| Noun | 1. | Istanbul - the largest city and former capital of Turkey; rebuilt on the site of ancient Byzantium by Constantine I in the fourth century; renamed Constantinople by Constantine who made it the capital of the Byzantine Empire; now the seat of the Eastern Orthodox Churchcity, metropolis, urban center - a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts; "Ancient Troy was a great city" Republic of Turkey, Turkey - a Eurasian republic in Asia Minor and the Balkans; achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1923 Chalcedon, Kadikoy - a former town on the Bosporus (now part of Istanbul); site of the Council of Chalcedon | |