name
Istanbul
ih-stan-BUUL
name
1
Turkey's largest city, straddling both Europe and Asia, and the former capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.
"Istanbul is famous for its historic mosques and busy bazaars."
How to Use Istanbul
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTurkey's largest city, previously known as Constantinople and, before that, Byzantium.
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_____ is famous for its historic mosques and busy bazaars.
Etymology
From Ottoman Turkish, likely adapted from the Byzantine Greek phrase eis ten polin, "to the city" — how local Greeks commonly referred to Constantinople.