İstanbul Gay Guide

Istanbul (Turkish: İstanbul, historically also known as Byzantium and Constantinople; see names of Istanbul) is the largest city in Turkey and fifth largest city proper in the world with a population of 12.6 million. Istanbul is also a megacity, as well as the cultural and financial centre of Turkey. The city covers 39 districts of the Istanbul province. It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and encompasses the natural harbour known as the Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the Asian (Anatolia) sides of the Bosphorus, and is thereby the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents.

In its long history, Istanbul has served as the capital city of the Roman Empire (330–395), the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire (395–1204 and 1261–1453), the Latin Empire (1204–1261), and the Ottoman Empire (1453–1922). The city was chosen as joint European Capital of Culture for 2010. The historic areas of Istanbul were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985

Names

Further information: Names of Istanbul
The modern Turkish name İstanbul (Turkish pronunciation: [isˈtanbuɫ], colloquially [ɯsˈtanbuɫ]) has been used to describe this city, in a range of different variants, from as far back as the 10th century; it has been the common name for the city in normal Turkish speech since before the conquest of 1453[citation needed]. Etymologically, it derives from the Greek phrase "εἰς τὴν Πόλιν" [istinˈbolin] or in the Aegean dialect "εἰς τὰν Πόλιν" [istanˈbolin] (modern Greek "στην Πόλη" [stimˈboli]), which means "in the city", "to the city" or "downtown".[5] To this day, Greeks often refer to Istanbul as 'tin Poli' (the City).[citation needed] A version found in Western languages, Stamboul, was used in lieu of Istanbul until the creation of the modern Turkish language by Atatürk after 1932. Before that time, English-speaking sources used Stamboul to describe the central parts on the historic peninsula between the Golden Horn and the Sea of Marmara.

In modern Turkish the name is written "İstanbul" with a dotted İ; in the Turkish alphabet dotted i (with capital İ) is a different letter from dotless ı (with capital I). Also, while in English the stress is on the first syllable ("Is"), in Turkish it is on the second syllable ("tan").

Byzantium is the first known name of the city. In 667 B.C., this Doric colony was founded by settlers from the city-state of Megara, and they named the colony after their king Byzas.[7] After Roman emperor Constantine I (Constantine the Great) made the city the new eastern capital of the Roman Empire on May 11, 330, the city became widely known as Constantinople ("City of Constantine"); his successor Constantius II attempted to promote the name Nova Roma ("New Rome"), but this never caught on. The name Constantinople is found on commemorative coins as early as the 330s, and is first attested in official documents under emperor Theodosius II (408–450).[5] It remained the principal official name of the city throughout the Byzantine period, and the most common name used for it in the West until the early 20th century.

The city has also been nicknamed "The City on Seven Hills" because the historic peninsula, the oldest part of the city, was built on seven hills (just like Rome), each of which bears a historic mosque. The hills are represented in the city's emblem with seven triangles, above which rise four minarets. Two of many other old nicknames of İstanbul are Vasilevousa Polis (the Queen of Cities), which rose from the city's importance and wealth throughout the Middle Ages; and Dersaadet, originally Der-i Saadet (the Door to Happiness) which was first used towards the end of 19th century and is still remembered today.

With the Turkish Postal Service Law of 28 March 1930, the Turkish authorities officially requested foreigners to adopt Istanbul as the sole name also in their own languages.