Top 10 Facts About Istanbul


 

An exterior photo of the Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque by Moonik – Wikimedia Commons

Istanbul is a world-famous city with its rich history and unique position between the East and the West, both geographically and culturally. Istanbul has been the home of various civilizations and therefore has the marks of Christians, Muslims, Jews, ancient Greeks, Romans, modern Europeans, Turks, Arabs and even Vikings. As one of the biggest cities in the world, Istanbul contains so many fun facts that would be interesting to people who want to discover it. Here are “Top 10 Facts About Istanbul” that will amaze you.

1) The one and only city established on two continents

Photo of Bosporus and the Bosporus Bridge

Bosporus Bridge by Jorge1767 – Wikimedia Commons

Probably the most interesting fun fact about Istanbul is that it is the only city in the world that is built on two different continents. Istanbul is established both in Europe and Asia. These two continents are separated by a waterway called “Bosporus”.

Bosporus divides the city into two pieces while connecting the Black Sea in the north and Marmara Sea in the south. According to geologists, Bosporus was a river until B.C. 20.000. As the ice age came to an end; sea levels increased, water in the Black Sea rushed towards the Marmara Sea and Bosporus took its current form.

As for today, 2/3 of the population lives on the European side while 1/3 lives on the Asian side. These two continents are connected with 3 big bridges and 2 underwater tunnels.

2) One of the oldest cities in the world

Another fun fact about Istanbul is that it has been a cradle to lots of different civilizations and is regarded as one of the oldest cities in the world. According to historians, the first human settlements were built in B.C. 3.000.

The fundamentals of Istanbul were laid by Megarians (an ancient Greek community) in B.C. 667. Megarians named the city as “Byzantium”. In B.C. 196, Roman Empire seized the city and ruled it until A.D. 395.  Between 395 and 1453, Istanbul had been the capital of the Byzantium Empire. In 1453, the Ottoman Empire took over the city and ruled it until its collapse in 1922. Starting from 1923, Istanbul has been a part of the Republic of Turkey.

3) Istanbul: The city with so many names

1572 bird's eye view map of Constantinople

Map of Istanbul by Georg Braun & Frans Hogenberg – Wikimedia Commons

Istanbul has had different names throughout its long history. At first, it was named as “Byzantium”. Later, it was named as “Nova Roma” (meaning “The New Rome”) and “Constantinople”. “Constantinople” had been used both by the Byzantium Empire and the Ottoman Empire for centuries. However, Ottomans also used other names for this city, calling it “Dersaadet”, “Asitane”, “Darulhilafe” and “Istanbul”. After the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, this giant city has officially been named as “Istanbul”.

It is a fun fact that even nations; other than Turks, Greeks and Romans, also used various names for Istanbul. Vikings called it “Miklagord” (meaning “The Great City”), Slavs called it “Çargrad” and “Konstantingard” and Arabs called it “El-Mahsura”.

4) Istanbul: A massive metropole

Istanbul is one of the biggest and most crowded cities in the world. This is not something new, of course. According to historical records, Istanbul had been the most crowded city in the world between the beginning of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. In that period of 100 years, Istanbul was the most populous city in the world with around 700.000 inhabitants.

Currently, Istanbul has a population of 15,1 million. It is an interesting fact that as for today, Istanbul is a more populous place than countries like Belgium, Portugal, Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, Hungary, Austria, Serbia, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Croatia. According to the latest evaluations, Istanbul is the 13th most populated city in the world.

5) Istanbul: Biggest city but not the capital

Contrary to popular belief, Istanbul is not the capital city of Turkey. Istanbul had been the capital of empires, like the Byzantium Empire and the Ottoman Empire. But in the first days of the Turkish Independence War in 1920, the capital city was chosen as Ankara. This decision was made for strategical reasons since Ankara was in Central Anatolia and therefore was far away from the intervention of occupation armies. As the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923, Ankara was officially declared as the capital of Turkey. It is a fun fact that even today, many people assume Istanbul as the capital city of Turkey.

