Like Istanbul was Constantinople. The city of istanbul and its history

The largest city in Turkey, the majestic and many-sided Istanbul is located on the land washed by the Bosphorus, where the Black and Marmara seas crossed, and the border between Europe and Asia passed.

Many are mistaken, believing that Istanbul is. In fact, this city really performed the functions administrative center until 1923 when

Kemal Atatürk proclaimed Ankara the new capital. Such a change is associated with the strategic location of the city, since Istanbul can easily be reached both from land and from the sea.

Today, Istanbul is a favorite destination among travelers for good reason.

Geographic reference (climate, location)

Istanbul occupies a very advantageous position on the world map: most of the roads from Asia Minor and the Black Sea region lead to this city. The city is, as it were, divided into two parts by the Bosphorus Strait, the main link between the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

The climate in the city is a mixture of subtropical and continental climates. The summer period is observed dry and sultry, and the winter period, on the contrary, is rainy and cool. The most comfortable weather for tourists is from April to September, when there is practically no precipitation.

Where is Istanbul located on the map

History and development of the city of Istanbul

The location of Istanbul at all times attracted merchants, merchants and travelers, which contributed to the rapid development of trade and the city. Let's imagine the chronology of the main events related to Istanbul:

• Around 667 B.C. The Greeks founded the city of Byzantium on this site. ;
• In 74 BC the city came under the control of the Roman Empire and remained under its influence for many years;
• In 330 the city became famous under the name of Constantinople and began to function as the capital of Byzantium;
• In 1453 Turkish army captured the city and proclaimed the capital of the Ottoman Empire. In the period from 1520-1566. historians note the unprecedented flourishing of the city's economy;
• Subsequently, Turkey repeatedly waged wars with European countries and Russia, as a result of which it lost most of its territory;
• Before 1922 the territory was occupied by European countries at the end of the First World War;
• After the end of the occupation, Turkey becomes independent, and Ankara began to perform the function of the capital of the country.

How to get to Istanbul

There are many ways to get to Istanbul:

• land route;
• on a watercraft;
• by air.

For those who are used to traveling "on the land", there is an option to either go by car, or by bus, or by train. Buses and trains regularly transport people from different countries Europe and Asia.

Istanbul has two international airports that receive thousands of aircraft from all over the world every day.

Who is Istanbul best for?

Unlike other well-known resort cities, Istanbul is not a city for lovers beach holiday. Rest in Istanbul is suitable for those who like to walk through the fortresses, museums, intricate streets, majestic temples.

Also, this city will be very popular with those who are delighted with original culture Eastern countries: street trading, crowds of people, vibrant nightlife.

Istanbul transport

Transportation is very developed in the city, as evidenced by the variety of existing modes of transport:

• buses;
• "dolmushi"- fixed-route taxi;
• metro;
• funiculars;
• trams;
• electric trains;
• Taxi;
• water transport.

What to see and do

Many travelers compare Istanbul to Rome by cultural value and wealth. Numerous museums, historical values, attractions form half of the historical heritage Turkey.

It is extremely difficult to describe the main attractions in a couple of words, so we will share the main memorable places that are required to visit:

• Saint Sophie Cathedral;
• Blue Mosque of Sultan Ahmet;
• Galata tower;
• Topkapi Palace;
• Hippodrome square;
• Dolmabahce Palace, etc.

This is far from all the entertainment for the tourist - Istanbul pleases the guests of the city with hospitable bazaars with oriental sweets, antique gizmos, spices, Turkish baths "hamams", real hookahs.

Majestic Istanbul, which until 1930 bore the name of Constantinople, is located on the banks of the Bosphorus, at the place where the waters of the Black and Marmara Seas meet, and the border between Europe and Asia passes. The mixture of these two cultures to this day largely determines the appearance of the city, giving it a unique charm and charm. Perhaps the main charm of Istanbul lies precisely in its amazing, sometimes absurd diversity. Known from ancient Russian chronicles as Tsargrad, this legendary city is still developing at a rapid pace today.

