Find 93 intriguing facts about Istanbul – you doubtlessly haven’t caught wind of the majority of them and we ensure you’ll see them astounding and engaging! The name Istanbul inspires quickly a rich symbolism of extravagant Oriental culture, engineering directly from the fantasies, outlandish traditions and the fragrance of flavors. This liquefying purpose of the Western and Eastern culture has been for a long time one of the mightiest and wealthiest urban areas on Earth.
Every little thing about it is intriguing, so let us share with you some fun realities about Istanbul – a genuinely one of a kind city:
1. With a populace of 13.9 million, Istanbul is one of the biggest urban agglomerations in Europe and is the second biggest city on the planet by populace inside city limits.
2. Istanbul is home to most mosques in Turkey. It has 3,113 mosques, including the verifiable Sultanahmet Mosque and the Süleymaniye Mosque.
3. In its a huge number of long periods of history, it has been the capital of three incredible realms – Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. Anyway, the cutting edge capital of Turkey is Ankara.
4. Istanbul is the quickest developing the travel industry goal on the planet. As per an investigation by MasterCard Worldwide Index in the world traveler goal, Istanbul will outperform New York and Amsterdam regarding several guests in 2011. 9.5 million individuals visited in 2012 and the Istanbul Cultural and Tourism Directorate recorded 10,474,867 guests in 2013.
5. Sultanahmet or the Old City is the place a large portion of the well known recorded sights of Istanbul is found.
6. The Hagia Sophia, worked as an Orthodox Christian house of prayer in 537 CE, was a mosque under Ottoman guidelines after 1453. It turned into an exhibition hall after the establishing of current Turkey in 1935. Before the fulfillment of the Seville Cathedral in 1520, Hagia Sophia was the biggest church on the planet for around 900 years. It draws in more than 3 million vacationers per year.
7. Some of Turkey’s most seasoned games clubs dwell in Istanbul including Beşiktaş J.K. which was set up in 1903 as Turkey’s just club.
8. Istanbul was positioned seventh among the quickest developing metropolitan economies as per a report discharged by the Brookings Institution.
9. The third most seasoned tram on the planet at 573 meters in length is in Istanbul. It was worked in 1875 after the ones in London and New York in 1863 and 1868, separately.
10. The Grand Bazaar in activity since 1461, is one of the most seasoned and biggest canvassed advertises on the planet with 60 boulevards and 5,000 shops. It draws in the middle of 250,000 and 400,000 guests every day.
11. Istanbul comprises the nation’s monetary, social, and verifiable heart. It’s business and chronicled focus lies in Europe, while 33% of its populace lives in Asia.
12. Galleria Ataköy which opened in Istanbul in 1987 introduced the period of present-day shopping centers in Turkey.
13. While most retailers in Istanbul talk some English, it is ideal to check and reconfirm costs to abstain from misconception. Even better utilize a mini-computer to show the definite sum.
14. Istanbul is renowned for its noteworthy fish eateries. The Kumkapı neighborhood along the Sea of Marmara alone houses somewhere in the range of 50 fish eateries and a large number of the city’s cafés line the shores of the Bosphorus.
15. To guarantee individuals utilized the Istanbul name in and after 1930, the Turkish mail station didn’t convey the mail routed to Constantinople.
16. Princess’ Islands is an archipelago of nine vehicle-free islands and a famous escape from the city.
17. Istanbul is the world’s top goal in the 2014 Travelers’ Choice Destinations grants, decided in favor of by a great many holidaymakers, in front of Paris, New York, Rome, and London.
18. There are 237 hammams in Istanbul however just 60 of them are still being used. While decommissioned, the most seasoned and biggest Hamam in Istanbul is the Tahtakale Hamami, going back to the second 50% of the fifteenth century.
19. Istanbul can be portrayed by seven slopes, each bested by royal mosques.
20. Agatha Christie’s well-known novel “Murder on the Orient Express” was composed at Pera Palas Hotel in Istanbul. The Orient Express train went among Paris and Constantinople (Istanbul) from 1883 to 1977.
21. Istanbul had 1400 open toilets around the city during the hours of the Ottoman Empire while the remainder of Europe had none.
22. Although most cab drivers are neighborly and genuine, they are not familiar with English. It is ideal to utilize the composed location of your goal while hailing a taxi.
