Istanbul: the story on HearLore

Istanbul

On the 11th of May 330, a new capital was proclaimed in the ancient city of Byzantium, marking the beginning of an era that would see this single location serve as the heart of three great empires over the next sixteen centuries. This city, now known as Istanbul, sits on a narrow strip of land that divides the continents of Europe and Asia, with the Bosphorus Strait acting as a natural moat and a bustling waterway that has carried the world's goods for millennia. The strategic importance of this location cannot be overstated, as it controls the only passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, making it a choke point for trade and a target for conquest throughout history. The city's population has swelled to over 15 million people, with nearly two-thirds living on the European side and the remainder on the Asian side, creating a unique demographic split that has shaped its culture and politics. Despite being the largest city in Turkey, Istanbul is not the capital; that distinction belongs to Ankara, a decision made in 1923 that shifted the political center but could not erase the city's historical and economic dominance. The city's geography is defined by more than just the Bosphorus; it is a land of over 50 hills, including the tallest, Aydos, which rises to 537 meters, and a coastline that has been expanded through centuries of landfill and urban development. The city's history is written in stone and water, from the Neolithic settlements that date back to the 6th millennium BCE to the modern skyscrapers that now pierce the skyline, reflecting a continuous struggle between preservation and progress.

From Byzantium to Constantinople

The story of Istanbul begins not with its current name, but with the Greek colony of Byzantium, founded around 657 BCE by Megarian colonists who claimed descent from the mythical Byzas, son of the god Poseidon. The city's early history was marked by its strategic location, which allowed it to thrive as a trading hub while also making it a target for powerful empires. In 73 CE, Byzantium officially became part of the Roman Empire, but its relationship with Rome was often tumultuous, culminating in a devastating two-year siege by Emperor Septimius Severus in 195 CE. The city was left in ruins, but Severus rebuilt it with such vigor that it soon surpassed its former prosperity. The true transformation of the city began in 324 CE when Constantine the Great, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, decided to move the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Byzantium. He renamed the city Constantinople, or New Rome, and on the 11th of May 330, he officially proclaimed it the new capital. This decision shifted the center of power eastward and set the stage for the city to become the cradle of Orthodox Christian civilization. The city's population grew to between 400,000 and 500,000 by 500 CE, making it the largest city in the world and edging out Rome. The construction of the Hagia Sophia, the world's largest cathedral for over a thousand years, and the expansion of the Hippodrome, which could accommodate tens of thousands of spectators, turned Constantinople into a center of culture and civic life. The city's walls and seafront protected Europe from invaders from the east, and its influence extended across the Mediterranean and into the heart of Asia. Despite its grandeur, the city faced numerous challenges, including the Nika riots of 532, which led to the destruction of much of the city and the rebuilding of the Hagia Sophia by Emperor Justinian I. The city's decline began after the reign of Basil II in 1025, and the Fourth Crusade in 1204 saw the city sacked and pillaged by the crusaders, who established the Latin Empire in place of the Orthodox Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Empire was restored in 1261, but the city was weakened, with its population dwindling to 100,000 from half a million during the 8th century. The city's final chapter as a Christian capital came on the 29th of May 1453, when Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople after a 55-day siege, killing the last Roman emperor, Constantine XI, and transforming the city into an Islamic stronghold.

Common questions

When was Istanbul officially proclaimed as the new capital of the Roman Empire?

On the 11th of May 330, Constantine the Great officially proclaimed the ancient city of Byzantium as the new capital and renamed it Constantinople. This event marked the beginning of an era where the location served as the heart of three great empires over the next sixteen centuries.

Who founded the Greek colony of Byzantium and when was it established?

Megarian colonists founded the Greek colony of Byzantium around 657 BCE, claiming descent from the mythical Byzas, son of the god Poseidon. The city's early history was marked by its strategic location, which allowed it to thrive as a trading hub while also making it a target for powerful empires.

What date did Sultan Mehmed II capture Constantinople and end the Byzantine Empire?

Sultan Mehmed II captured Constantinople on the 29th of May 1453 after a 55-day siege, killing the last Roman emperor, Constantine XI. This event transformed the city into an Islamic stronghold and marked the final chapter of Constantinople as a Christian capital.

When did the Grand National Assembly of Turkey declare the establishment of the Turkish Republic and move the capital to Ankara?

On the 29th of October 1923, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey declared the establishment of the Turkish Republic with Ankara as its capital. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became the Republic's first President, and the city now known as Istanbul was overlooked for the new capital during the interwar period.

How many people live in Istanbul and what is the demographic split between the European and Asian sides?

The city's population has swelled to over 15 million people, with nearly two-thirds living on the European side and the remainder on the Asian side. This unique demographic split has shaped the city's culture and politics, creating a distinct division across the Bosphorus Strait.

