伊斯坦堡(Istanbul)

旧称君士坦丁堡（Constantinople）

古称拜占庭（Byzantium）

土耳其城市和海港。处於进入黑海的半岛上，是土耳其最大城市，位於博斯普鲁斯海峡两岸，亦同时分占亚洲和欧洲。拜占庭於西元前8世纪时被建成希腊殖民地。西元前512年转为波斯帝国统治，後来的亚历山大大帝，西元1世纪成为罗马人治下的一个自由城市。330年君士坦丁一世将该城定为罗马帝国的首都，後更名为君士坦丁堡。它一直都是拜占庭帝国的首都，直到5世纪晚期罗马帝国衰落为止。6～13世纪常被波斯人、阿拉伯人、保加尔人和俄罗斯人围攻。第四次十字军时被占领（1203），并受拉丁基督徒的统治。1261年重归拜占庭统治。1453年成为鄂图曼帝国的都城，称为伊斯坦堡。1923年土耳其将首都移到安卡拉，君士坦丁堡於1930年正式更名为伊斯坦堡。该城许多历史古迹在中世纪城墙围到的城内（斯坦布尔）。伊斯坦堡伟大的建筑包括了圣索菲亚教堂、苏莱曼清真寺和布鲁清真寺。其教育机构有伊斯坦堡大学（1453年成立），为土耳其最古老的大学。面积254平方公里。人口约8,260,438（1997）。

English version：

Istanbul

ancientByzantiumCity and seaport (pop., 1996 est.: 7,774,000), Turkey. Situated on a peninsula at the entrance to the Black Sea, and Turkey's largest city, it lies on either side of the Bosporus and thus is located in both Europe and Asia. Byzantium was founded as a Greek colony in the 8th century BC. Passing to the Persian empire in 512 BC and then to Alexander the Great, it became a free city under the Romans in the 1st century AD. Constantine I made the city the seat of the Roman empire in 330, later naming it Constantinople. It remained the capital of the Byzantine empire after the fall of Rome in the late 5th century. In the 6th-13th century it was frequently besieged by Persians, Arabs, Bulgars, and Russians. It was captured by the Fourth Crusade (1203) and turned over to Latin Christian rule. It was returned to Byzantine rule in 1261. In 1453 it was made the capital of the Ottoman empire and dubbed Istanbul. The Turkish capital was moved to Ankara in 1923, and Constantinople was officially renamed Istanbul in 1930. Many of the city's historic sites are located in the medieval walled city (Stamboul). Among its architectural treasures are the Hagia Sophia, the Mosque of Süleyman (1550-57), and the Blue Mosque. Its educational institutions include the University of Istanbul (founded 1453), Turkey's oldest university.