23. The gently safeguarded history enables guests to step back in time and remember Istanbul as the inside and reflection of 2 world domains and 2 world religions more than 16 centuries.
24. The Golden Horn is the estuary that isolates the European side of Istanbul into unmistakable regions.
25. Due to the gagging traffic during the top hour in Istanbul, cab drivers may urge you to stop close to your goal as opposed to sitting in rush hour gridlock. It is ideal to have a guide convenient to note where you are landing comparative with your goal.
26. Istanbul is best visited in pre-summer or late-summer when the climate is wonderful for strolling visits. Fewer groups additionally imply less holding up time.
27. The nargile or Turkish water pipe, which was the focal point of Istanbul’s social and political life keeps on being well known with local people today and is something intriguing to attempt.
28. Istanbul is encompassed via ocean, with the Bosphorus slicing directly through it. The European Bank of the Bosphorus is specked by royal residences and parks while the Asian bank houses exquisite private neighborhoods.
29. The Galata Tower, worked in 1348 to house detainees of war, presently offers a 360-degree seeing display of the city.
30. Most of Istanbul’s nightlife settings can be found in the Galata area which incorporates Beyoğlu, Istiklal Street, and Taksim Square.
31. Istanbul has had a few unique names before, including Byzantium, Constantinople, Stamboul, and Tsarigrad.
32. Most guests to Istanbul are from Germany, Russia, France, UK, Netherlands, Italy, and Iran.
33. Mahmutpasha Bazaar has been Istanbul’s significant zest showcase since 1660.
34. Istanbul was the European Cultural Capital City in 2010, however, it has never facilitated the Olympics.
35. Neolithic relics, found by archeologists in the ongoing years demonstrate that the region of Istanbul has been occupied for more than 8,000 years.
36. Istanbul, under various names, was all through hundreds of years the capital of four incredible realms: Byzantine, Roman, Latin and Ottoman domain. In the twentieth century be that as it may, and all the more absolutely in 1923 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk broadcasted the Republic of Turkey, it lost its title to all the more midway found Ankara.
37. Istanbul is the main city on the planet that lies in two mainlands. The division among Europe and Asia is a characteristic one: the Bosphorus Strait going between the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara. The noteworthy core of the city is situated on the European side.
38. Its first name was Byzantium (from the name of unbelievable ruler Byzas) provided for it in 660 BC by Megarean settlers. In this manner, it was called Constantinople (“City of Constantine”) after the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. The name Istanbul gets most presumably from the medieval Greek articulation “Is Tin Poli” signifying “In The City”. The city was authoritatively renamed Istanbul rather than Constantinople in 1930.
39. A fun actuality is that since numerous individuals still utilized the old name of the city, the Turkish mail station quit conveying any mail with the location “Constantinople” to drive individuals to become acclimated to the new name.
40. Roman Emperor Constantine the Great fabricated Constantinople on seven slopes to make it coordinate the celebrated seven slopes of Rome. Strikingly, on every one of the slopes of Istanbul, there are found majestic mosques.
41. There are upwards of 3,113 mosques in Istanbul – more than in some other city in Turkey. The greatest one – the marvelous Blue Mosque, an outright should see – is the just one in Istanbul with six minarets, the most extreme number permitted.
42. One of the most notable sights of Istanbul – tremendous and colossal Hagia Sophia – was initial a congregation, or all the more exactly – an Orthodox house of prayer worked in 537, and a lot later, in 1453, in the hours of the Ottoman realm, it was changed over into a mosque. It was the greatest church on the planet for 9 centuries, until the Cathedral of Seville was worked in 1520, taking the primary spot. Hagia Sophia fell and was modified multiple times since its commencement.
43. Istanbul is a blend of various societies – and thusly, a few religions. These days, authoritatively 99% of the number of inhabitants in the city are Muslims, in any case, it wasn’t the situation in very late past. In the Ottoman Empire period, there was an extraordinary assorted variety of religions and ethnicity in the city. For example, as indicated by 1914 registration, as much as 35% of the number of inhabitants in Istanbul was of religions other than Islam: these were generally Greek and Armenian Orthodox Christians and Jews.
44. As in each Islamic nation, five times each day you can hear all through the city the calls for supplication from minarets and you can regularly watch individuals imploring in the city or other open spots.