6) Istanbul: The city of mosques

Interior image of the Blue Mosque

Wide angle view of the inner courtyard of the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (aka the Blue Mosque) at dusk, in Istanbul, Turkey by Benh Lieu Song – Wikimedia Commons

According to the statistics of Religious Affairs Directorate in Turkey, there are 3.269 mosques in Istanbul. This makes Istanbul the number one city in Turkey and one of the leading cities in the world when a number of mosques are considered. Some of these mosques are remainders of the Ottoman Empire; like Sultanahmet Mosque (a.k.a. Blue Mosque), Sulaymaniyah Mosque, Ortaköy Mosque and Hagia Sophia (turned into a museum in 1935).

7) Istanbul, where cats are the kings

A stray cat in Istanbul

A stray cat cleaning itself by Jwslubbock – Wikimedia Commons

The 7th article on our list of “Top 10 Fun Facts About Istanbul” is related to cats, the cutest and furriest stars of our lives and social media.

Istanbul is regarded as one of the most cat-loving cities in the world, probably the first one. Istanbul’s stray cats are world-famous, thanks to the caring of local people. The number of stray cats is estimated to be around 125.000, according to the statistics prepared in 2017.

In Istanbul, stray cats are well-fed and taken care of perfectly by the inhabitants. There are lots of videos viral online showing the status of cats in Istanbul. Even a documentary was shot in 2016 by Director Ceyda Torun, titled “Kedi”, showing the life of stray cats in the city, winning lots of awards at international film festivals like “Atlanta Film Critics Festival”, “North Carolina Film Critics Festival” and “Critics’ Choice Awards”.

8) Home of the sports giants

Galatasaray football players

Photo of Galatasaray players by ULtraslansi – Wikimedia Commons

Istanbul is also the home for the biggest sports clubs in Turkey. Three clubs of Istanbul; “Galatasaray”, “Fenerbahçe” and “Beşiktaş”, have been dominating all sports branches in Turkey since the beginning of the 20th century. For example, in football, Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş have won 88% of all the league titles in total since the establishment of Turkish Super League. It is a fun fact that only 7 league titles were taken by other football teams, Trabzonspor (6 times) and Bursaspor (Only once).

These three powerhouse clubs were founded in the first decade of the 20th century, making them even older than the Republic of Turkey. Three big Istanbul clubs (referred as “The Big Three”) are also surpassing other clubs in total number of fans. According to statistics, around 80% of all the sports fans in Turkey are supporting one of these three giant clubs. The Big Three’s total number of fans are estimated to be around 45 million in Turkey.

Istanbul derbies are also world-famous, thanks to the passionate fans and a rivalry older than 100 years. Especially the rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe is a worth-to-see battle. The competition between these two clubs is so fierce that many documentaries were shot showing the tense atmosphere between the fans before and after derby games. Even legendary French football star Eric Cantona shot a documentary on the rivalry between Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe in 2012 for French National Television Channel TF 1.

9) Istanbul: A major tourism hub

Thanks to its rich history and an interesting combination of different cultural elements, Istanbul attracts millions of tourists every year. According to official records, in 2019, around 14 million people visited Istanbul, making it the hottest attraction point in Turkey. With its popularity among travelers, Istanbul became the 10th most visited city in the world in 2019 by surpassing cities like Rome, Phuket, Tokyo, Pattaya, Prague, Seoul, Amsterdam, Miami, Los Angeles, Barcelona, Las Vegas and Milano.

10) Istanbul is a giant economic power

The last article on our list of “Top 10 Fun Facts About Istanbul” is related to economic strength. Istanbul is not only a famous touristic place but also a massive economic power in the world. Istanbul produced 31% of Turkey’s total GDP (gross domestic product) with an amount of 195 billion USD in the year 2019. According to statistics, in this year, Istanbul produced a bigger GDP than countries like Slovakia, Luxembourg, Puerto Rico, Bulgaria, Croatia, Uruguay, Slovenia, Serbia, Lithuania, Iceland and Malta.

So, Istanbul is a very interesting city with so many fun facts. It doesn’t have only one dimension. It is a huge economic power as well as a touristic place. It is as big as a country with massive economic capacity and a highly populated city with 15,1 million inhabitants.

Istanbul is not only a home for people but also a safe place for stray animals, especially stray cats. Istanbul’s stray cats are so famous that you can find lots of heartwarming videos on the internet showing the treatment of cats in Istanbul.

Istanbul sports clubs are also worth following with their passionate fan base and thrilling stadium atmosphere. A visit to Istanbul should not be completed without watching a football derby between the three big clubs of Istanbul.

 

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