Istanbul… The cradle of history and civilizations. Some have nobody, some slot gacor homeless people. A huge metropolis with millions of streets and avenues. From its tradesmen to its workers, from its students to its tourists, from the educated to the ignorant, it preserves its magnificence and magnificence with great courage today as it was yesterday. Well, have we ever thought why Istanbul is Istanbul? What is it that gives it to him, and who are they? Why is it so important? While a city, a town or a country has gradually lost its importance from the past to the present, why is this great country developing more and more as the days, months or even years pass, and the fingers are shown? This is by no means a coincidence. There is no other point in the world that connects the continents with such a beautiful blend. Again, there is no such a country where the people living in it will cherish and protect them, regardless of what their identity is… Poets, poets and writers run out of ink in Istanbul, but the love does not end, the road does not end, the trail does not end.
I think this city, for which songs are written and poems are lined up, is the center of the world, if measured! Otherwise, how is it possible for it to be the capital of many states that have written their names in history with golden letters? Let’s get caught in love and have the Maiden’s Tower built? What a love it is for the most unique architects to build mosques with the most unique minarets. For example, he was chained to bridges so magnificent that his narrative would not even fit into the pages. As if the roads, houses and beauties above the ground weren’t enough, they also built passages underground…
A day in this city is definitely not twenty-four hours a day, time flows differently in this city than others. The name of this city is Istanbul, its language is Istanbul, the name of the person who lives even for a day is from Istanbul…
Let’s talk about the geopolitical position of this city, which is one of the most valuable touchstones of Istanbul, Turkey, and its importance in the world.
Istanbul is a city located in the Marmara Region of Turkey, on the 41 degree north meridian, 29 degrees east parallel. Considered the most developed province of Turkey in almost every aspect, Istanbul always stands out compared to other major metropolises in the world due to its geographical location. It has attracted the attention of many great empires and states throughout the known history due to its existence at the point where the continents of Europe and Asia meet.
Istanbul, which acts as a bridge connecting the continents of Asia and Europe, the two most populated continents of the world in terms of population density, was established along the Marmara coast and the Bosphorus coasts, with a city structure to surround the Golden Horn. The part of the city that faces Europe is called the European Side, also known as the Rumeli Side. The part facing the Asian Continent is called the Anatolian side. Throughout history, Istanbul has been tried to be besieged many times. However, every state that owns the city has surrounded this enormous city with strong and indestructible walls. Istanbul, which came under the auspices of the Turks with Fatih Sultan Mehmet Khan, the sultan of the Ottoman Empire, has been expanded four times since then. The expansion continues even today. The big city, which currently has 39 districts, is expanding towards the province of Tekirdağ due to the increasing population day by day.
Istanbul, which has the largest manpower and market area especially for the development of the Marmara Region and therefore Turkey, also provides opportunities for the cities around it, which are of great importance for our country. The northern part of the city has a coast to the Black Sea. It connects the two seas. There is Kırklareli in the northwest, Kocaeli, which is known for its industry and known as Little Istanbul in the east, Bursa, which was the capital of the Ottoman Empire for a while and a large metropolis, in the south, and Tekirdağ in the west.
Istanbul is also very rich in terms of climate due to its geographical location. Black Sea climate in places and Mediterranean climate can be seen in places. Temperate, rainy, hot, snowy… It is possible to see the normals of many seasons in this city. As a matter of fact, we can say that it is the junction point of the two climates due to its proximity to the climates of the Black Sea and Mediterranean Regions.
The climate of Istanbul, which is temperate in general, is hot and humid in summers; winter months are rainy and snowy. Due to the rich climate, serious differences can be observed in the air temperatures from place to place. The lowest temperature ever measured within the borders of Istanbul was recorded as -16.1 degrees in 1930. On the other hand, the highest temperature ever recorded was 40.5 degrees Celsius in 2000.
Istanbul, which draws attention with its regularly increasing population every year, has the feature of being a more crowded city than many other countries in the world. The latest data announced by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) reveal that the population growth in the city is still very serious. According to TUIK data published in 2020, the population of Istanbul is around 15,462,452. While Esenyurt is seen as the most populous district of Istanbul, the least populated district is Adalar.
Throughout history, Istanbul has hosted many civilizations and this situation continues today. It has hosted people from many religions, languages and races from past to present. When examined on the historical plane, we can divide Istanbul into five. These:
The prehistoric period is Byzantion Period, Constantinople Period, Constantinople Period and today’s Istanbul Period.
The settlement history of Istanbul as a city corresponds to approximately 300 thousand years, its urban history corresponds to 3 thousand years, and the history of the capital of the states corresponds to approximately 1600 years. Istanbul has a cosmopolitan cultural structure even today, as it has hosted different cultures and civilizations in this process.
Istanbul, which was under the rule of the Roman Empire between the years 330 and 395 AD, came under the rule of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, until 1453. Due to the authority vacuum formed in 1204 and 1261, the Latin Empire had this great city. Constantly changing hands between different states, Istanbul was finally captured in 1453, during the reign of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Khan, the heyday of the Ottoman Empire. As a result of the long campaign, the Byzantine Empire, perhaps one of the most rooted and greatest civilizations in history, was erased from the stage of history. Thus, the Medieval Period, which is one of the historical periods, ended and the New Age Period began.
Let’s come to the names of this great city that have changed over time. This big city, which changed hands frequently and became the capital of different civilizations, has also been called by different names in history. The mentioned Istanbul Names are:
Byzantion, Nova Roma, Constantinople, Stanpoli, Darül Hilafe, Makarri Sultanate, Dersa customs and finally Asitane.
We hope that this article was enough to enlighten you about Istanbul and its historical development. We thank you.