Visit Istanbul

Few cities in the history of the world have had such geographical, political and cultural significance as Istanbul. Istanbul is the only city in the world that straddles two continents. Byzantion, a Greek city-state founded by Megarean colonists in 667 BC, was the first established community in Istanbul.

Byzantion was made the capital of the Roman Empire in 330 at the request of Emperor Constantine the Great — naming it Nova Roma (New Rome). After the Emperor died, the city was named Constantinople in his honor. After the Ottoman conquest in 1453, Istanbul took its present name.

The Ottomans provided the city with crucial services and managed to protect artifacts left over from Byzantium. Mosques, fountains, baths, madrassas and palaces located all over the city are physical remnants of the Ottomans' contribution. Welcome to Istanbul — a city besieged 27 times throughout history, and the capital of some of the most powerful empires of its time.