Why is istanbuls location so important

This proved an auspicious decision by Byzas, as history has shown Istanbul's location important far beyond what these early Greek settlers might possibly have conceived. Byzas gave his name to the city: Byzantium. From that point on, the city was known as Constantinople. The mid 's AD was a time of enormous upheaval in the empire.

Barbarians conquered the western Roman Empire while the Eastern, also called the Byzantine Empire , kept Constantinople as its capital. In during the reign of Justinian I, antigovernment riots destroyed the city. It was rebuilt, and outstanding structures such as Hagia Sophia stand as monuments to the heights Byzantine culture reached. It was instrumental in the advancement of Christianity during Roman and Byzantine times, before the Ottomans conquered the city in and transformed it into an Islamic stronghold and the seat of the last caliphate.

Istanbul's strategic position along the historic Silk Road, rail networks to Europe and the Middle East, and the only sea route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean have helped foster an eclectic populace, although less so since the establishment of the Republic in Overlooked for the new capital during the interwar period, the city has since regained much of its prominence. The population of the city has increased tenfold since the s, as migrants from across Anatolia have flocked to the metropolis and city limits have expanded to accommodate them.

Arts festivals were established at the end of the 20th century, while infrastructure improvements have produced a complex transportation network.

Approximately The city's biggest draw remains its historic center, partially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its cultural and entertainment hub can be found across the city's natural harbour, the Golden Horn, in the Beyoglu district. Considered a global city, Istanbul is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan economies in the world.

It is the only city to straddle two continents , Europe and Asia, and has been at the center of regional commerce for nearly 3, years. Greek colonists established cities on both sides of this channel in the 7th century B. This city, taking the name Byzantium, was built above the finest natural harbor on the Bosporus, a narrow inlet called the Golden Horn because of its curved shape and the amount of wealth that flowed across its piers.

This is the heart of today's Istanbul and forms the northern boundary of the old city. Called Halic in Turkish, and Keration in Greek, the six-mile-long Golden Horn dominated shipping then, as it does today. The city grew wealthy by charging tolls from any ship passing through the narrows of the Bosporus.

Byzantium remained a fairly minor city until the 4th century C.