Historical Info:
Before Byzantine Empire
The first evidence of human life in Istanbul, one of the world's oldest cities, dates back 300 thousand years.
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The Constantinople Era
In the Seventh Century B.C.E., the Megarians, following the advice of the Delphic Oracle, founded a city by the name of Byzantium in Sarayburnu. A thousand years later, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine, Istanbul became the capital of the Roman Empire.
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The Ottoman Era
In 1453, the seventh sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed the Conqueror, finally conquered Constantinople, a city dreamed of by many a king, emperor and sultan. The conquest of Istanbul, which became the new capital of the Ottoman Empire, was an important turning point in world history.
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The Republican Period
Istanbul, like the country as a whole, acquired a radically new identity during this period. Most notably, Istanbul-the former capital of three history-making empires-handed over the title of "capital" to Ankara at the outset of the Republican period.
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