Istanbul

Istanbul, which was Constantinople (now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople), is the largest city in Türkiye and the only major city on two continents (Europe and Asia). Its history dates back thousands of years to the 7th century BCE when it was called Byzantium. Meanwhile, its Constantinople days saw the likes of the mighty Byzantine Empire and the construction of Hagia Sophia, a famous landmark built as an Orthodox church but is now a mosque. Those days have been a long time gone, and the city today is a Turkish delight on a moonlit night.

Etymology

Istanbul's modern Turkish name is said to have derived from the Medieval Greek phrase εἰς τὴν Πόλιν (is tim bolis, "to the city"). Meanwhile, Constantinople derives from Greek Κωνσταντινούπολις (Kōnstantinoupolis, "city of Constantine"),a reference to Roman Emperor Constantine I, who moved the capital to his eponymous city to be closer to his main rival.