Istanbul Travel Blog

An Insider's Guide to Istanbul

History

Eastern and Western Roman Empire Map

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The Rome was founded as a city-state in the heart of Italy. Rome, which was militarily successful, took over the surrounding city-states and expanded. Rome's first goal was to unite Italy. However, it soon began to spread all over the Mediterranean coast. The Roman republic became the Roman Empire over time. In this article I will try to briefly explain this transformation on … [Read more...] about Eastern and Western Roman Empire Map

History of Istanbul and Constantinople

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The city of Istanbul had three different names throughout history. In the past, it was known as Byzantium as a Greek colony. After the Roman emperors settled in the city, its name became Constantinople. Ottomans continued using "Konstantiniyye", Turkish version for Constantinople, for years. The name Istanbul has become the official name of the city since very recently. You can … [Read more...] about History of Istanbul and Constantinople

Byzantine Empire Map, History, Facts

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In this article, I would like to share information about the history of the Byzantine Empire, which has survived for more than 1000 years. In this blog post you can read facts about Byzantium and see the change of the empire over time on the map. Due to its more than 1000 years of history, the Byzantine Empire is one of the longest-lasting empires in the world. Although the … [Read more...] about Byzantine Empire Map, History, Facts

Hagia Sophia History, Architecture, Facts

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Hagia Sophia is simply one of the most important architectural wonders ever built in the world. It remained as the world’s biggest monotheistic temple for 1000 years. Hagia Sophia served as a church for 900 years, and as a mosque for 500 years and then as a museum for 85 years. However, it was converted to a mosque again in July 2020. As an experienced tour guide who has … [Read more...] about Hagia Sophia History, Architecture, Facts