City of many names: Istanbul had more than 135 throughout history
The mosaics of Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, were uncovered in Sultanahmet Square during extensive archaeological excavations from 1935 to 1951. (Photo via Facebook/The Archaeologist's account)
Istanbul is an ancient city often regarded as the capital of the world. With a past stretching back 8,500 years, the city has hosted three great civilizations over its more than 2,700 years of written history. Istanbul also holds the distinction of being the city with the most names ever given, reflecting its rich and layered heritage.
Art historian Suleyman Faruk Han Goncuglu, who tells the story of the city in his book “Istanbul Kitabi” (The Book of Istanbul), shared some fascinating facts.
A city unlike any other in the world
Answering questions from Türkiye daily, Goncuglu said, “Istanbul is a city that fascinates people. That’s why it has gained characteristics that no other major city has ever been granted. For instance, throughout history, Istanbul has been given around 135 different names and titles. We do not know of any other city with this many names. Among these are famous ones such as ‘Alma Roma’, ‘Constantinople’, ‘Kostantiniyye’, ‘Byzantion’, ‘Asitane’, ‘Dersaadet’, ‘el-Faruk’, ‘Darul-Hilafe’ and ‘Islambol’. Just like its history, the number of names Istanbul has had is unmatched in the world,” he said.
Each nation gave it a different name
Goncuglu noted that each nation gave the city a different name: “The Latins called it Makedonya, the Syriacs Yankovice or Aleksandra, the Jews Vizendovina, the Franks Yagfuriye, Pozantiyam or Konstantiniye, the Austrians (Nemce) Konstantinopol, the Russians Tekfuriye, the Hungarians Vizendovar, the Dutch Stefaniye, the Portuguese Kostin, the Mongols Chakdurkan or Sakalya, the Iranians Kayser-i Zemin, and the Arabs Konstantiniyye-i Kubra (Greater Istanbul). According to the hadith of our Prophet, the name of the city is Konstantiniyye,” he said.
City’s name marked with abjad calculation
Goncuglu added, “During the Ottoman period, the number of names for the city increased significantly.” He continued, “Interesting names were given to the city using the abjad system. For example, the name ‘Belde-i Tayyibe’ (The Pure City) given to Istanbul corresponds to the Hijri year 857 (Gregorian 1453), the date of the city’s conquest, based on abjad numerology.”
Goncuglu also shared that the name “Konstantiniyye” was used in Turkish until the end of the 19th century.