45. One of the incredible interests in Istanbul is its climate! You may expect that a city situated by the Sea of Marmara associated with the Aegean Sea, will have a mellow climate consistently. Surprisingly – particularly for any individual who has visited it in the serious warmth of the mid-year – it snows here in the winter! The temperature in certain pieces of Istanbul drops to – 7 or – 10 in the winter months.
46. Tulips are an outstanding image of the Netherlands, yet their story begins in Turkey. In the hours of the Ottoman Empire, the wild blooms from the Turkish mountains were brought to Constantinople, where they got the consideration of the remote negotiators. In 1554, tulip bulbs were sent over from Constantinople to Vienna and from that point, they arrived at Amsterdam just because. The tulip exchange with Constantinople thrived. The tulips immediately increased such fame in the Netherlands that they turned into an incredibly valuable item, prompting supposed Tulip Mania – the period in the Dutch Golden Age when it was conceivable to purchase a whole town for a solitary tulip bulb of uncommon animal categories.
47. Cats are unquestionably the favored pets in Turkish culture. You will see them surrounding you, not in the city and squares, yet besides, wandering the mosques and even in the burial grounds – resting between the tombs (or acting like a statue as on the photograph above). They are spotless, very much nourished and thought about and they generally get a ton of consideration. Nonetheless, among extremely fascinating certainties of Istanbul we should take note of that with such love for cats, Istanbulites don’t give felines access to their homes. Every one of the cats in Istanbul is stray.
48. The Turkish organization Pugedon has presented in Istanbul an exceptionally current, pet-accommodating and eco-accommodating thought. A reusing box discharges to water and nourishment for stray canines and felines, in return for plastic containers. Such machines are situated in various places all through Istanbul, improving the personal satisfaction of stray creatures. There are more than 150,000 stray mutts in the city of this enormous city, so it was a truly necessary – and virtuoso – arrangement.
49. The Turkish water pipe called nargile or hookah has been generally the most loved neighborhood social movement, alongside get-together for a tea. For quite a long time, it has never lost its prevalence among the Istanbulites. It is basic to the point, that in certain spots and cafés in Istanbul the extreme smell of nargile continually fills the air. If you haven’t attempted it yet, it’s an ideal spot to have that experience. It’s a method to unwind, spoiling your faculties with one of the numerous accessible kinds of nargile tobacco, similar to apple, peach or vanilla, joined by a tulip-formed glass of Turkish tea.
50. Tea has a solid convention in Istanbul, be that as it may, it has become such a famous beverage just in moderately late occasions. In the previous hardly any hundreds of years, the genuine national beverage has been Turkish espresso, fermented unfiltered with a certain goal in mind. Notwithstanding, espresso got costly and because of the way that tea brambles can be developed operating at a profit Sea area, while espresso plants can’t, tea won the challenge. These days both are mainstream, however, you will see that generally you are offered a glass of tea as an inviting signal.
Here is a surprising reality about the Turkish espresso: Coffee initially showed up in Istanbul in the seventeenth century during the hours of the Ottoman Empire. As indicated by a serious translation of the Quran, solid espresso was an invigorating medication, accordingly drinking it was unlawful and was rebuffed with… a capital punishment!
51. The Sultan who forced that standard was so fixated on its recognition that he used to mask as a typical Istanbulite, stroll around the boulevards of the city equipped with a sword, and if he found anybody drinking the prohibited substance, he would leave his head off! Luckily, this ghastly law was lifted and before the finish of the seventeenth century, espresso becomes a national beverage. Still, around the same time, it was sent out to the courts of Britain and France, where it increased an incredible prevalence.
52. The Grand Bazaar is the most seasoned and biggest secured market and one of the primary shopping centers in the world. Worked in 1456, it tallies more than 4,000 stores dispersed along 64 secured avenues, and among them two mosques, four wellsprings, cafés, bistros, and 22 old doors!
53. For quite a long time, it was one of the most significant exchange centers in the world. It used to be sorted out with every road selling just one kind of merchandise – and the road’s name mirrored the idea of the exchange. This division vanished step by step, however, there are still some of such particular avenues these days. For example, there is a road of diamond setters, a road of floor coverings, a road of calfskin merchandise and so forth.
