Istanbul, Turkey

   One of the great historic cities of the world, Istanbul (pop. 11,050,000) is the chief city and seaport of Turkey as well as its commercial, industrial, and financial center. Manufactures include textiles, glass, shoes, motor vehicles, ships, and cement. The city is divided by the the Bosphorus with European Istanbul to the west and Asian Istanbul to the east. The European part of Istanbul is the terminus of an international rail service (formerly called the Orient Express), and at Haydarpasa station, on the Asian side, begins the Baghdad Railway. Always a cosmopolitan city, Istanbul has preserved much of its international and polyglot character and contains sizable foreign minorities. The city experienced explosive population growth in the 1970s and 80s (it tripled in size), with the Turkish Muslim majority increasing.

History

Present-day Istanbul was once known as Byzantium . Founded by Greeks from Megara in 667 BCE, it early rose to importance because of its position on the Bosporus . In the Peloponnesian War it was captured and recaptured by the contending forces. It was taken (196 CE) by Roman Emperor Septimius Severus. Constantine I ordered (330 CE) a new city -Constantinople-built there, which was to become the capital of the Byzantine Empire .

Constantinople was the largest and most splendid European city of the Middle Ages. It shared the glories and vicissitudes of the Byzantine Empire , which in the end was reduced to the city and its environs. Although besieged innumerable times by various peoples, it was taken only three times-in 1204 by the army of the Fourth Crusade, in 1261 by Michael VIII, and in 1453 by the Ottoman Sultan Muhammad II. Defended by Greek fire, it was also well fortified. An early inner wall was erected by Constantine I, and the enlarged Constantinople was surrounded by a triple wall of fortifications, begun (5th century) by Theodosius II. Built on seven hills, the city on the Bosporus presented the appearance of an impregnable fortress enclosing a sea of magnificent palaces and gilded domes and towers. In the 10th century, it had a cosmopolitan population of about 1 million. The Church of Hagia Sophia , the sacred palace of the emperors (a city in itself); the huge hippodrome, center of the popular life; and the Golden Gate , the chief entrance into the city; were among the largest of the scores of churches, public edifices, and monuments that lined the broad arcaded avenues and squares. Constantinople had a great wealth of artistic and literary treasures before it was sacked in 1204 and 1453. Virtually depopulated when it fell to the Ottoman Turks, the city recovered rapidly. The Ottoman sultans, whose court was called the Sublime Porte, embellished Constantinople with many beautiful mosques, palaces, monuments, fountains, baths, aqueducts, and other public buildings. After World War I the city was occupied (1918-23) by the Allies. In 1922 the last Ottoman sultan was deposed and Ankara became (1923) the new capital of Turkey . Nevertheless, Istanbul (so renamed in 1930) remains the commercial and tourist center of the country today.

Istanbul Points of Interest

The city is visited by many tourists and is a popular resort. The environs of Istanbul , particularly the villas, gardens, castles, and small communities along the Bosporus , are famed for their beauty. The part of Istanbul corresponding to historic Constantinople is situated entirely on the European side. It rises on both sides of the Golden Horn, an inlet of the Bosporus, on one of the finest sites of the world, and like Rome is built on seven hills. Several miles of its ancient moated and turreted walls are still standing. Outside the walls and north of the Golden Horn are the commercial quarter of Galata, originally a Genoese settlement; the quarter of Beyoglu (formerly Pera), which under the Ottoman sultans was reserved for foreigners and their embassies; and Hasköy, the Jewish quarter.