Information AboutIstanbul |
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|name = İstanbul |map2 = Kiz Kulesi.jpg |map2 size = 250 |map2 cap = Maiden Tower and Historical Peninsula of Istanbul |map1 = Istanbul_municipality_logo.png |map1 size = 70 |map1 cap = Symbol of Istanbul Municipality |map = Istanbul Turkey Provinces locator.gif |map size = 250 |map cap = Location in Turkey |province = Istanbul |population = 10,034,830 |population_as_of = 2006 |population_ref = {Link without Title} |pop_dens = 5199 inh. |area = 1,930 |elevation = 100 |lat_deg = 41 |lat_min = 00 |lat_hem = N |lon_deg = 29 |lon_min = 00 |lon_hem = E |postal_code = 34x xx |area_code = (0090)+ 212(European side), 216(Anatolian side) |mayor = Dr. Architect Kadir Topbaş ( Justice And Development Party ) |licence = 34 |website = http://www.ibb.gov.tr/ }} Istanbul ( for 2010. Istanbul is sometimes called as the "City on Seven Hills" because the historic peninsula which is the oldest part was built on seven hils, also represented with seven mosques at the top of each hill. {Link without Title} Etymology Originally founded by . Only on March 28 , 1930 , was the city officially renamed ''Istanbul''. This often causes confusion among foreigners, as illustrated by the song " Istanbul (Not Constantinople) " by Jimmy Kennedy and Nat Simon , and most recently sung by They Might Be Giants in their 1990 album ''Flood''. Geography Situation Istanbul encloses the southern Bosphorus which divides it into a western, European and into an eastern, Asiatic area. The Golden Horn, a Bosphorus bay running to the west, separates the European part into a southern, between Marmara Sea and Golden Horn lying peninsula which is the historical Istanbul and the northern quarter to the historical Galata . Both to the west, to the north and the east Istanbul exceeds far over historical quarters. In the southeast the Prince's Islands belonging to Istanbul lie. The city boundaries cover a surface of 1.538,77 km&2. The Metropol region Istanbul (= province Istanbul) has a surface of 5,220 km&2. Geology Istanbul is situated near the North Anatolian fault line, which drags on from the northern in Kocaeli left 18,000 dead and in the winter of 2001 in the province of Afyon 41 people died. {Link without Title} {Link without Title} Climate Temperate-Continental of Istanbul under snow]] Istanbul has hot and humid summers with cold, rainy and often snowy winters. Yearly precipitation for Istanbul averages 870 mm. Humidity is often rather high which can make temperatures feel much warmer or colder than they actually are. The average maximum temperature during the winter months varies between 3° C (38° F) and 8 °C (46° F). Snowfall is common and can occasionally be heavy. It is most likely to occur between the months of November and April. The summer months of June through September bring average daytime temperatures of 28 °C (82 °F). The warmest month is July with on the average 23.2 degrees Celsius, coldest January with 5.4 degrees Celsius on the average. The highest recorded temperature in Istanbul is 40.5 °C (105 °F) (August 2000), with the lowest being –16.1 °C (3 °F) (February 1927). The weather becomes slightly cooler as one moves toward eastern Istanbul. The city is quite windy, having an average wind speed of 17 km/h (11 mph). Summer is by far the driest season, although there is no real summer drought such as occurs further west, and so the climate cannot be considered truly Mediterranean . City arrangement District]] Quarters of Istanbul are divided into three ranges:
, in the Anatolian side of Istanbul from the air]]
History : ''See Constantinople for a more detailed history before the Ottoman Turkish Conquest Of 1453 .'' With the fall of Rome and the Western Roman Empire, Constantinople became the sole capital of what historians now call the Byzantine Empire . This empire was distinctly Greek in culture, and became the centre of Greek Orthodox Christianity after an earlier Split with Rome, and was adorned with many magnificent churches, including Hagia Sophia , once the world's largest Cathedral . The seat of the Patriarch Of Constantinople , spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church , remains in Istanbul. After the Fall Of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks , in 1453 , Constantinople became part of the Ottoman Empire and soon, its