Istanbul is a city steeped in contrasts. It was first called Byzantium by the Greek settlers who landed there in the 7th century BCE. The city changed it’s name to Constantinople when it became the capital of the Roman Empire in 330CE under Emperor Constantine. It was a major stop on the Silk Road to the Orient by land and sea traders, including Marco Polo. For almost 500 years under the Ottoman Empire, Constantinople housed the Sultan and the centralized government. By 1923, Ankara became the capital of Turkey under a new democratic government, but Constantinople held onto it’s past while transforming into a modern city. The city adopted the name Istanbul in 1930. Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city built on the ruins of the old empires with a true mix of cultures and religion.
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