Abbreviation for Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul

Istanbul is a large but hospitable city with around 13 million inhabitants and a history that stretches back 2700 years. As the only city in the world located in two different continents, culture has also become a fascinating blend of European and Asian, Christianity and Islam. There is no place for architecture anywhere, there are large green spaces in the center, and the excursion opportunities are many.

If you are interested in history, you will easily be able to spend one week in Istanbul ( Turkey ) without bringing in half of what the city has to offer. Shopping opportunities are also huge, and a good tip is to refresh your shopping skills before you leave! The Turks are exceptionally good sellers, but most are also friendly people who respect a certain no and still give you a free cup of tea. And don’t be surprised if someone invites you home for dinner.

Get to know Istanbul

Broadly speaking, we can divide Istanbul into three parts. On the European side is the Golden Horn, the bay that divides western Istanbul into two.

On the south side you will find the old historical center, ie the old town or Sultanahmet. On the other side of the bridge is more modern Istanbul, with the districts of Beyoglu, Galatasaray and Besiktas. The third part is the Asian part, ie the part that lies on the other side of the Bosphorus Strait. Here you will find the district of Üsküdar.

City Profile

• Abbreviation: IST
• Country: Turkey

Sultanahmet district of Istanbul

The most interesting and most visited district is Sultanahmet. Here are the tourist attractions in a row: Topkapi Palace, Aya Sofia, Basilica Star, Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Spice Bazaar and more. All this you need several days to digest, so it’s no wonder that many tourists never get to see other parts of Istanbul.

Sultanahmet is Istanbul’s oldest district, and this is where the city was founded approx. 650 BC Istanbul was first called Byzants, until the Romans took over the city around the year 330. They named it Constantinople and made it the capital of the East Roman Empire. The Crusaders occupied Constantinople in 1204, but the Byzantines withdrew it. It did not last long, for in 1453 the city fell into the hands of the Ottoman army and was soon named Istanbul. As the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Istanbul became bigger and more powerful than ever. The heyday lasted until the kingdom disintegrated in 1832. For the next 90 years, the city went on a tour of invading forces from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, France, Italy and England, among others.. In 1923, finally, the Turkish Republic was founded by his father, Atatürk, but the capital was moved to Ankara.

Old Istanbul is relatively easy to get to. This peninsula has a huge park around the Topkapi Palace which is at the tip. Close by is the Sultanahmet area, which really denotes the area around Aya Sofia. Here you will find the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome and the Basilica Stars, where the shopping street Divan Yolu Cad starts. It extends east towards the Bazaar areas. It has a tram line that makes it easy to get around. The tram line swings up towards the railway station, which in its day was the terminus of the legendary Orient Express, the train route that ran between Paris and Istanbul until 1977. Apropos the Orient Express; Agatha Christie wrote her crime classic Murder On The Orient Express at Hotel Pera Palace, just off Taksim Square. Here you too you stay, from approx. 275 kroner at night.

Bazaar district of Istanbul

West of Sultanahmet lies the Bazaar district, naturally named after the Grand Bazaar, the huge shopping area with over 4000 small shops where you can shop anywhere between heaven and earth. Also located here are Mirsir Carsisi, the Spice Bazaar, the large university area and the magnificent Süleymaniya Mosque.

Crossing the Atatürk Bridge or the Galata Bridge over the Golden Horn from the Bazaar district, you reach the district of Beyoglu and the newer, urban part of Istanbul. There are a lot fewer tourists here. The architecture is more European in Beyoglu than in the old town. Here is most of the administration, the main square of Taksim Square, embassies, modern shopping centers, luxury and business hotels, beauty salons, banks, nightclubs and bus stations. The home courts of Besiktas and Galatasaray, two of Istanbul’s major football clubs, are also located here.

Besiktas and Ortaköy in Istanbul

Further northeast, along the Bosphorus Strait, are the districts of Besiktas and Ortaköy. Most people only travel through Besiktas and move on to another place, as there is not much to do for tourists here. In Ortaköy, on the other hand, there is a pleasant harbor promenade with several restaurants and bars in a row with great views towards Sultanahmet on the right and the Bosphorus Bridge and Asia on the left.

Üsküdar in Istanbul

On the other side of the Bosphorus Strait is the Asian part of Istanbul, and opposite Besiktas and Ortaköy you will find the district of Üsküdar. The contrast between European and urban Beyoglu and Besiktas is enormous. The area here is much more conservative Islamic.

For a tourist, it may be interesting to visit the city’s highest point, the green idyllic park of Büyük Camlica with glorious views of the old town and the Bosphorus. Üsküdar also has good shopping opportunities with a large market that sells local crafts, among other things. Here are also several good restaurants and cafes by the seafront with nice views.

Facts about Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, and is certainly the city most tourists have heard of as well. But Istanbul is not the capital. It’s Ankara.

List of Istanbul Acronyms

The most commonly used abbreviations about Istanbul is IST which stands for Istanbul. In the following table, you can see all acronyms related to Istanbul, including abbreviations for airport, city, school, port, government, and etc.