Istanbul, Turkey

Population: 15,840,000 (2023 estimate)

Area: 707 square miles (1,830 square kilometers)

Founded: 657 BCE

Istanbul is the largest urban center in Turkey and serves as the country’s cultural and economic center. Once called Constantinople, Istanbul lies between Europe and Asia, making it a consequential historical location and cultural hub where people of various backgrounds have met and traded for thousands of years. Istanbul was an important location on Silk Road trading routes and remains a significant place for trade and tourism, as people are able to see both Europe and Asia from the city. Founded by the Greeks and renamed as Constantinople by the Romans in the fourth century, the city was capital of the Byzantine Empire until it was overtaken by the Ottomans in 1453, at which point it became the capital of the Ottoman Empire. It remained the capital until 1923, when the Ottoman Empire dissolved and was reorganized into the modern state of Turkey. Istanbul is best known for its long history, distinct culture, and blend of Byzantine and Ottoman architecture.

Landscape

Istanbul is unique because it is the only major city in the world that is spread over two continents: Europe and Asia. The Bosporus strait divides the two halves of the city. The European side of the city is older and contains more tourist attractions and landmarks than the Asian side, which contains mainly neighborhoods. The European side has a section called the Golden Horn, which is an inlet coming from Bosporus. The inlet further divides the European side of the city into northern and southern sections, each with multiple districts and neighborhoods.

Many of Istanbul’s hotels, restaurants, and tourist attractions are in the European side of the city. The Fatih district is in this part of city and located along the Bosporus strait. It is the part of the city that was once Constantinople, and architecture and ruins from the Roman Empire are found there. Sultanahmet, Eminönü, Fener, and Edirnekapi are all neighborhoods in the Fatih district. North of Fatih lies Beyoglu, which is sometimes called New Town. The architecture there is more modern. It is home to cafés, nightclubs, and bars. Besiktas is another district on the European side that has Ottoman castles and palaces, including the famous Dolmabahçe Palace.

The Asian side of the city is quieter and less commercial than the European side. It contains mainly neighborhoods although the Kadiköy and Üsküdar districts have some restaurants and hotels.

Turkey as a whole has a Mediterranean climate, and Istanbul is affected by the winds coming from the surrounding bodies of water. The northeast wind, or poyraz, blows from the Black Sea into Istanbul, making the city cold in winter. The southwest wind, or lodos, blows from the Sea of Marmara, often causing storms in the region. In the summer, Istanbul generally ranges in temperature from 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 27 degrees Celsius). From December through February, the temperature is colder, ranging from 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 to 10 degrees Celsius), and the conditions are often rainy or snowy. The average annual rainfall is 29.4 inches (747 millimeters). It rains more during the winter, from November to January. The sunniest time is from June to August.

People

The population of Istanbul, like many other cities in Turkey, is diverse in part because of the many groups that have controlled or tried to control the region throughout history. As a center of trade, Istanbul drew visitors from Asia and Europe who helped influence the city’s culture and ethnic makeup. The majority of people living in Istanbul, and the rest of Turkey, are Turkish and descend from the people who populated the Ottoman Empire. They are also mostly Sunni Muslims, with small populations of Christians and Jews. The largest ethnic minority, which still makes up only a small percentage of the population, are the Kurds. Although people in Istanbul and throughout Turkey have varied backgrounds, many have a similar devotion to family. Family members often travel from one side of the city to the other to visit relatives. Istanbul and other cities in Turkey have also had an increase in migrant populations in the 2000s, with people traveling from other countries to find work and economic opportunity.

The food and culture of Istanbul have also been influenced by visitors and migrants, with both having elements of Mediterranean and Islamic culture. Common foods in Istanbul include grilled lamb, eggplant, and yogurt. Turkish delight is a sweet candy that is often flavored with rosewater. Soccer is a popular sport in the region, with Istanbul being home to three popular soccer teams. Other popular sports including weightlifting and wrestling.

Economy

Istanbul’s economy has long been tied to trade, as it is a port city that throughout history has been influenced by international trade. Modern Istanbul is the financial capital of Turkey in large part because of its location along the Bosporus strait and split between Europe and Asia. Istanbul generates approximately 40 percent of Turkey’s gross domestic product (GDP) each year.

In addition to being a port and trading center, modern Istanbul is also an important industrial center. Some of the most important industries in the city are food processing, textile production, and oil products. Many of the products made in Turkey are exported to other countries, and Istanbul is also an important location for exporting goods. Approximately 36 percent of the goods exported from the country leave via Istanbul. Tourism and the service industry overall are growing industries in Istanbul.

Landmarks

A very cold city, Istanbul has numerous landmarks that reveal its long history. Some of the most well-known landmarks are in the European side of the city, which is the oldest part of Istanbul. Some of the architecture in Istanbul dates back to the Greek and Roman empires. The Cistern Palace is a subterranean structure that was built by Emperor Justinian in 532. The structure is contains more than three hundred columns, some of which were removed from ruined temples and moved to the location. The site was ignored and used as a dumping ground for hundreds of years before it was cleaned and opened to the public in 1987. The Hagia Sophia, which was also built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, is one of the most cherished sites in the city. Consecrated as a church in 537, it was the world’s largest cathedral at the time. However, Mehmet the Conqueror converted it into a mosque in 1453, and the building was declared a museum in 1935.