capital. Byzantium was the original name of the modern city of Istanbul. Byzantium was originally settled by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name "Byzantium" is a transliteration of the original Greek name Βυζάντιον; (Demotic Modern Greek spells this Βυζάντιο, Pronounced IPA //). After siding with ic Dream was said to have identified the location of the city. The name Nova Roma never came into common use. The Eastern Roman Empire which had its capital in Constantinople from then until 1453 , has often been called the Byzantine Empire or Byzantium by modern scholars. is one of the most exclusive districts of Istanbul]] The combination of Imperialism and location would play an important role as the crossing point between two Continent s ( Europe and Asia ), and later a magnet for Africa and others as well, in terms of Commerce , Culture , Diplomacy , and Strategy . At a strategic position, Constantinoupolis was able to control the route between Asia and Europe, as well as the passage from the Mediterranean Sea to the ''Efxinos Pontos'' ( Black Sea ). Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire , also known as the Byzantine Empire. In Byzantine times the Greeks called Constantinople ''i Poli'' ("The City"), since it was the centre of the Greek world and for most of the Byzantine period, the largest city in Europe. It was captured and sacked by the Fourth Crusade in 1204 and then re-captured by Nicaean forces under the command of Michael VIII Palaeologus in 1261 . Mecidiye Mosque]] On May 29 , 1453 the city fell to the Ottoman Turks (''see the Fall Of Constantinople '') and was part of the Ottoman Empire until its official dissolution on November 1 , 1922 . The Ottoman Turks called the city Konstantiniye or Istanbul. During the Ottoman period the city went through a complete cultural change from an imperial Byzantine city to an Ottoman Imperial one. Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque as were several other churches in the city. Other mosques were constructed around the city, each Sultan having built a grand mosque to commemorate his reign. Amongst these mosques, the most impressive are; Beyazit Mosque , Suleymaniye (The largest mosque in Istanbul), Sultan Ahmed Mosque (The first Friday sermon or "Khutba" in this mosque was read by the Jelveti Sufi Sheikh Aziz Mahmud Hudayi ) and Fatih Mosque . The wives and mothers of the Sultans also contibuted to the construction of mosques and several mosques both on the European and Asian sides of the city have the name Valide Sultan Mosque to signify that they were constructed under the orders of the Sultans mother. - Bulgarians dancing]] - Epirotes]] - Greeks, blessing the Epiphany .]] Sufi orders which were so widespread in the Islam ic world and who had many followers who had activly participated in the conquest of the city came to settle in the capital. During Ottoman times over 100 Tekkes were active in Istanbul alone. Many of these Tekkes survive to this day some in the form of mosques while others as museums such as the Jerrahi Tekke in Fatih , the Sunbul Effendi and Ramazan Effendi Mosque and Turbes also in Fatih , the Galata Mevlevihane in Beyoglu , the Yahya Effendi Tekke in Besiktas , and the Bektashi Tekke in Kadıköy , which now serves Alevi Muslims as a Cem Evi . When the Republic of Turkey was founded in 1923 , the capital was moved from Istanbul to Ankara . Istanbul became the official name in 1930 . ) in Arnavutköy .]] In the early years of the republic, Istanbul was overlooked in favor of the new capital Ankara but, during the 1950s and 1960s , Istanbul underwent great structural change. The city's once numerous and prosperous Greek community, remnants of the city's Greek origins, dwindled in the aftermath of the 1955 Istanbul Pogrom with most Greeks in Turkey leaving their homes for Greece . In the 1950s the government of Adnan Menderes sought to develop the country as a whole and new roads and factories were constructed throughout the country. Wide modern roads were built in Istanbul but some, unfortunately, were at the expense of historical buildings within the city. During the 1970s the population of Istanbul began to rapidly increase as people from Anatolia migrated to the city to find employment in the many new factories that were constructed on the outskirts of the city. This sudden sharp increase