The city of Istanbul is located on two continents at once and is "cut" by the Bosphorus into European and Asian parts, connected by several bridges. In turn, the European part is divided into two halves beautiful bay Golden Horn, which is one of the symbols of the city. To the south of the bay is the Eminonu area, or Old city, which largely retained its historical appearance. To the north of the Golden Horn Bay there is a port and business districts of the city. The Asian part of the city is mainly residential areas, however, many interesting monuments and attractions.

In terms of the significance and influence exerted by the city on the formation European world, Istanbul can only be compared with Rome. The number of historical values ​​stored in the museums of Istanbul and architectural sights on its territory is half of the cultural and historical heritage of all of Turkey. No wonder this city is nicknamed "The Most Beautiful" and is considered the richest and most beautiful in its region. World-famous Christian temples and Muslim mosques, many museums, monuments ancient architecture, palaces and fortresses - all this attracts many tourists to Istanbul. Every year, the city on the Bosphorus is visited by more than 6 million travelers, and their number is steadily growing.

Istanbul today

The successful geographical position of the city predetermined its fate - a small sea ​​port quickly turned into the largest trading hub, gradually becoming the largest and richest city in Europe. Today's Istanbul is the most important industrial centre country, which plays a key role in the economy of the state. In addition, the city dominates in the fields of science, education and culture - there are many universities, major libraries, museums and theaters.

The largest city in Turkey occupies a rather impressive area - 2106 square kilometers. The population of Istanbul is 13,483,052 people, according to this indicator, it is even ahead of Moscow. At the same time, the number of city residents is constantly growing due to migration from other parts of the country.

Safety

For such a large city, the crime rate in Istanbul is quite low, especially when compared with other world tourist centers. However, as in any big city Here you need to be careful and take precautions. Cases of pickpocketing are known, so it is better not to take large sums of money with you, but to keep documents in hotel safes, having only copies with you. At night, you should beware of walking along the sparsely populated streets of the Old Town and areas such as Aksaray and Zeytinburnu.

There are a lot of merchants on the streets of Istanbul, especially in the center - every minute a new seller will offer you another carpet, lunch, a walk along the Bosphorus, souvenirs or, say, shine your shoes. Therefore, a simple advice: be careful and careful.

Attractions (what to see)

The sights of Istanbul cannot be described in a few words, so let's focus on the main ones. tourist places. Undoubtedly, when you come to Istanbul for the first time, you cannot miss visiting historical Center city ​​- Sultanahmet district. Here are two truly impressive monument architecture and religion - St. Sophia Cathedral and the Blue Mosque.

Hagia Sophia is one of the main symbols of the city. Once upon a time it was main church Christian faith in the East and the largest church in the entire Christian world, and now the cathedral functions as a museum. grand building with a dome with a diameter of 31 meters became a real architectural masterpiece of his era.

Directly opposite the cathedral is the Blue Mosque, or Sultan Ahmet Mosque - another religious symbol of Istanbul and one of the largest operating mosques in the world, a beautiful example of Islamic architecture.

Also in Istanbul, you should definitely visit Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace, Galata Tower, Basilica Cistern, Hippodrome Square.

Its history goes back more than two and a half thousand years. Until now, Istanbul has retained the flavor and atmosphere of antiquity. Almost on every street of the city you can see traces of its glorious and rich history. Istanbul is an amazing combination of Muslim culture, antiquity and modern secular life. Antiquity and modernity harmoniously merged in this city into one whole. Without visiting Istanbul, one cannot say that they have been to Turkey. After all, this city is the heart of the country, the cradle of culture and history.

A bit of history

Until 1930, the city was called Constantinople. Literally translated, it means the city of Constantine. We are talking about the Roman emperor Constantine I, who in 330 moved the capital of the state to modern Istanbul. Turkey is a name that the state will receive much later. Before Constantinople, the city was called Byzantium and was the heart of the Byzantine Empire. During the Latin Empire, Constantinople was also chosen as the capital. And of course, in the days of the glorious Ottoman Empire.

The name of the Republic of Turkey was fixed in 1923 after the victory of the national liberation movement led by Ataturk.

