WORLDS LARGEST CITY PROPER EUROPEAN NAME SARAYBURNU PROMONTORY DEVELOPED BECOME ONE IMPERIAL CAPITAL ALMOST CENTURIES THE ROMAN BYZANTINE LATIN THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE INSTRUMENTAL ADVANCEMENT CHRISTIANITY ROMAN THE OTTOMANS ISLAMIC STRONGHOLD SEAT OTTOMAN CALIPHATE STRATEGIC POSITION HISTORIC SILK ROAD RAIL THE MIDDLE THE ONLY ROUTE MEDITERRANEAN COSMOPOLITAN LESS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF TURKISH REPUBLIC OVERLOOKED ANKARA INTERWAR PERIOD PROMINENCE THE AS ANATOLIA CITY LIMITS CULTURAL FESTIVALS AT THE END THE CENTURY CONTINUE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS COMPLEX TRANSPORTATION NETWORK FOREIGN VISITORS FIVE YEARS EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE FIFTH MOST POPULAR TOURIST ATTRACTION UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE CULTURAL ENTERTAINMENT NATURAL HARBOR THE GOLDEN HORN GLOBAL CITY METROPOLITAN ECONOMIES IN THE WORLD HOSTS HEADQUARTERS TURKISH COMPANIES MEDIA OUTLETS QUARTER GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT HOPING RAPID THE SUMMER OLYMPICS TIMES TWENTY FOUNDATION COLONISTS THOUGHT DERIVED PERSONAL NAME BYZAS ANCIENT GREEK TRADITION LEGENDARY KING OF THE LEADER THE GREEK MODERN SCHOLARS HYPOTHESIZED LOCAL THRACIAN ORIGIN HENCE CONSTANTINE THE GREAT EASTERN THE ROMAN EMPIRE CONSTANTINOPOLIS MEANS CITY OF CONSTANTINE ATTEMPTED PROMOTE NOVA ROMA GREEK VERSION NEW ROME ENTER COMMON NAME IN THE WEST KOSTANTINIYYE OTTOMAN PROTECTED LOCATION THE NAMES REFER TO OTTOMAN PERIOD POLITICALLY HISTORICALLY INACCURATE ACQUIRED NAMES FOREIGNERS EUROPEANS THE WHOLE STAMBOUL THE TURKS DESCRIBE PENINSULA PERA WORD USED TO AREA TURKS OFFICIAL NAME CONSTITUENT DISTRICTS ISLAMBOL ISLAM FULL SOMETIMES COLLOQUIALLY ENGRAVED BELIEF PRECURSOR THE PRESENT FACT EXISTED PREDATES OTTOMAN CONQUEST OF DERIVE MEDIEVAL GREEK PHRASE THE LOCAL STATUS MAJOR IMPORTANCE WORLD SAADET MEANING THE GATE PROSPERITY ALTERNATIVE VIEW EVOLVED FIRST AND THIRD SYLLABLES FOLK ETYMOLOGY TRACES PLENTY FIND THE CAPITAL INVENTION CONTEMPORARY WRITERS SULTAN MEHMED II HIMSELF SOURCES THE COMMON TURKISH NAME THE WORD COINAGE REIGN SULTAN AHMED COMMON ENGLISH LATIN ALPHABET MODERN TURKISH WRITTEN DOTTED TURKISH ALPHABET DISTINGUISHES DOTTED AND DOTLESS STRESS THE LAST SYLLABLE PERSON NEOLITHIC UNCOVERED ARCHEOLOGISTS AT THE BEGINNING SETTLED THE MILLENNIUM SPREAD NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION NEAR EAST LASTED MILLENNIUM INUNDATED RISING WATER THE FIRST HUMAN SETTLEMENT THE COPPER ARTIFACTS DATING THE POINT THE EARLY AUTHORS TOPONYM PLINY THE ELDER THE SITE ON LEAVING THE DARDANELLES THE BAY THE TOWN FREE LYGOS MILES DURAZZO THE HISTORY OF BEGINS SETTLERS MEGARA THE SETTLERS ACROPOLIS ADJACENT EXPERIENCED BRIEF PERIOD PERSIAN RULE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY THE GREEKS ATHENIAN LEAGUE SECOND ATHENIAN EMPIRE GAINING INDEPENDENCE IN ALLIED OFFICIALLY DECISION USURPER PESCENNIUS NIGER EMPEROR SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS COST DEARLY SURRENDERED SIEGE LEFT DEVASTATED FIVE YEARS LATER SEVERUS PREVIOUS EFFECTIVELY EMPEROR IN SEPTEMBER TWO MONTHS LAID PLANS CHRISTIAN REPLACE PERMANENTLY DIVIDED THE TWO SONS THEODOSIUS DEATH EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE AS ONE CONSTANTINES SHIFTING POWER EASTWARD GREEK CULTURE HAGIA SOPHIA JUSTINIAN THE GREAT CATHEDRAL FOR A THOUSAND YEARS UNDERTOOK RENOVATION EXPANSION HIPPODROME OF CONSTANTINOPLE TENS THOUSANDS CENTRAL CIVIC THE EPICENTER EPISODES NIKA RIOTS EXISTENCE STAND THE TEST WALLS INVADERS THE EAST ADVANCE THE MIDDLE AGES BYZANTINE ERA WEALTHIEST CONTINENT DECLINE AFTER THE END BASIL II THE FINAL BLOW CONQUEST ENRICO DANDOLO THE FOURTH CRUSADE SUBSEQUENTLY THE CENTER LATIN EMPIRE CATHOLIC CRUSADERS ORTHODOX BYZANTINE EMPIRE CONVERTED CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE HUNDRED THOUSAND HALF RECONQUEST MONUMENTS DEISIS MOSAICS AGHIA SOFIA KARIYE ECONOMIC MILITARY POLICIES INSTITUTED REDUCTION OF MILITARY THE EMPIRE THE OTTOMAN TURKS STRATEGY TAKING SMALLER TOWNS CUTTING OFF SUPPLY ROUTES STRANGLING THE LAST ROMAN CONSTANTINE XI THE CONQUEROR CAPTURED HOURS THE SULTAN RODE SUMMONED IMAM PROCLAIM ISLAMIC CREED CONVERTING THE GRAND IMPERIAL MOSQUE REFUSAL SURRENDER MEHMED EQUIVALENT CAESAR OTTOMAN STATE CONQUEST OF CONSTANTINOPLE IMMEDIATELY ALSO KNOWN AS THE RETURN OF FLED CHRISTIANS PARTS FIVE THOUSAND HOUSEHOLDS ALL OVER PRISONERS OF WAR DEPORTED PEOPLE SENT OUTBREAKS MEHMET GREEKS TO COME BACK TO THE CITY INVITED PEOPLE SOCIETY PLAGUE ENDEMIC THE REST AS IT RESPITE EPIDEMICS THE HEJAZ SOUTHERN RUSSIA POPULATION GROWTH INHABITANTS DOWN DAMAGED WATER SYSTEM BUILD BAZAAR PALACE SULTANS OFFICIAL RESIDENCE THE TRANSFER EDIRNE ADRIANOPLE THE NEW STATE THE SUCCESSOR CONTINUATION QUICKLY BASTION SYMBOL CULTURE RELIGIOUS FUND CONSTRUCTION OF MOSQUES PUBLIC OTTOMAN DYNASTY CLAIMED CALIPHATE LAST SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT ARTISTIC ARCHITECTURAL ACHIEVEM