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.
Before 1930, Istanbul was officially called Constantinople, or Kostantiniyye in Ottoman Turkish. People in the city had said Istanbul for centuries, but the postal law of March 28, 1930 made it the only official name. Before Constantinople, the city was Byzantium, a Greek colony.
| 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 ”.
Nicknames of Istanbul
The best-known nicknames for Istanbul are the City of Seven Hills, the Queen of Cities and the City on Two Continents. They are not official names, but people still say them today.
The seven hills came from Rome. Byzantines counted seven hills in their capital too, to look like the old city. Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapı Palace stand on the first hill, the Süleymaniye Mosque on the third and the Fatih Mosque on the fourth.
Queen of Cities was a name of Byzantine Constantinople, and the Byzantines also called it the Reigning City. The City on Two Continents comes from the Bosphorus, which splits Istanbul in two, with Europe on one shore and Asia on the other. You can cross by ferry, by bridge, or by the Marmaray train under the water.
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.
The Postal Law of March 28, 1930
The new Turkish Republic wanted the world to use Turkish names for Turkish cities. The postal law of March 28, 1930 brought the change. Istanbul replaced Constantinople, Ankara replaced Angora, and Turkish post offices stopped delivering mail sent to the old names.
Before that day the city lived with two names at once. Constantinople was the Western form and Kostantiniyye the formal Ottoman one, while Istanbul was what people said in street and wrote in poems. The law only made official what everybody already said, it was not a new name.
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.
What was Istanbul’s original name?
The first name was Byzantion, or Byzantium in Latin, from the Greek settlers of Megara who founded the colony. One ancient writer says the place was first called Lygos, perhaps a small Thracian settlement.
When was the name Istanbul first used?
Much earlier than 1930. Forms of the name appear in writing from the 10th century, and Turks said Istanbul in daily speech even before the conquest of 1453. Only the official use is new.
Did the Ottomans rename Constantinople after 1453?
Not officially. Formal papers kept Kostantiniyye, people said Istanbul, and a new form, Islambol, “full of Islam”, also appeared. My chronology of the Ottoman Empire follows what came next.
What does the name Istanbul mean?
Istanbul means “to the city”. It comes from the Greek phrase eis ten polin, which Greeks used for Constantinople, the one city that needed no name. Turks said it in daily speech for centuries, and it slowly became Istanbul.
What is Istanbul’s nickname?
The best-known nickname is the City of Seven Hills, because Constantinople was counted as a city on seven hills, like Rome. It is also called the Queen of Cities and the City on Two Continents.
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.