in the population caused a rapid rise in housing development (some of poor quality resulting in great death and injury during the frequent Earthquake s that hit the city) and many previously outlying villages became engulfed into the greater metropolis of Istanbul. Many Turks who have lived in Istanbul for over 30 or more years can still recollect how areas such as large parts of Maltepe , Kartal , Pendik , and others were green fields when they were young. Other areas such as Tuzla were nothing more than sleepy villages. Lifestyle The cultural activity, tourism and commerce will continue their importance in the city life. However, the issues of population growth, traffic solution, stopping of disorganized housing, restoration of historic buildings and planning a 3rd motorway transition to the Bosphorus will continue. The daily life in Istanbul which continues side by side with the fussily protected Roman, Byzantine and Turkish monuments is colorful and live. Istanbul can be considered as the capital of Turkey in terms of commerce, entertainment, culture, education, shopping, tourism and art activities. More than half of the population lives and mostly works in the European side. The large amount of people living in the residential areas in the Anatolian side uses the bridges and sea transportation to go to work every day in the city which has been the most popular stop for the voyagers throughout the history. Istanbul is getting more colorful with its rich social, cultural and commercial activities. Alongside with Turkish restaurants, the Far eastern and other cuisines are getting large in number and with the newly opened restaurants. While the world famous pop stars are filling the stadiums, activities like opera, balet, theatre are continuing throughout the year. In the seasonal festivals world famous orchestras, choros, concerts, jazz legends are found. The musical, folk and theatral pieces are playing full house. Among with historical places like Hagia Irene , Rumeli Fortress , Yedikule, courtyard of Topkapı Palace , Gülhane park; The Ataturk Cultural center, Cemal Reşit Rey concert hall and other open air and modern theatre halls are hosting the shows. For the people that like night life, there are sufficient number of clubs, musical restaurants, discos, bars and pavillions. The clubs, restaurants and discoteques increase in number and move to open air spaces in summers. "There, God and human, nature and art are together, they have created such a perfect place that it is valuable to see." Alphonse De Lamartine ''Lamartine's famous poetic line reveals his love for Istanbul, describing the embracing of two continents, with one arm reaching out to Asia and the other to Europe. In the townscape, the typical Ottoman tradition built, timber buildings belong. In the last decades in and around the city, numerous and high settlements were built by the fast growth of the population. Sorrounding towns were absorbed into Istanbul as the city grew rapidly outwards. Successes happened since the mid 1990's when the garbage problem was solutioned, traffic conditions were improved and the air improvement was obtained by the employment of natural gas. Nevertheless air and water pollution by the numerous factories, motor vehicles and private households and the noise pollution by traffic further concerns the population of Istanbul. Diseases such as bronchitis and asthma are far more common among the inhabitants of the city's Gecekondu areas largely because of these poorer, densely populated areas' proximity to industry. ,the largest of the Prince's Islands ]] Spare time and recovery Because of the contamination of the sea, traditional beach resorts had disappeared gradually, for some years however old places opened again in the city. The most popular places within the city belong to Bakirkoy( Bakırköy ), Kucukcekmece( Küçükçekmece ), Sariyer( Sarıyer ) and the Bosphorus, outside of the city are the Marmara sea the Prince's islands, Silivri and Tuzla as well as at the black sea Kilyos and Sile(Şile). The Prince's Islands (Prens Adaları) are a group of islands in the Marmara sea, south of the quarters Kartal and Pendik. With their Pine and Stone pines, wooden art nouveau style summer mansions from the turn of the twentieth century, horse-drawn carriages (motor vehicles are not permitted) and fish restaurants make them a popular