About Istanbul It was called Byzantium at the time of its founding, then Constantinople in the year 330 and on March 28, 1930, it officially became Istanbul. The largest city in Turkey, four of its historic areas are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located on the edge of the Sea of Marmara and on both sides of the Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul straddles two continents: Europe and Asia. Its inhabitants are called Stambouliotes or Istambuliotes. There are 3,113 mosques, of which the largest and most splendid, the Blue Mosque, is the only one in the city with six minarets. Every year, the Tulip Festival is held in honor of this precious flower from the Turkish mountains... Often associated with Holland, it was from Constantinople that tulip bulbs left and reached Amsterdam in the 16th century!
