Istanbul is a historic city located in both Europe and Asia that has long served as an important capital and cultural center. It is the largest city in Turkey and has over 11 million residents. Istanbul has a long history spanning empires and was founded over 2,500 years ago. It is known for its historic architecture from Byzantine, Ottoman, and other periods that draws many tourists each year to experience its cultural significance and beauty.

1. Istanbul “timeless city”

2. “If the Earth were a single state, Istanbul would be its capital.” Napoleon Bonaparte
Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople)
is,
- the largest city of Turkey ,
- the largest city proper in Europe ,
- the third largest city proper in the world .

3. istanbul

4. Names
► The city has also been nicknamed " The City on
Seven Hills“
► 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 Istanbul are
Vasilevousa Polis (the Queen of Cities),
► Dersaadet, originally Der-i Saadet (the Door to
Happiness) which was first used towards the end
of 19th century and is still remembered today.

5. History
► Founded in 667 BC
► In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital
city of the Roman Empire, the East Roman
(Byzantine) Empire, the Latin Empire, and the
Ottoman Empire.
► 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.

6. Conquest of Istanbul
► On 29 May 1453, Sultan Mehmed II
"the Conqueror" captured Constantinople
after a 53-day siege and proclaimed that
Constantinople was now the new capital of
the Ottoman Empire.

7. Moving of Capital City
► When the Republic
of Turkey was
founded in 1923 by
Mustafa Kemal
Atatürk, the capital
was moved from
Istanbul to Ankara.

8. Location
► The city covers 27 districts of the Istanbul
province.
► It is located on the Bosphorus Strait and
encompasses the natural harbor known as the
Golden Horn, in the northwest of the country. It
extends both on the European (Thrace) and on the
Asian (Anatolia) side of the Bosphorus, and is
thereby the only metropolis in the world which is
situated on two continents.

9. Location
► Istanbul is located in the north-west Marmara
Region of Turkey. It encloses the southern
Bosphorus which places the city on two continents
—the western portion of Istanbul is in Europe,
while the eastern portion is in Asia.
► The city boundaries cover a surface area of
1,830.92 square kilometres , while the
metropolitan region, or the Province of Istanbul,
covers 6,220 square kilometres.

10. Climate
► The city has a temperate climate with extremely
hot and humid summers; and cold, wet, snowy
winters.
► Humidity is generally rather high which can make
temperatures feel much warmer or colder than
they actually are.
► Snowfall is quite common, snowing for a week or
two during the winter season, but it can be heavy
once it snows. It is most likely to occur between
the months of December and March.

11. Population
► It has more than 11 million people,
► Takes first place in Europe,
► Third in world wide.

13. Demographics
► The population of the metropolis more than tripled during
the 25 years between 1980 and 2005. Roughly 70% of all
Istanbulites live in the European section and around 30% in
the Asian section.
► Due to high unemployment in the southeast of Turkey,
many people from that region migrated to Istanbul, where
they established themselves in the outskirts of the city.
► Migrants, predominantly from eastern Anatolia arrive in
Istanbul expecting improved living conditions and
employment, which usually end with little success.
► This results each year with new gecekondus at the
outskirts of the city, which are later developed into
neighbourhoods and integrated into the greater metropolis.

14. Religion
► The urban landscape of Istanbul is shaped by
many communities. The religion with the largest
community of followers is Islam.
► Religious minorities include Greek Orthodox
Christians, Armenian Christians, Catholic
Levantines and Sephardic Jews.
► According to the 2000 census, there were 2691
active mosques, 123 active churches and 26
active synagogues in Istanbul; as well as 109
Muslim cemeteries and 57 non-Muslim
cemeteries.

15. The Sultan Ahmed Mosque
(Blue Mosque)

16. The Hagia Sophia

17. Ashkenazi Synagogue

18. Economy
► Istanbul has always been the center of the
country's economic life because of its location as
an international junction of land and sea trade
routes.
► The opening of specific markets in the city during
the 1980s further strengthened the city's economic
status.
► Inaugurated at the beginning of 1986, the Istanbul
Stock Exchange (ISE) is the sole securities market
of Turkey.

19. Economy

21. Tourism
► Istanbul is one of the most important tourism spots
of Turkey.
► There are thousands of hotels and other tourist
oriented industries in the city, catering to both
vacationers and visiting professionals.
► In 2006 a total of 23,148,669 tourists visited
Turkey, most of whom entered the country through
the airports and seaports of Istanbul and Antalya

22. Tourism

24. Panoramic View

25. Architecture
► Throughout its long history, Istanbul has
acquired a reputation for being a cultural
and ethnic melting pot.
► As a result, there are many historical
mosques, churches, synagogues, palaces,
castles and towers to visit in the city.
► Some of these historical structures, which
draw millions to the city every year, reflect
the heart and soul of Istanbul.

26. University of Istanbul

27. Ortakoy in Istanbul

28. Bosphrous

29. Dolmabahce Palace

30. Topkapi Palace

31. Dolmabahce Palace

32. Covered Bazaar

33. Aya Irini Church of Istanbul

34. Emirgan in Istanbul

49. It’s impossible to explain Istanbul
using words. Unless you live in it…
► Thanks for your watching
► Prepared by Ismail KIRBAS