The Blue Mosque is another iconic landmark of Istanbul. The Sultan Ahmet I built the structure in the 1600s. It gets its unofficial name from the blue tiles covering its interior. The structure has numerous domes, six tall minarets, and a large courtyard. The interior of the building is covered in tiles, and it has more than two hundred windows.

Another famous architectural landmark is the Dolmabahçe Palace. Although many structures in the city feature Byzantine architecture, the palace is a famous example of neoclassical architecture. Also famous, the Topkapı Palace was built in the 1400s and home to sultans from the 1400s to the 1800s.

The Grand Bazaar is located on the European side of the city and has been drawing tourists to the city for hundreds of years. Mehmet II created the bazaar in 1461, and it has expanded in the centuries since. People shop in the enormous market for hours and even days. Some of its many shops are hidden in buildings and on the streets. Tourists frequently haggle with shopkeepers and watch as artisans craft their materials.

Istanbul is also home to a number of museums that give visitors insight into the city’s history and culture. The Pera Museum features classic Turkish paintings and even some modern art. The İstanbul Archaeology Museum is comprised of three parts: the Museum of the Ancient Orient, the Archaeology Museum, and the Tiled Pavilion. The museums house collections revealing the area’s history and display architecture and art from the many cultures that have influenced Istanbul.

History

Istanbul lies at the farthest borders of both Europe and Asia. As early as the 600s BCE, Greeks lived in the region along the Bosporus strait. The Greeks used the natural harbor to sail and conducted trade in the area. In 657 BCE, the Byzas, from the ancient Greek city of Megara, settled along the strait. The city grew into a thriving port, which helped grow the region and the Byzantine Empire. However, the region experienced a great deal of fighting and turnover even from its earliest history. The Persian Empire took over the city briefly in the 400s BCE before it was overtaken again by Athens and the Greeks. In the third century BCE, the city was briefly ruled by Alexander the Great and the Macedonians. Less than a century later, Istanbul was weakened by the Gauls, who attacked the city and drained it of its wealth.

Istanbul came under the power of the Roman Empire in 196 CE. During Roman rule, the city was sacked twice and severely damaged. Roman Emperor Constantine I converted to Christianity in the 300s CE and established Constantinople as his capital. By making Constantinople the capital of the Roman Empire, Constantine helped form a cultural and political link between Istanbul and Rome, which remained the capital of the Western Roman Empire. The city’s population grew at this time; by the fifth century, Istanbul had more than three hundred thousand citizens and had eclipsed Rome in political, military, and cultural importance. In the 500s CE, Emperor Justinian helped develop the city by building many important structures, some of which still stand today. Medieval Constantinople reached its apex during Justinian’s rule, but a plague that killed three-fifths of the city's population in 542 CE brought about a sharp decline.

From the time after Justinian to the 1200s, during which the city served as capital of the Byzantine Empire, which was a direct descendant of the Eastern Roman Empire, Constantinople had a violent and turbulent history, as it fell under attack from numerous groups, including the Persians, Arabs, Russians, and Venetians. The city also became a site of fighting during the Crusades in the 1200s. In 1453 the period of Byzantine rule came to an end when the Ottoman Empire, under the leadership of Sultan Mehmed II, conquered the city and renamed it Istanbul. Trade in the city had decreased dramatically because of the fighting that had taken place there for so many years. However, when the Turks took over the city, they significantly increased trade and made efforts to attract new residents. Art and architecture also flourished as numerous Ottoman leaders, including Suleiman the Magnificent who ruled in the 1500s, built bridges, palaces, and mosques. As the Ottoman Empire expanded farther into Europe, Istanbul became more connected to Europe. In the 1800s, the Orient Express railroad linked Western Europe to Istanbul for the first time.

After facing decades of economic decline and political decline and finding itself on the losing side of World War I (1914–8), the Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1922, which led to the creation of modern Turkey. From 1918 to 1923 Istanbul was occupied by a combined military force made up of soldiers from France, Britain, and other countries who had fought against the Ottomans in World War I. After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire the country went through sweeping political and social reforms under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, later considered the father of modern Turkey due to the ambitious and, at times, controversial program of modernization he oversaw from 1921 to 1934. In 1923 Atatürk moved the capital of Turkey from Istanbul to Ankara. Elections in the country in 1950 led to the creation of a democracy, though Turkey has had multiple military coups and times of instability. Some people believed that Turkey would become part of the European Union (EU) in the 2000s, though this issue remained contentious during the first decades of the twenty-first century.

In the 2010s and early 2020s, Istanbul and other Turkish urban centers experienced occasional terrorism and other forms of violence, including periodic moments of protest and political instability under the divisive rule of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who had previously served as Istanbul's mayor and was elected president in 2014. While the city continued to grow rapidly during this period and remained a major center of commerce and tourism, it also struggled with systemic problems related to its rapid growth, including a housing shortage.

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