Geography and climate

Istanbul - absolutely unique city. It is located in two parts of the world at once, which cannot be said more about any other city in the world. It is divided into two parts by the Bosphorus. Istanbul is located at the crossroads of paths and worlds. The path from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean lies through the shores washed by the Sea of ​​Marmara. The combination of Asian culture and European liberalism is due to the fact that the city is located on the way from Asia to Europe.

Istanbul is completely located in the temperate climate zone. Therefore, it has warm, sometimes hot summers and cool winters. Snow is rare here, but it still happens that after rain comes snow.

Time in Istanbul differs from time in Moscow by 1 hour. refers to the second time zone, while Moscow - to the third.

According to unofficial data, more than 25 million people live in the city. The official population of Istanbul is over 14 million people. This is due to the large flow of labor migrants from countries with low economic development and zones of military conflicts. These people are usually employed in the service and construction sectors. That is, where low-skilled or hard labor is needed.

The population of Istanbul consists mainly of indigenous Turks who profess Islam. However, many Turks have Greek roots, which is due historically. During the Ottoman Empire, a large number of Greeks who converted to Islam flocked to cultural capital Turkey - Istanbul. The language spoken by the vast majority of the city's population is Turkish. However, many Turks have a good command of English and Russian. This is especially true for the shopping areas of the city.

Istanbul throughout its long and glorious history has been a very liberal city, which laid the foundation for its multiculturalism and multinationality. Representatives of various nationalities came to Istanbul, contributed to the development of the city and the creation of new areas.

The districts of Istanbul, like the city itself, are divided into European and Asian. Depending on which coast they are located on. In total, the city is divided into 39 districts. Some of them can be considered industrial, some bedrooms, others tourist and historical.

The most famous areas of Istanbul are as follows:

• Princes' Islands. Usually the most sparsely populated area of ​​the city, but at the same time it is a resort. The people of Istanbul enjoy spending their weekends there.
• Besiktas. The area that occupied the coastline of the city.
• Fatih - historic district. It is in Fatih that the main attractions of the city are located: the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Topkapi Palace and others.
• Beyoglu. No less famous area than Fatih. Tourists have chosen it thanks to the Galata Tower. These two regions are connected by the Galata Bridge.
• Eyup. Best area Istanbul to admire the Golden Horn.
• Laleli. The shopping district of the city is, in fact, a market district. There is a huge number of shops that sell goods produced mainly in light industry factories.

Economy

In terms of economic indicators, Istanbul is significantly superior to any other city in the country. Interesting fact is that the city is home to 30 billionaires. Which in itself is significant. In addition, 27% of GDP falls on Istanbul. Turkey gave the giant city more than 20% of its entire workforce, but at the same time receives about 40% of all taxes from there.

The industry, concentrated mainly in the suburbs of Istanbul, is very diverse. From mechanical engineering to the food industry. Most of the export is represented by food and light industry goods (about 80%). A special source of income for the city is the proceeds from the passage of ships through the Bosphorus.

Education in Istanbul

Istanbul is also scientific center countries. The city attracts students from all over the country, as well as from neighboring countries. The city is home to Turkey's largest university, Istanbul University. The number of students is about 140,000 people. This is the oldest and most prestigious institution of higher education in the country. Istanbul Technical University is also very famous (one of the oldest technical universities in the world) and the University of Marmara.

Transport infrastructure of the city

Since the 90s of the last century, Turkey and Istanbul have developed rapidly in all spheres of public life. The population grew at a rapid pace. The city leadership decided to develop infrastructure in order to provide the population of Istanbul with comfortable living conditions. Within the framework of this program, special attention was paid to the development of the city's transport system.

Within the city there are two major international airports: one in the European part of it, the other in the Asian one. They provide air cargo and passenger traffic. Sea transportation is provided thanks to a large number of ports, berths, various storage terminals and more. Most of the cargo and passengers arrive and leave Istanbul by rail. For this, two stations were built.