54. Hammams – the Turkish showers – have become a spa standard around the world, however, it’s a unique story to be in the first Turkish one. A fascinating reality about Istanbul is that there exist inconceivably many – and to be exact – 237 hammams in the city! These days, just 60 hammams are as yet dynamic – and they are as yet well known among the Istanbulites. Different ones are utilized for various purposes, similar to historical centers or display focuses or shops, or neglected totally, in the condition of vestiges. The most established and greatest Turkish shower in Istanbul is the Tahtakale Hamami worked in the fifteenth century, shockingly these days utilized distinctly for capacity.
55. One of the interests of Istanbul is that this city, albeit situated by two oceans, doesn’t have seashores anyplace near the middle. The spot to go to appreciate charming seashores are the Princes’ Islands. It’s an archipelago of 9 islands at the Marmara Sea, reachable by a decent vessel excursion or ship through Bosphorus. The genuine shock, however, is the way that every single engine vehicle is prohibited on the islands! You can appreciate hints of nature and move around in a charmingly antiquated steed truck – and the coachmen make like there’s no tomorrow! A significant exceptional encounter.
56. You might be astounded to find that the metro of Istanbul is the third most seasoned one on the planet! The first in history was the well known London tube worked in 1863, trailed by New York tram in 1868 – and followed, just 7 years after the fact, by Istanbul metro in 1875. Try not to accept the sites that state it’s just 0.5 km long it’s not valid! That was only the start. It’s 115.3 km long and continues developing, as it’s required in such a huge city with huge spans… between the landmasses
57. For the majority of its long history, Istanbul was one of the world’s biggest urban communities. In the fifth century, it was rivaling Rome as the most populated city on the planet and held its position until the twelfth century. From the sixteenth century until 1750, it was the greatest city in Europe, until London took the title. These days, Istanbul has a populace of mind-blowing 15 million! Approximately 66% of the occupants of the city live in Europe, and around 33% (35%) in its Asian part.
58. Istanbul isn’t the capital city, however, it has consistently been and still is the recorded, social and monetary heart of Turkey. It’s the biggest Turkish city with the most elevated populace and it represents more than a fourth of GDP of the whole nation. As per the Brookings Institution’s report, Istanbul was the seventh quickest developing metropolitan economy on the planet.
59. The city is likewise one of the world’s quickest developing the travel industry goals – as per the MasterCard report, it is among the main ten vacationer goals around the world. Along these lines, if you haven’t been there yet – it’s an ideal opportunity to go.
60. Most Turks don’t communicate in English, however, it doesn’t dishearten them to be agreeable and talk in Turkish to outsiders, undisturbed by the way that there is no exchange – it is a significant colorful encounter The ones who communicate in English might be exceptionally tenacious in rehearsing their language aptitudes with outsiders – they don’t take “no” for an answer Female voyagers unaccompanied by men can be watched explicitly and followed in the city by men who simply continue taking a gander at them, without attempting to talk. Now and then the social contrasts might be overpowering, however for more often than not Turks in Istanbul are neighborly individuals, carrying on with their day by day life in a genuinely multicultural condition.
61. Istanbul is home to 3113 mosques. The amazing Hagia Sophia has crumpled and been remade multiple times since the fourth century AD.
62. The Mevlevi Sema Ceremony, famously known as the Whirling Dervishes is believed to be a way to get-together with God.
63. The Grand Bazaar pulls in the middle of 250K to 400K individuals every day.
64. In the 1630s, it is supposed that, by utilizing counterfeit wings and the breeze from the highest point of the Galata Tower, Hezarfen Ahmed Celebi turned out to be maybe the primary individual to travel to another landmass.
65. Valens Aqueduct conveyed water into the old city for more than a thousand years. It was as yet dynamic toward the beginning of the twentieth century.
66. The Bosphorus is a characteristic waterway running directly through Istanbul, isolating Europe from Asia. Some accept an antiquated storm brought about by a break in the waterway may have propelled the fantasy of Noah’s flood.
67. Leonardo da Vinci imagined an extension over the Bosphorus, 471 years before the first was manufactured.
68. A nineteenth-century French artist and voyager, Alphonse de Lamartine once stated, “If one had, however, a solitary look to give the world, one should look on Istanbul”.
69. Istanbul (old Byzantium) was established on Seven Hills like Rome.
70. Istanbul is probably the greatest city on the planet, with around 15 million populace, which is more than 177 nations around the globe.
