Name Istanbul
Type Settlement
Scripts إسطنبول(Arabic)
Edit Status Status
Meaning & History
From Turkish İstanbul, which comes from a misinterpretation of the Medieval Greek phrase εἰς τὴν Πόλιν (eis ten polin) meaning "to the City", a colloquial name for the city of Constantinople (reflecting its status as the only major city in the vicinity). This is the name of a city in Turkey, which was historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople. The area once served as the capital of both the Ottoman and the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Empires.