Istanbul has carried at least nine names across 2,700 years — Byzantium, Nova Roma, Constantinople, Stanpol, Darülhilafe, Makarr-ı Saltanat, Dersaadet, Asitane and finally Istanbul, which became the city’s official name in 1930.
| Name | Period in use | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Byzantium | 667 BC – AD 330 | “City of Byzas” |
| Nova Roma | AD 330 | “New Rome” |
| Constantinople | AD 330 – 1930 | “City of Constantine” |
| Stanpol (Stimbol, Istinpolin) | Medieval era | From the Greek eis ten polin, “to the city” |
| Dersaadet, Darülhilafe, Makarr-ı Saltanat, Asitane | Ottoman era (1453–1922) | “Gate of Happiness”, “Center of the Caliphate”, “Center of the Reign”, “The Threshold” |
| Istanbul | 1930 – today | From the Greek eis ten polin, “to the city” |
Istanbul hosted different civilizations and languages throughout history. Historical names of Istanbul changed several times since the powers which dominate the city shifted several times too. Istanbul is a city with a settlement history stretching back some 8,500 years, proven by the Yenikapı excavations, and an urban history of approximately 3,000 years. Istanbul had been a capital for different states for 1600 years. Except for the Crusaders’ invasion between 1204 and 1261, the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire used Istanbul as their capital for 16 centuries. The city has been the sole ruler of the region in its wide geography from the Danube River in the west to the Persian Empire in the east.
I loved the classic song from the band “They Might Be Giants” when I was a little kid. I hope you can sing it along while reading this article.
Istanbul was Constantinople
Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it’s Turkish delight on a moonlit night
Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you’ve a date in Constantinople
She’ll be waiting in Istanbul
They Might Be Giants
Let’s have a look at the proud history and historical names of Istanbul.
Historical Names of Istanbul
Byzantium
Doric Greek settlers from Megara in Ancient Greece founded a colony on this superb natural harbor in 667 BC and named it “Byzantion” in honor of their king Byzas. Under Roman rule, the Greek Byzantion became the Latin Byzantium — the name the city carried for almost a thousand years, until a Roman emperor gave it his own.
Nova Roma
When the city was declared the capital of the Roman Empire in 330, it was named “Nova Roma”, which means “New Rome” in Latin, but this name was not adopted much.
Constantinople
In AD 330, Emperor Constantine I made the city the new capital of the Roman Empire, and it soon came to be called “Constantinople” — “the city of Constantine” — in his honor, while he was still alive. The name stuck: Constantinople remained the official name of the city throughout the Byzantine era, and the West kept using it right up to 1930.
Stanpol
Stanpol and similar medieval forms grew out of the everyday Greek phrase eis ten polin, meaning “to the city”. For the Greeks of this region there was only one City, so “I am going to the city” could only mean one place. Travelers wrote the phrase down as Stanpol, Stimbol or Istinpolin — and centuries later, the very same phrase would give the city its modern name, Istanbul.
Darülhilafe
In the official correspondence of the Ottoman Empire, Darülhilafe — “the center of the caliphate” — was used as the name of today’s Istanbul. From 1517 onward the Ottoman ruler was also the caliph, so the Ottoman sultans who ruled from this capital led the Islamic world from the shores of the Bosphorus, and the city’s official name proudly said so.
Makarr-ı Saltanat
Makarr-ı Saltanat means “the center of the reign” — the seat of the sultanate. Ottoman scribes used this formal title for the capital in imperial documents and decrees, stressing that the sultan himself ruled from this city. Like most Ottoman names on this list, it belonged to official written language rather than to the street.
Dersaadet
Dersaadet means “the Gate of Happiness”, from the Persian der (gate) and the Arabic saadet (happiness, bliss). It was one of the most widely used Ottoman names for the city, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries — you will find it on official papers, in newspapers and even on the postmarks of the era. Many Istanbulites went on saying Dersaadet well into the early years of the Republic.
Asitane
Asitane comes from the Persian word âsitân, meaning “threshold” or “doorstep” — the threshold of the sultan’s palace, and by extension of the whole empire. Ottoman writers loved the fuller form Asitane-i Aliyye, “the Sublime Threshold”, in the same spirit that Europeans called the Ottoman government the Sublime Porte. It was a poetic way of saying that every road, every petition and every ambassador ended up at this one city’s door.
Istanbul
Istanbul is the current name of the city. The city is named in different ways in various languages and civilizations, Istanbul is ” Vizantion ” in Greek, ” Byzantium, Antoninya, Alma Roma, Nova Roma ” in Latin, ” Constantinople, Istinpolin, Megali Police, Kalipolis ” “Slavic”, “Czarist, Konstantingrad”, Viking “Miklagord”, Armenian “Vizant, Stimbol, Esdambol, Eskomboli”, in Arabic “Byzantium, al-Mahsura, Kustantina el-uzma ”, Seljuks ” Konstantiniyye, Mahrusa-i Konstantiniyye, Stambul ” and in Ottoman ” Dersaadet, Deraliyye, Mahrusa-i Saltanat, Istanbul, Islambol, Darü’s-saltanat-ı Aliyye, Asitane-i Aliyye, Darü’l-Hilafetü’l Aliye, Payitaht-ı Saltanat, Dyolu-ı Mualla, Südde-i Saadet ”.
When Did Constantinople Become Istanbul?
Locals had called the city Istanbul — from the Greek <em>eis ten polin</em>, “to the city” — for centuries under the Ottomans, while the West kept using Constantinople. In 1930, the young Turkish Republic made Istanbul the sole official name and asked foreign post offices to stop delivering mail addressed to Constantinople.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Istanbul called before?
Before 1930 the city was officially Constantinople, named after Roman Emperor Constantine I, who made it his capital in AD 330. Earlier it was Byzantium, honoring King Byzas of the Greek settlers from Megara who founded the colony in 667 BC, and briefly Nova Roma.
How many names has Istanbul had?
Istanbul has had nine principal names — Byzantium, Nova Roma, Constantinople, Stanpol, Darülhilafe, Makarr-ı Saltanat, Dersaadet, Asitane and Istanbul — plus dozens of variants across Greek, Latin, Arabic, Armenian, Slavic and Viking sources, including Miklagard, Konstantingrad and Konstantiniyye.
Why was Constantinople renamed Istanbul?
Istanbul most likely comes from the Greek phrase eis ten polin, meaning “to the city”, which locals had used colloquially for centuries during the Ottoman era. After the Turkish Republic was founded, Istanbul became the city’s only official name in 1930, and foreign nations were asked to stop using Constantinople.
Tour Guide in Istanbul
I will be happy to host you in Istanbul and guide you in this magnificent city. This article is a little fraction of Istanbul’s amazing history. You can contact me to hire your licensed guide in Istanbul. I like to finish this article with a classic song about names of Istanbul. See you soon, Hasan Gülday.
