Want to know more about Istanbul? Well, here are a few interesting facts you might want to keep in your pocket as you tour Istanbul.
- Istanbul is a city with many names. It was once named Byzantium, Augusta Antonina, Constantinople and New Rome. Add to these, the names Tsarigrad and Stamboul.
- Because of the many names, Turkish authorities simply marked any mail as “return to sender” when it was named other than Istanbul.
- Like Rome, Istanbul is established on seven hills. Constantinople rebuilt the city so that it can be like Rome.
- It is the only city that straddles both Asia (at the Eastern side) and Europe (at the Western side).
- Istanbul is part of the top three biggest cities of the world.
- The city is the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, the Roman Empire and the Latin Empire.
- The Bosphorus divides Istanbul into two continents. This leads to the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea and consequently, the Mediterranean. This strategic position is one of the reasons why Istanbul is probably among the most coveted city in the world.
- Contrary to common misconception, Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey. Ankara has that honor, after the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923.
- Mosques may have a maximum of six minarets. Only one such mosque exists in Istanbul – the Blue Mosque.
- The shopping mecca that is the Grand Bazaar is the world’s largest covered bazaar. It houses some 3,000 shops.
- The grand Hagia Sophia held the distinction of being the world’s largest church for 9 decades.
- At the Beyoglu district, one can find one of the oldest subways in the world, third only to the London Subway and the New York Subway. The Beyoglu District subway was built in 1875.
- Ataturk, acknowledged to be modern Turkey’s founder, is actually from Greece. He was born in Selanik.
- At 2010, the city will be proclaimed as one of the three European Cities of Culture.