When was the first gay pride event held in Istanbul and what is its significance?

Istanbul Pride became the first gay pride event in a Muslim-majority country when it was held for the first time in 2003. Since 2015, all types of parades at Taksim Square and İstiklal Avenue have been denied permission by the AKP government, citing security concerns, but hundreds of people have defied the ban each year.

The Ottoman Transformation

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 marked the beginning of a new era for the city, as Sultan Mehmed II declared it the capital of the Ottoman Empire and set out to revitalize the city. Mehmed's policy of welcoming everyone, including foreigners, criminals, and runaways, created a cosmopolitan society that persisted through much of the Ottoman period. The city was transformed from a ramshackle old town into an imperial capital, with the construction of a huge new palace to rival the old one, a new covered market known as the Grand Bazaar, and more than a dozen new mosques. The city's population grew to 570,000 by the end of the 18th century, and the Ottoman dynasty claimed the status of caliphate in 1517, with Constantinople remaining the capital of this last caliphate for four centuries. The reign of Suleiman the Magnificent from 1520 to 1566 was a period of especially great artistic and architectural achievement, with chief architect Mimar Sinan designing several iconic buildings in the city. The city's skyline was indelibly imprinted with towering mosques and ornate palaces, including the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, the Süleymaniye Mosque, and the Yeni Mosque, all built at the peak of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th and 17th centuries. The city's social hierarchy was ignored by the rampant plague, which killed the rich and the poor alike in the 16th century, and the city was not zoned as modern cities are, with opulent houses sharing the same streets and districts with tiny hovels. The city's modernization efforts were not enough to forestall the decline of the Ottoman Empire, and the 19th century saw the introduction of new technology, including bridges across the Golden Horn and connections to the rest of the European railway network. The Young Turk Revolution in 1908 reopened the Ottoman Parliament, which had been closed since 1878, and marked the beginning of the Second Constitutional Era. The city suffered during World War I, with the deportation of Armenian intellectuals on the 24th of April 1915 marking the start of the Armenian genocide, and the city's Christian population declining from 450,000 to 240,000 between 1914 and 1927. The Armistice of Mudros was signed on the 30th of October 1918, and a French brigade entered Constantinople on the 13th of November 1918, beginning the Occupation of Constantinople. The Ottoman Parliament was dissolved by the Allies on the 11th of April 1920, and the Treaty of Sèvres was signed on the 10th of August 1920. The Turkish War of Independence from 1919 to 1922 led to the abolition of the Sultanate on the 1st of November 1922, and the last Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed VI, went into exile on the 17th of November 1922, dying in Sanremo, Italy, on the 16th of May 1926. The Treaty of Lausanne was signed on the 24th of July 1923, and the occupation of Constantinople ended with the departure of the last forces of the Allies from the city on the 4th of October 1923. Turkish forces entered the city with a ceremony on the 6th of October 1923, which has been marked as the Liberation Day of Istanbul and has been commemorated annually since.

The Republic and the Modern Metropolis

On the 29th of October 1923, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey declared the establishment of the Turkish Republic, with Ankara as its capital, and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk became the Republic's first President. The city, now known as Istanbul, was overlooked for the new capital during the interwar period, but it has since regained much of its prominence. The population of the city has increased tenfold since the 1950s, as migrants from across Anatolia have flocked to the metropolis and city limits have expanded to accommodate them. The city's foreign population with a residence permit increased dramatically, from 43,000 in 2007 to 856,377 in 2019, and around 2.1 million people in a population of over 15.4 million have been registered in Istanbul, with the vast majority of the residents ultimately originating from Anatolian provinces. The city's ethnic composition has changed over time, with ethnic Turks forming the majority, and ethnic Kurds being the largest ethnic minority, with estimates ranging from 2 to 4 million. The city's Greek population decreased from 110,000 in 1919 to 2,500 today, following the 1955 anti-Greek pogrom and subsequent government persecution. The city's Jewish population dropped from 100,000 in 1950 to 15,000 in 2021, largely due to emigration to Israel. The city's economy has grown to account for about 30 percent of Turkey's economy, and the Istanbul-İzmit area is one of the main industrial regions in Turkey. The city's infrastructure has been improved, with a complex transportation network, including two international airports, multiple ports, and numerous universities. The city is considered an alpha global city, and in 2024, Euromonitor International ranked Istanbul as the second most visited city in the world. The city's population growth mirrors an urbanization trend across the country, and the city's annual population growth ranks as one of the highest among the seventy-eight largest metropolises in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The city's political landscape has been shaped by the rise of the Republican People's Party and the Justice and Development Party, with the 2019 local elections marking a major turning point for the government, as their candidate for Mayor, former Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, was defeated by a very narrow margin by the Republican People's Party candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu. The city's political significance is underscored by the fact that Istanbul is seen as the most important administrative region in Turkey, with the contest in Istanbul carrying deep political, economic, and symbolic significance for President Erdoğan.

