5500–3500 BC: The first human settlement in Istanbul, the Fikirtepe mound on the Anatolian side, is from the Copper Age period
13th to 11th centuries BC: Lygos,an ancient port settlement is founded by Thracian tribes
685 BC: Chalcedon, a port settlement dating back to the Phoenicians is founded on the Anatolian side
667 BC: King Byzas colonised Byzantion on the European side of the Bosphorus
196 AD: The city was besieged by the Romans
330 AD: Byzantion (now renamed as Nova Roma which eventually became Constantinopolis) was officially proclaimed the new capital of the Roman Empire.
395 AD: permanent partition of the Roman Empire Constantinople became the capital of the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire
1204 AD: the Fourth Crusade and Latin Empire is established.
1453 AD: Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople and proclaimed that the city was now their new capital.
1923 AD: When the Republic of Turkey was founded in by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the capital was moved from Istanbul to Ankara.
In its long history, Istanbul served as the capital city of four successive empires
Pagan Roman Empire (330-395)
Orthodox Byzantine Empire (395-1204 and 1261-1453)
Catholic Latin Empire (1204-1261)
Muslim Ottoman Empire (1453-1922)
The first man ever try to fly was Hezârfen Ahmed Celebi Turkish man from Istanbul. He used two wings and flew from Galata Tower over the Bosphorous to Uskudar on the asian side of the city.
The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople is one of the Eastern Orthodox churches, headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch, who has the status of “first among equals” among the world’s Orthodox bishops.
Istanbul is an emerging fashion capital, now competing with Milano, Paris and New York with highly creative designers, top events and world class boutiques.
Especially because of its glitzy nightlife, Istanbul is celebrated as the “hip city on the Horn“.