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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.


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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.

The talks, initially planned to be held in Istanbul, are an effort led by Egypt, Turkey and Qatar to defuse tensions.

From BBC

London Heathrow remained the busiest aviation hub in Europe last year but Istanbul Airport was nearly neck-and-neck and is likely to overtake it soon, an industry group said Thursday.

From Barron's

World Cup winner Kante, who turns 35 next month, had been set to move to Istanbul earlier but the transfer seemed to have failed due to an administrative error.

From Barron's

But his decorated manuscripts are kept abroad, at world-renowned institutions such as New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Library in London and the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul.

From Barron's

The only way I got to a wedding in Istanbul was by sitting precariously on top of my carry-on bag, the most uncomfortable 10 hours of my life.

From Los Angeles Times