Cyprus-Forum.com

[Chrisswirl]

Out of interest, do any Greeks refer to the capital of both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires as Istanbul, and likewise do any Turks refer to it as Constantinople? Do any Greeks get insulted by people calling it "Istanbul", and do any Turks find "Constantinople / Konstantinopoli" insulting? Personally I usually would say both names, even in conversation.

Also, although the origins of Constantinople are obvious, where did Istanbul come from? Was it, as I have heard (possibly here), from "i styn poli" (to the city), or elsewhere?

[Marinella]

That's easy

334 apples

[garbitsch]

The word "Istanbul" came from the Greek words "Eis tin poli". Turks never use Konstantinopoli and they get offended if Greeks use it, because Turks believe when Greeks use "Constantinople" they mean the city belongs to Greece.

I, personally, am not against the use of Constantinople BY Greeks but don't like it if a Greek uses it while speaking with me.

[garbitsch]

Istanbul not Constatinople
Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople

Heheh go and listen to this song by They Might Be Giants!

[Saint Jimmy]

The word "Istanbul" came from the Greek words "Eis tin poli".

GarbitSch,
are you sure about this? I met a Turkish girl who is from Istanbul and asked her about it, because that's what I thought, too, and she looked at me like I was the dumbest creature on the face of the earth, and said that it's not.

[garbitsch]

Some Turks try to believe that Istanbul comes from "Islamibol" meaning "full of Islam" but this was made up by the Turks themselves to justify the conquere of the city.... However Turks had even used the word Konstantiniye after the fall of the city to Turks. Ottomans had also used "Dersaadet" and "Asitane" which thse sound more Arabic and Persian than Greek or Turkish. In any case, Istanbul derived from its Greek version.

[Turks]

It can only be called Istanbul no other name





India . parkistan, etc are not refered to as the Britsh Empire

Bosnia, crotia, etc are not refered to Yugoslavia


Istanbul since 1453.

[Main_Source]

India . parkistan, etc are not refered to as the Britsh Empire

if thats the analogy you use, then it makes more snese calling it Constantinople, because that was it's orginial name before it was invaded by the Ottoman Empire.

Anyway, it's just the same name but in a different language.

Could be worse...could be more confusing and called 'Byzantipol' like in ISS [/quote]

[Saint Jimmy]

OK, but who said it should be called anything else? Take a sedative!
But the Greeks don't call it Istanbul - they call it Constantinople. And if Istanbul does, indeed, come from the Greek name, I don't see why the Greeks shouldn't use the original name.

[devil]

If the Greeks wish to use Constantinopolis, that is their prerogative. In English, the name is definitely Istanbul and it jars when CyBC news readers use Constantinople in the English language news (also Cypriot English-language newspapers). This is just sheer ignorance.

However, the name Istanbul was adopted officially only in 1930. It was officially called Constantinopolis from about 350 AD to 1930. From 330 to about 350, it was called New Rome and, prior to 330 Byzantium, after Byzas built the city in 637 BCE. The reason it was changed from New Rome was because the people would not accept the new name and Constantine wanted to drop Byzantium. The Arabic name in the 13th century was Istinpolin, from which the modern name is derived and was a transliteration of the Byzantine dialect of the Greek "to the city", as already pointed out. Byzantine Greek is closer to Ancient Greek, but with a strong regional accent and the GO liturgy is in a purified form of this dialect.