trip goal. They can be attained with ferry boats and high-speed ferries (Deniz otobüsü) from Eminönü and Kartal . From the nine islands, four are settled. Sile( Şile ) is distant and well-known Turkish seaside resort at the black sea, 50 kilometers from Istanbul. Outside of Sile unaffected white sand beaches are to be found. Kilyos is a small calm seaside resort not far from the northern European entrance of the Bosphorus at the black sea. The place has good swimming possibilities and became popular in the last years among the inhabitants of Istanbul as a place for excursions. Kilyos offers a beach park with (fish) Restaurants and discotheques. Newsweek magazine recently named Istanbul the "hippest city of Europe", referring to it as the " Turkish Delight ": ''After so many decades of trying to become Western, Istanbul glories in the rediscovery of a modern identity. European or not, it is one of the coolest cities in the world. There is such richness, the city is still thickly atmospheric, with bazaars, Byzantine churches and Ottoman mansions pretty much everywhere.'' Demographics : ''Further reading Demographics Of Turkey '' Overview The townscape of Istanbul is shaped by many communties. Important religious minorities are the Greek Orthodox Christians, Armenian Christians, and the Sephardic Jews . In Istanbul small boroughs are inhabited by ethnic Armenians , Jews and Greeks . In some quarters, like for example in Kuzguncuk, an Armenian Church is next to a Synagogue , and on the other side of the road a Greek-Orthodox church is found beside a Mosque . The seat of the Patriarch Of Constantinople , spiritual leader of the Greek Orthodox Church is in Istanbul. Further based here are, the archbishop of the Turkish- Orthodox community, an Armenian archbishop and the Turkish Grand- Rabbi . The city is traditionally the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarch , to some orthodox churches and seat of an Armenian archbishop as well as the archbishop of the Turkish-Orthodox community. The everyday life of the Armenian and Greek minorities still living in Istanbul changed after the First World War of discrimination and constant repression. In 1942 came the introduction of a special wealth tax (varlik vergisi). In 1964 , all Greeks (around 100.000) without Turkish citizenship residing in Turkey were deported. Today, most of Turkey's Greek and Armenian minority live in or near Istanbul. Beside the Levantine s, who are the descendants of European traders who had started trading outposts in the Ottoman Empire, there is also a small, scattered number of Bosphorus Germans . A number of places reflect past movements of different people into Istanbul, most notably Arnavutköy (Albanian village), Polonezköy (Polish village) and Yeni Bosna (New Bosnia). The Sephardic Jews have lived in the city for over 500 years. They fled in 1492 from the Iberian Peninsula , when they were forced to convert to Christianity after the fall of the Moorish Kingdom Of Andalucia . Ottoman Sultan Bayezid II ( 1481 - 1512 ) sent a sizable fleet to Spain in order to save the Sephardic Jews. More than 200,000 fled first to Tangier , Algiers , Genova and Marseille , later to Salonica and finally to Istanbul. The Sultan granted over 93,000 of these Spanish Jews to take refuge in the Ottoman Empire. In Istanbul more than 20,000 Sephardic Jews still remain today. Altogether 20 synagoges are to be found in the city, the most important of them being the Neve Shalom Synagogue ianugurated in 1951 , in the Beyoglu quarter. The Turkish Grand Rabbi in Istanbul (currently Ishak Haleva) presides over community affairs. Population growth across the Bosphorus from Bebek District of Istanbul]] 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 ( Gaziosmanpaşa , Ziya Gökalp). . Migrants, predominantly from central and eastern Anatolia arrive in Istanbul expecting improved living conditions and employment, which usually end with little success. This results each year with new Gecekondu s at the outskirts of the city, which are later developed into neighbourhoods and integrated into the greater metropolis. The following overview shows the numbers of inhabitants by year. Population tallies up to 1914 are estimated with variations of up to 50% depending upon researcher. The numbers from 1927 to 2000 are results of censuses. The numbers of 2005 and 2006 