the largest city and former capital of Turkey; rebuilt on the site of ancient Byzantium by Constantine I in the fourth century; renamed Constantinople by Constantine who made it the capital of the Byzantine Empire; now the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church
"Istanbul, once known as Constantinople and serving as the historic capital of the Byzantine Empire before becoming Turkey's largest city today, remains a significant center for the Eastern Orthodox Church."
A Turkish city, and the largest European city by population, which was the last capital of Ottoman Empire and the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire).
"Istanbul stands as a historic bridge between continents, serving as the former capital of both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires."
The name Istanbul comes from Turkish and originally meant "the city," a phrase used by Byzantine Greeks to refer to Constantinople. Over time, this Greek expression evolved through Ottoman Turkish into the modern spelling we use today.