The City of Water and Stone

Istanbul's geography is defined by its unique position on the Bosphorus Strait, which provides the only passage from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean via the Sea of Marmara. The city's shoreline has grown beyond its natural limits, with large sections of Caddebostan sitting on areas of landfill, increasing the total area of the city. The city's climate is temperate, with hot-summer Mediterranean conditions, and the city's position on the Mediterranean basin and proximity to multiple bodies of water create a moderate, yet locally complicated climate with strong maritime features. The city's natural vegetation is made up of mixed broadleaf forest and pseudo-maquis, reflecting the city's transitional, Mediterranean-influenced humid temperate climate. The city's marine ecology is threatened by water pollution, overfishing, and destruction of coastal habitats caused by urbanization, with fish diversity in the waters of Istanbul having dwindled in the recent decades. The city's air pollution is acute, with cars, buses, and taxis causing frequent urban smog, and the city's mean air quality remains at a level so as to affect the heart and lungs of healthy street bystanders during peak traffic hours. The city's infrastructure is vulnerable to earthquakes, as it is in close proximity to the North Anatolian Fault, which caused the earthquakes in 1766 and 1894, and a quake of at least magnitude 7.0 is very likely in the 21st century. The city's earthquake risk has played a large role in the city's infrastructure development, with over 500,000 vulnerable buildings demolished and replaced since 2012. The city's climate change has caused an increase in heatwaves, droughts, storms, and flooding in Istanbul, and the city's urban heat island has been intensifying the effects of climate change. The city's sea level rise is likely to affect city infrastructure, for example Kadıkoy metro station is threatened with flooding. The city's natural flora and fauna are diverse, with the Bosporus hosting pelagic, demersal, and semipelagic fish species and more than 130 different taxa have been documented in the strait. The city's marine mammals include the common bottlenose dolphin, short-beaked common dolphin, and harbor porpoise, though since the 1950s the number of dolphin observations has become increasingly rare. The city's stray animal population is sizeable, with estimates ranging from 100,000 to over a million stray cats, which have gained widespread media and public attention and are considered symbols of the city.

The Cultural Renaissance

Istanbul's cultural scene stagnated after the Turkish Republic shifted its focus toward Ankara, but by the 1980s and 1990s, Istanbul reemerged globally as a city whose cultural significance is not solely based on its past glory. The city's cultural reemergence was marked by the establishment of the Istanbul Festival, which began showcasing a variety of art from Turkey and around the world in 1973. From this flagship festival came the International Istanbul Film Festival and the Istanbul Jazz Festival in the early 1980s. The city's film industry ramped up in the second half of the century, and with Uzak (2002) and My Father and My Son (2005), both filmed in Istanbul, the nation's movies began to see substantial international success. The city's cultural scene has been transformed by the establishment of modern art museums, including İstanbul State Art and Sculpture Museum, National Palaces Painting Museum, İstanbul Modern, the Pera Museum, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Arter and SantralIstanbul, which opened in the 2000s to complement the exhibition spaces and auction houses that have already contributed to the cosmopolitan nature of the city. The city's nightlife and historic taverns are a signature characteristic of the city for centuries, if not millennia, with the Grand Bazaar, in operation since 1461, being among the world's oldest and largest covered markets. The city's food scene has drastically changed by the end of the century, with influences of Middle Eastern cuisine such as kebab taking an important place in the food scene, and restaurants featuring foreign cuisines are mainly concentrated in the Beyoğlu, Beşiktaş, Şişli and Kadıköy districts. The city's sports scene is home to some of Turkey's oldest sports clubs, including Beşiktaş J.K., established in 1903, which is considered the oldest of these sports clubs. The city's cultural reemergence has been marked by the establishment of the Istanbul Biennial, held every two years since 1987, which has risen in prestige to join the elite biennales, alongside the Venice Biennale and the São Paulo Art Biennial. The city's cultural scene has also been marked by the establishment of the Istanbul Shopping Fest, an annual shopping festival held since 2011, and Teknofest, an annual festival of aviation, aerospace and technology, held since 2018. The city's cultural scene has been marked by the establishment of the Istanbul Pride, which became the first gay pride event in a Muslim-majority country when it was held for the first time in 2003, and since 2015, all types of parades at Taksim Square and İstiklal Avenue have been denied permission by the AKP government, citing security concerns, but hundreds of people have defied the ban each year.