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Istanbul

American  
[is-tahn-bool, -tan-, is-tahn-bool, -tan-, is-tahm-bool] / ˌɪs tɑnˈbul, -tæn-, ˈɪs tɑnˌbʊl, -tæn-, ɪsˈtɑm bʊl /
Also Stamboul.

noun

  1. a port in northwestern Turkey, on both sides of the Bosporus: built by Constantine I on the site of ancient Byzantium; capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and of the Ottoman Empire; capital removed to Ankara 1923.


Istanbul British  
/ ˌɪstænˈbuːl /

noun

  1. Former name (330–1926): Constantinople.  Ancient name: Byzantium.  a port in NW Turkey, on the western (European) shore of the Bosporus: the largest city in Turkey; founded in about 660 bc by Greeks; refounded by Constantine the Great in 330 ad as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire; taken by the Turks in 1453 and remained capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1922; industrial centre for shipbuilding, textiles, etc. Pop: 9 760 000 (2005 est))

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Istanbul Cultural  
  1. Largest city in Turkey, located in the northwestern part of the country on both sides of the Bosporus.


Discover More

Formerly called Byzantium, then Constantinople, the city was the capital consecutively of the eastern branch of the Roman Empire, of the Byzantine Empire, and of the Ottoman Empire.

It is the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Hristo Paskalidis, a retired bazaar worker from Istanbul, said he would like more representation for Greek Orthodox Christians in government jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal

Flying from Istanbul to Beirut during his first foreign trip since his election in May, the pope continued the tradition of his predecessors by speaking to reporters aboard the papal plane.

From Barron's

He was expected to leave Istanbul at 1145 GMT and fly to Beirut for a visit lasting until Tuesday.

From Barron's

Pope Leo XIV has visited Istanbul's Sultan Ahmed Mosque - widely known as the Blue Mosque - in his first visit to a Muslim place of worship since he took up the papacy in May.

From BBC

Turkish media quoted the man in Iznik as saying that he wanted "to welcome the pope. I hope we can sit down and talk in Iznik, or in Istanbul, for two or three minutes".

From Barron's