Public transport

Istanbul public transport deserves special attention. Istanbul residents and guests of the city can use trams. They are comfortable, fast and modern. With their help, you can see the entire center of Istanbul. Metrobuses provide communication with new areas of the city without traffic jams. Buses are the most popular form of public transport in the city. Dolmush - similar to ours fixed-route taxis. There are also taxis, funicular, subway, ferries.

Unusually, none covers the entire city. Conveniently located in the center and quickly accessible right place by tram, from the airport to the center - by metro, and then cross to the Asian side by funicular or ferry. What unites them is that any type of public transport in Istanbul is fast, convenient and modern.

Attractions and tourism

Churches, mosques, palaces, parks, squares, fortresses, bridges, museums and bazaars - this is a small list of what you can and should see in Istanbul. Most of the historical sights are concentrated in the Fatih area. Here are the world-famous Blue Mosque. Not a single sightseeing tour of the city passes without examining these monuments of culture and history.

More than 10 million tourists visit the city every year, which is an indicator of its historical and cultural attractiveness. The city government pays great attention to the development tourism infrastructure which brings huge amounts of money to the treasury.

A tourist, even with the most modest budget, will be able to have a great time in Istanbul. After all, there are all conditions for this: inexpensive transport, a large number of hotels and hostels, which, due to fierce competition, offer good accommodation for a modest fee, and the unforgettable flavor of the museum city.

The first mention of the Turkish toponym İstanbul (- istanbul, local pronunciation ɯsˈtambul - ystambul) appears in Arabic and then Turkic sources of the 10th century.

There is no satisfactory scientific explanation for this name. There is a version proceeding from the fact that Istanbul is Constantinople, but it has no direct evidence, and the discrepancy between the alleged initial form and the final one is too significant for this version to be unconditionally accepted. [source not specified 126 days]

There are also folk-etymological versions. According to one of them, the name comes from (Greek εἰς τὴν Πόλι(ν)), "istin pόli(n)" - "to the city" or "to the city" - the Greek name of Constantinople in the oblique case. In the late Byzantine period (that is, by 1453), this form probably already sounded like this: "στην πολυ" ("stin poly" - "to the city").

In addition, the incomprehensible name Istanbul is also interpreted as Islambol - the state of Muslims.

Until 1930, the official, internationally accepted name of the city was Constantinople (Turkish: Konstantiniyye), which was also recognized by the Turkish Grand National Assembly: the signatures of its plenipotentiaries are under the Treaty of Lausanne, the text of which uses the toponym "Constantinople" exclusively. Other historical name, still used in the title of the Patriarch of Constantinople, is New Rome or Second Rome (Greek Νέα Ρώμη, Latin Nova Roma); until 330 Byzantium (Greek Βυζάντιον). In medieval Russian chronicles and other literature, Tsargrad or Constantine's city was often called; in the Bulgarian and Serbian toponym Tsarigrad and is currently used as the (un)official designation of the city. After the international recognition of the Turkish Republic in 1923, on October 29 of the same year, Ankara was proclaimed the capital of the state (the caliphate continued to exist until March 1924). On March 28, 1930, the Turkish authorities ordered to use only the Turkish version of the name - İstanbul. In Russian, however, the traditional Russified version of the Turkish name, Istanbul, is preserved.

City `s history

Traces of the first settlements were found on the Asian side of the city and date back to the Neolithic. The first settlements in the vicinity of the current Topkapı Palace can be dated back to the Bronze Age.

Location

Istanbul is located in hilly terrain in the north-west of Turkey on both banks of the Bosporus and from the south - on the coast of the Sea of ​​Marmara. The main part of the city is located in Europe, the smaller one - in Asia. In turn, the European part of the city is divided into two parts by the Golden Horn Bay. The area of ​​the city is 1,538.77 km², coordinates are 41°00′ s. sh. 29°00′ in. d. (G) (O).

Istanbul has a very successful geographic location- the city is located in two parts of the world at once on the way from Europe to Asia and from the Black Sea to the Sea of ​​Marmara and further to the Mediterranean.
Istanbul is located in a temperate zone with warm summers and cool winters.

