# Istanbul (Not Constaninople) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 9, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784 "2005-09-09T04:35:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![fushj00mang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@fushj00mang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fushj00mang)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/1 "2005-09-09T04:35:17Z")
Istanbul was Constaninople, but now it’s Istanbul, not Constaninople. Why did Constaninople get the works? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/2 "2005-09-09T04:41:30Z")
That’s nobody’s business but the mods’. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/3 "2005-09-09T04:44:23Z")
Oh it’s _not_ a joke thread? [This](http://www.sephardicstudies.org/istanbul.html) should answer your question. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/4 "2005-09-09T04:47:30Z")
In the middle of the 15th century, the city came under the control of the Ottoman Empire and got called by a different name. Is that what you’re asking? ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/5 "2005-09-09T04:51:08Z")
The Turks didn’t like to have their biggest city named after a Christian Roman Emperor ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/6 "2005-09-09T04:51:36Z")
> [@groman](#): > > In the middle of the 15th century, the city came under the control of the Ottoman Empire and got called by a different name. Is that what you’re asking? I thought the official change in name to Istanbul didn’t occur until the 1930s or thereabouts. ---
**Author:** ![fushj00mang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@fushj00mang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fushj00mang)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/7 "2005-09-09T04:54:54Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Oh it’s _not_ a joke thread? > > [This](http://www.sephardicstudies.org/istanbul.html) should answer your question. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/8 "2005-09-09T05:01:00Z")
> [@groman](#): > > In the middle of the 15th century, the city came under the control of the Ottoman Empire and got called by a different name. Is that what you’re asking? > [@Tapioca Dextrin](#): > > The Turks didn’t like to have their biggest city named after a Christian Roman Emperor Nope. Read **TheLoadedDog** ’s link ( though one small error in it is that the 11th century was definitely part of the ‘Byzantine period’ ). In short the name Istanbul preceded the Turkish conquest by hundreds of years, was probably Greek in origin, and wasn’t the official name until after WW I and the demise of the Ottoman state which had held it for ~ 450 years at that point. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/9 "2005-09-09T05:04:54Z")
Ok… Im gonna be the wise ass. Istanbul, is that where they make shoehorns? … the kind with teeth? ---
**Author:** ![hammerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/73ab20/32.png) [@hammerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hammerbach)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/10 "2005-09-09T07:08:50Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > Ok… Im gonna be the wise ass. > > Istanbul, is that where they make shoehorns? … the kind with teeth? You know there’s no such thing… ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/11 "2005-09-09T11:22:24Z")
But: Constaninople was Byzantium, but it (used to be) Constaninople, not Byzantium. Why did Byzantium get the works? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/12 "2005-09-09T15:09:31Z")
I’m shocked that nobody has pointed out that it’s spelled _Constan **t** inople._ ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/13 "2005-09-09T15:33:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’m shocked that nobody has pointed out that it’s spelled _Constan **t** inople._ “Constantinople, C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E. Constantinople, it’s as easy to spell it as saying your ABCs.” ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/14 "2005-09-09T15:45:26Z")
Damn! And I was supposed to have a date in Constantinople! ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/15 "2005-09-09T15:53:00Z")
She’ll be waiting in Istanbul. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/16 "2005-09-09T15:55:25Z")
Eeven o–old New york, was once New Amsterdam. **Why they changed it?** [sub]Surely people didn’t just like it better that way.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/17 "2005-09-09T15:56:17Z")
So…take me back to Constantinople! ---
**Author:** ![BlueKangaroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3d9bf3/32.png) [@BlueKangaroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueKangaroo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/18 "2005-09-09T16:05:30Z")
No, you can’t go back to Constantinople! ---
**Author:** ![EnderWay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d26b3c/32.png) [@EnderWay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnderWay)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/19 "2005-09-09T16:06:31Z")
> [@Inigo Montoya](#): > > So…take me back to Constantinople! No, you can’t go back to Constantinople! Been a long time gone I knew I liked this palce for a reason! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784/20 "2005-09-09T16:29:19Z")
_All alone at the '64 World’s Fair Eighty dolls yelling “Small world after all”_ Oops, sorry, wrong song [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/istanbul-not-constaninople/320784.md?page=2)