are based on computer simulation forecasts. The doubling of the population of Istanbul between 1980 and 1985 is due to a natural increase in population as well as the expansion of municipal limits. | valign="top" | |} Places of Interest Istanbul was a cultural and ethnic melting pot. As a result, there are many historical mosques, churches, synagogues, and palaces to visit in the city. Image:(Dolmabahce Sarayi).JPG| Dolmabahçe Palace Image:TopkapıPalace-1.jpg| Topkapi Palace Image:Ayasofya-1.jpg| Hagia Sophia Image:Sultanahmet Mosque-1.jpg| SultanAhmet(Blue) Mosque Image:Hamamlar-1.jpg| Turkish Bath s Image:Banu_aug0.jpg| Çiçek Pasajı Image:Twierdza Rumeli Istambuł RB1.jpg| Rumeli Hisarı Image:Istanbul_-_Basilica_Cistern_-_01.JPG| Basilica Cistern Image:Galata_tower_istanbul.jpg| Galata Tower Image:Maidens_Tower.jpg| Kiz Kulesi Image:Aquaduct_of_Valens.jpg| Valens Aqueduct Image:Ciragan2.jpg| Çırağan Palace Image:Stantuankilisesi.jpg| St. Antoine Catholic Church Image:Kariye.jpg| Chora Church Image:KBEREKETyedikulepn2.jpg| Castle Of Seven Towers Image:Faruk_Oncan_IMG_5266yt.jpg| Istanbul University and Beyazit Tower Other Buildings and monuments ''Alphabetical Order''
Markets, neighborhoods and places
The cross-continent European Walking Route E8 trail begins/ends here, running 4700 km to Cork , Ireland . Education Istanbul holds some of the finest institutes of higher education in Turkey , including a number of public and private universities. Most of the reputable universities are public, but in recent years there has also been an upsurge in the number of private universities. Universities from Istinye quarter at night]] Among the well-known public institutions are Istanbul Technical University ( Istanbul Teknik Üniversitesi (İTÜ) ), Bosphorus University ( Boğaziçi Üniversitesi ), Galatasaray University , University Of Istanbul ( İstanbul Üniversitesi (İÜ) ), University of Marmara ( Marmara Üniversitesi ), and Yildiz Technical University ( Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi ). Some of the private institutions include ( Işık Üniversitesi ), Yeditepe University ( Yeditepe Üniversitesi ), Fatih University ( Fatih Üniversitesi ), Maltepe University ( Maltepe Üniversitesi ), Kadir Has University ( Kadir Has Üniversitesi ), Haliç University (Haliç Üniversitesi), Dogus University (Doğuş Üniversitesi) and Beykent University (Beykent Üniversitesi). High schools
Libraries
Economy Istanbul has always been the centre of the country's economic life because of its location at an international junction of land and sea trade routes. The economy of Istanbul stands solid on two columns: national it dominates the trade and it has international significance. Istanbul has 20% of Turkey's industrial labour and 38% Turkey's industrial working place. The city occurs 55% of Turkey's trade and 45% of the coutries' wholesale trade and Istanbul occurs 21.2% of Turkey's gross national product.Istanbul contributes tax with 40% of all taxes collected in Turkey and produces 27.5% of Turkey's national product. is one of the newly developing commercial centers of Istanbul.]] The economy in Istanbul registered an upward trend in the last years. The gross domestic product (GDP) grew by an average of 5% a year, since 1980. The Asian finanical crisis between July 1997 and at the beginning of 1998 and the crisis in Russia between August 1998 and in the middle of 1999 was in all ranges, particularly with the export, felt and showed negative effects to the economy. Despite this load, in the middle of 1999 a slow reorganization of the economy of Istanbul was observed , till the earthquake caused the second large economic shock for the city from the east with center Kocaeli in 17 August 1999 after the crisis in Russia. Apart from the capital losses caused by the disaster and the human losses, a decrease in GDP of approximately up to two per cent was observed. Istanbul is today the controlling market and place of transshipment of Turkey. Turkey's major manufacturing factories are settled in the city. Istanbul province produces cotton, fruit, olive oil, silk, and tobacco. Food processing, textile production, oil products, rubber, metal ware, leather, chemicals, electronics, glass, machinery, paper and paper products and alcoholic drinks are among the major industrial products. The city also has plants that assemble automobiles and