71. Istanbul was the most packed city in the world in 1502, at that point London took this title in 1840.
72. Istanbul was the capital city of three significant Empires: the Eastern Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire during their standard.
73. Blue Mosque is the main mosque in Istanbul with six minarets, which is the greatest number you can have in a mosque.
74. Right now, there are two suspensions connects on the Bosphorus Strait interfacing Europe to Asia. The third one is under development.
75. There is a passage under the Bosphorus associating the Marmaray rail framework among Europe and Asia. The subsequent one, called Eurasia Tunnel, is under development and this will be for engine vehicles.
76. Right now there are two universal air terminals; one on the Asian side one on the European side. The third one is under development.
77. Terrific Bazaar is the greatest old canvassed bazaar on the planet, with over 3.000 shops.
78. Hagia Sophia was the biggest church on the planet for around 900 years.
79. The greatest beacon of Turkey is in Sile locale on the Black Sea coast. It’s 19 meters (62 feet) high and 1,1 meters (3,6 feet) wide.
80. Four bronze ponies that are enlivening today San Marco Cathedral in Venice were taken from Istanbul (Constantinople in those days) by the Crusaders in the thirteenth century.
81. The first auto collision occurred in 1912 at the Sisli region, when the driver of the Italian Embassy hit a person on foot and attempted to flee from the scene.
82. Sapphire high rise at Levent area is the tallest (261 meters – 856 feet) working between Dubai – Frankfurt on the world guide. The second tallest structure in Istanbul Is Kule claimed by Is Bank, 181 meters (594 feet) high.
83. More than 16 thousand tons of trash is gathered every day by the Municipality.
84. During the Middle Ages in the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul had over 1.400 open toilets in the city in the interim there weren’t any even at the castles in France and other European urban communities.
85. Agatha Christie thought of her well-known novel “Murder on the Orient Express” at Pera Palas Hotel in Istanbul.
87. Turkey has the most youthful populace in Europe, with a middle period of 29.6 years. For correlation, it was 40.9 years in France in 2014. In the more local people neighborhoods of Istanbul (outside the old city) you will be enjoyably astonished by the dynamism, the vitality that adolescent mixes to this city that never dozes. Regardless of whether on the workmanship, melodic or culinary scenes, Istanbul won’t leave you apathetic.
88. Just before Paris in the ninth position, Istanbul has 28 very rich people. During your stay, you can find in the wealth of a piece of the populace, particularly when you’ll see the chateaus on the shores of the Bosphorus. As of late one of these manors was sold 100 million dollars, as per Forbes that is the fifth most costly private house on the planet.
89. Istanbul is additionally the city with the most moguls in the district before Dubai with 48 000 tycoons in 2014. As per the Mastercard Index arrangement, Istanbul will be the fifth most visited city on the planet in 2015, with more than 12 million guests. Between a millennial history, the financial and social essentialness of a youthful populace, and its geographic area being an extension among Europe and Asia, Istanbul draws in.
90. The greatest air terminal on the planet is presently under development in the North of the city, on the shores of the Black Sea. It will have a limit of 150 million travelers each year. The amazing development of Turkish Airlines and the minimal effort Pegasus clarifies this inconceivable undertaking that is liable to discuss because underdevelopment in the northern woodlands of Istanbul.
91. Turkey is one of the main nations on the planet where the nearby film industry gets more cash-flow than American motion pictures and it isn’t phenomenal for Turkish movies to be granted at significant film celebrations. Turkey is likewise the second biggest exporter of TV arrangement on the planet after the United States. In a review led in 16 nations in the district (the Balkans and the Middle East), 3 out of 4 individuals have viewed a Turkish drama.
92. A large portion of the arrangement is shot in Istanbul and spread a wide range of themes, from sentiment through parody to dramatization or authentic subjects. The populaces of the South American nations are likewise progressively enamored with the Turkish arrangement, which adds to Turkey’s delicate force. We were discussing the marvels in one of our first articles: The unfathomable prominence of Turkish arrangement.
93. Istanbul who was previously the capital of three domains is currently significantly more than only a name in the history books, it’s additionally an incredible city of the 21st century who consolidated convention and innovation and in which you can explore between periods depending on the areas you will visit.