(average temperature in January - from +3 to 9 °C, in August - from 18 to 28 °C).

Precipitation - 870 mm per year. Winters are rainy, sometimes it snows.

However, there are cases when the mercury column dropped to -16.1 ° C in winter (February 9, 1927), and rose to +40.5 ° C in summer (July 12, 2000).
City government and districts of Istanbul
April 2008 to present 39 administrative districts, included in the province of Istanbul, form the urban agglomeration of Greater Istanbul, whose population is 12 million 753 thousand people. The İBB Central City Hall (İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi) coordinates and controls the activities of all district municipalities. It is in charge of the general budget, taxes and fees, social security, infrastructure projects, construction, transport, landscaping, etc.
Economy
Istanbul is the center of economic development and the main industrial city Turkey. The economy is mainly based on mechanical engineering (including shipbuilding), chemical, cement, food, light, printing, woodworking, paper and glass industries, trade and tourism. The main banks of the country, foreign insurance companies and agencies are located in Istanbul.

Science and education

Istanbul is the scientific center of Turkey. There are several public universities in the city - among them Istanbul University, Istanbul Technical University, Marmara University and Bogazici University, as well as several private universities - Yeditepe, Maltepe, Galatasaray, Fatih, etc. Also in Istanbul is the Istanbul Academy of Economics and Trade, the Higher Technical school, the Academy of Fine Arts, the Istanbul Conservatory and other higher educational institutions. There are a number of scientific societies in the city - the Turkish Medical Society, the Turkish Biological Society, the Turkish Chemical Society. The largest libraries in the city are the Istanbul University Library and the Istanbul Technical University Library, the Suleymaniye Library, the Bayezid Library. The largest are Istanbul University (about 140,000 students), Marmara University (about 55,000 students). Marmara University is also the most multilingual university in Turkey, where teaching in some faculties is conducted in English, German, French and other languages. The city has many private and public secondary schools, military schools.

culture

Eurovision

In 2004, Istanbul hosted the Eurovision 2004 international pop song contest.

The largest museums of the city: Blue Mosque, Suleymaniye Mosque, Hagia Sophia Museum, Istanbul Archaeological Museum, Museum of Painting and Sculpture, Topkapi Palace Museum, Mosaic Museum, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Culture, Museum of Oriental Culture, Municipal Museum, Dolmabahce Museum with a clock tower, etc.

"" Theaters and Galleries

Theaters: City, "Ken-ter", "Harbie", "Fatih", "Gultepe", "Kadikoy", the opera hall "Maxim".

Exhibitions

Every two years the city hosts a biennale of contemporary art.

Mass media

Some of the most influential newspapers in Turkey are the newspapers Zaman, Radikal, Milliet, Hurriyet, Cumhuriyet.

A television
Numerous local and national television companies and studios are located in Istanbul: CNBC-e, CNN Türk, MTV Türkiye, NTV Turkey, Kanal D, ATV Turkey, Show TV, Star TV, Cine5, SKY Türk, TGRT, Kanal 7, Kanal Türk, Flash TV, STV, Samanyolu Haber and others.

Architecture

Armenian architects (for example, Sinan) played a big role in the architecture of Istanbul. According to Turkish newspaper columnist Cengiz Chandar, the role of Armenians in the architecture of Istanbul is invaluable and "in fact, they created the face of the city."

Basic data
A country
Turkey
Region
Marmara
Based
667 BC as Byzantium
Population
10.034.830
Agglomeration
11.912.511
city ​​square
1,538.77 km
Postal codes
34010 - 34850 and 80000 - 81800
Telephone code
(+90) -212 For the European part
216 for Asian
Geographical coordinates
041.012 0028.9764 1°00-44.06"N 28°58-33.66"E d. / 41.01224 ° s. sh. 28.976018 °E (G) Coordinates: 41°00-44.06"N 28°58-33.66"E d. / 41.01224 ° s. sh. 28.976018 °E (G) 41.01224, 28.976018
Height above sea level
40 m
City division
27 counties
City government
Webpage
Istanbul Portal
Mayor of the city
Kadir Topbash