trucks. Turkish investors and investors from all world made and make Istanbul an important commercial metropolis. One of the most important commercial branches is the tourism: The offer at hotels is large, from styleful luxury lodgings to inexpensive establishments are present everything. Istanbuls historical buildings, its cosmopolit charm, its many plates of satisfying Orientalism, its rising internationalism and its rich culture life attract many foreign and domestic tourists. Traffic Long-distance traffic The city is an important junction in national and international long-distance traffic. Air traffic Istanbul has two international airports: The larger is the Ataturk International in Yeşilköy , 24 kilometers from the city center which used to be at the edge of the European part but now inside of the city, the more modern is the airport Sabiha Gökçen Airport , 20 kilometers east of Asiatic side and 45 kilometers eastern from the European city centre. Railroad traffic The station Sirkeci is final stop for all railways on the European side. In long-distance traffic only one course drives daily (to Bucharest). Beyond the Bosphorus at the station Haydarpasa drive several times daily courses to Ankara, more rarely to other goals into Anatolia. For now the two stations are connected by ferry across the Bosphorus.The Marmaray project will connect the rail system with an interchange station which will also connect the metro system. is often considered to be the heart of modern day Istanbul]] Traffic The E5, E90 and Trans European Motorway (TEM) are the three main roads leading to Turkey from European borders; and the innercity borders to the east. The motorway net around Istanbul is developed and is constantly extended very well. Motorways lead after Ankara and Edirne. There are 2 express roads circling the city. The older one called E5 is mostly used for inner city traffic while the more recent TEM highway is mostly used by intercity or intercontinental traffic. Bosphorus Bridge and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge respectively, provide the Bosphorus Strait passes for these two highways. Navigation The port of Istanbul is the most important of the country. The old port at the golden horn serves primarily for the personal navigation. Regular transport service exists after Haifa and Odessa. City and suburban traffic Main article: Public Transport In Istanbul was selected as the best shopping mall in the world in 1996]] Modern Buildings and Structures with architectural significance
Sports Football Istanbul is the homeland of many soccer teams; among them are four first division teams: Galatasaray SK , Fenerbahçe SK , Besiktas JK and Istanbulspor AS .
Galatasaray SK currently plays its european fixtures in the Ataturk Olympic Stadium . This was built for Turkey's bid to host the Olympics . Despite Turkey failing to win its bid, the stadium now hosts football matches, was awarded the accolade of five-star stadium in 2004 , and is now the second largest football stadium in Europe. The Atatürk Stadium hosted the 2005 Champions League final between Liverpool and AC Milan , which is widely regarded as one of the greatest Champions League finals of all time.
Motor racing Istanbul hosts the Turkish Grand Prix . The annual Formula 1 race is held at the Istanbul Park . Other sports Also, other sports like basketball and volleyball are very popular. In addition to Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray and Beşiktaş, which field teams in multiple sports, other clubs have high profiles in those sports—among them Turkey's most prominent basketball clubs, Efes Pilsen and Ülker ; and the Eczacibasi (Eczacıbaşı) and Vakifbank volleyball clubs. Golf, shooting, riding and tennis gain ever more significance, by foreigners and wealthy native ones are however predominantly operated. For Aerobic, bodybuilding and equipment gymnastic, numerous fitness clubs are available. Paintball belonges to the new kinds of sport, is however represented already in two large clubs in the proximity of Istanbul. Eastern kinds of sport such as Aikido and Yoga became more popular in the last years ever. There are several centers in the city, where they can be exercised. Sister cities İstanbul has 44 Sister Cities (aka " Twin Towns "): Prominent Istanbulites
See also, List Of Istanbulites See also External links
Districts |