Geography & Travel
Istanbul
Turkey
Recent News
Mar. 11, 2024, 1:40 AM ET (AP)
A Turkish artisan has kept the Istanbul skyline lit during Ramadan for decades. He may be the last
Mar. 8, 2024, 12:11 PM ET (AP)
Ukraine's Zelenskyy visits Turkey, where Erdogan is expected to press for negotiations to end war
Mar. 7, 2024, 11:35 AM ET (AP)
Turkey struggles to stop violence against women. At least 71 have been killed this year
Istanbul, largest city and principal seaport of Turkey. It was the capital of both the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire. The old walled city of Istanbul stands on a triangular peninsula between Europe and Asia. Sometimes as a bridge, sometimes as a barrier, Istanbul for more than 2,500 years has stood between conflicting surges of religion, culture, and imperial power. For most of those years it was one of the most coveted cities in the world. The name Byzantium may derive from that of Byzas, leader of the Greeks from the city of Megara who, according to legend, captured ...(100 of 6078 words)