Işık University

The Combination of the Modern and the Traditional is the endless diversity of Istanbul that fascinates its visitors. Museums, churches, palaces, great mosques, bazaars, natural beauties are innumerable. As you relax on the western shores of the Bosphorus at sunset and watch the crimson evening light reflecting on the other continent, it will be understood why the settlers centuries ago chose to build a city in this extraordinary place. It is at moments like these that you can understand why Istanbul is truly one of the most magnificent cities in the world. Istanbul is Turkey's most developed and largest city, and the latest discoveries show that the history of human settlement here dates back to around 400,000 years ago. Istanbul's purple years began in 330 when Emperor Constantine declared the city the capital of his empire – royal purple was the color of the Byzantine imperial family. Until 1453, when it was conquered by the Ottomans, the city served as the capital of the Byzantine Empire. During the Byzantine era, Istanbul, then known as Constantinople, was adorned with a series of grand monuments that made it the most magnificent city in the world – this was true even during the years of the empire's decline.

İstanbul Nüfusu : 15840900.